room 8 is a 2013 short film written and directed by james w. griffiths .

on february 2014 , this film has won the 67th british academy film awards ( bafta ) as the best short film .

room 8 ( film )

room 8 ( 2013 ) directed by james w . griffiths • reviews , film + cast • letterboxd
congratulations to james w griffiths for his bafta award for short film for room 8 . room 8 is one of five different films from the same script : the bombay sapphire imagination series . seeking to spark the imagination , we asked oscar winning writer geoffrey fletcher to write a short script stripped of any stage direction . the five most imaginative film entries were picked , produced and premiered at tribeca film festival 2013 . to see more about director of room 8 , james w . griffiths , go to urltoken
griffiths’ originally was an editor , and started to direct shorts later , room 8 only the third project he’s directed .
film inquiry is a progressive , independent film magazine that aims to redefine film journalism . we publish in - depth , high quality articles written by a diverse group of people ; without falsely baiting your attention , we offer genuine , passionate insight into the world of film .
room 8 is a short starring tom cullen , michael gould , and yuri klimov . a prisoner discovers a magical box with a baneful secret that he falls foul to .
room 8 , a short film written and directed by james w . griffiths , takes place in a russian prison . british prisoner ives ( tom cullen ) is taken to a new cell , where he meets the mysterious shears ( michael gould ) .
allegory , fantasy , and tale of incarceration ,
room 8
makes a robust impression for its limited running time . like the best pieces of short fiction , the film is memorable , fully imagined , and effective . it makes a tremendous impact .
opinions expressed in our articles are those of the authors and not of the film inquiry magazine .
in a mere five minutes , director , james w . griffiths creates a short film that is moody , fantastic , dark , and chilling . a well - assembled mind - bender , griffith ' s
room 8
combines fantasy with prison drama and results in a statement on the traps the humans can never escape .
a cultural phenomenon , tommy wiseau ' s the room has become a cult classic since its release in 2003 . the film itself is hard to describe ; the basic synopsis barely does it justice :
2014 . it is the first and only time a branded content film had won the highly coveted award .
created as part of the bombay sapphire imagination series , room 8 is one of five handpicked films based on oscar - winning screenwriter geoffrey fletcher’s ( precious ) script . run in association with the tribeca film festival , the competition invites filmmakers to take a script that is absent of direction and inject their own genre , locations , characters and imagination to bring the film to life . speaking to the director via email , i was eager to discover exactly what attracted him to this particular competition :
bafta’s destination for youngsters to come and discover the magical worlds of film , television and games . enter challenges , watch videos , and take part in our annual vote to decide the best film , tv show and game of the year .
the box would be free falling forever since you ' re room and every other room would have been thrown over the wall as well . so you ' d just be floating around forever like on the space station .
for the faithful , the room isn’t just bad , it’s intoxicatingly awful .
- nicholas barber , urltoken
room 8 , a short film written and directed by james w . griffiths , takes place in a russian prison . british prisoner ives ( tom cullen ) is taken to a new cell , where he meets the mysterious shears ( michael gould ) . in the cell , ives finds a red box , which piques his interest . unable to fight his curiosity , he opens the box , and is shocked at what he finds .
don ' t listen to the haters or those that want to chip away at the overall brilliance of ' room ' . what film doesn ' t have small flaws , they pale into insignificance during the 2 hours of continuous emotional maelstrom that follows . this film wrings every last drop of emotion and drama out of the allotted playtime . make no mistake , despite short bursts of touching serenity , this films starts up full throttle and doesn ' t let - up . i can only assume reviewers here scoring this film 8 or less must be vulcan by birth , or just terminally insensitive . this is a first rate drama with stand out performances all round . especially from the child protagonist . * * warning * * if you have trouble viewing emotionally charged material of a sensitive nature about abuse . you would be well advised not to view this film .
recovering after a terrible accident , dana struggles to regain her life and family when she encounters a malevolent ghost in her hospital room .
washed - up true - crime writer ellison oswalt finds a box of super 8 home movies that suggest the murder he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose work dates back to the 1960s .
what is so fascinating about the room is how beguilingly
off
it feels . dialogue seems almost intentionally unnatural , moments escalate out of nowhere and can settle almost as quickly , and scenes play out in confounding fashion . but in a weird way , it kinda works . because of this , audiences approach the film with the same fervor as a rocky horror picture show crowd , complete with callouts and the occasional props . it is a film everyone should experience once , and we certainly recommend doing so before james franco ' s the disaster artist , which chronicles the making of the room & its subsequent release , hits theaters in december .
set in a 1970’s prison cell , james w . griffiths’ striking room 8 mixes an intriguing narrative with impressive visual fx to create an utterly compelling 7 - minute short . with a plot that feels pulled from an episode of the twilight zone , griffiths’ short is one part thriller , one part science fiction and one part horror . which in my eyes equals a whole lot of awesome .
a man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the dolphin hotel . soon after settling in , he confronts genuine terror .
the cynical and skeptical writer mike enslin writes books evaluating supernatural phenomena in hotels , graveyards and other haunted places , usually debunking the mystery . while writing his latest book , he travels from los angeles to new york to spend one night in the dolphin hotel ' s posessed room 1408 , which is permanently unavailable for guests . the reluctant manager mr . gerald olin objects to his request and offers an upgrade , expensive booze and finally relates the death of more than fifty guests over decades in the cursed room . however mike threatens mr . olin , promising to sue the hotel , and is finally allowed to check into the room . later in the night , he finds that guests of room 1408 , once they have checked in , might never leave the room alive .
really excellent production values and a clever , twisty little five minute twilight zone premise combine to make a film which continues to linger in the mind well after it ' s finished .
nice film . but why would you do that ? the best he could have hoped for was spending the rest of his life hidden among giants . lonly and in constant danger .
but what ' s the main idea of the film ? there are three more short movies on the topic , and all of them are about opening the box and regrets later .
british academy of film and television arts ) award for best short film . it was selected in an online competition to be part of the five - part bombay sapphire imagination series , based on a script by oscar - winning screenwriter geoffrey fletcher . competitors were invited to pitch a script , based on fletcher’s outline and the winners would get a significant budget to produce their short .
whilst griffiths’ film is the pick of the bunch , the series as a whole is an impressive collection of shorts , showcasing the work of some up and coming writers / directors . with a variety of different interpretations of fletcher’s script on show and some truly impressive production values in each film , bombay sapphire have certainly set a high standard when it comes to brands collaborating with filmmakers . with the series already accepting submissions for a second year – the winning films due to premiere at the tribeca film festival in april 2014 – we’re already eagerly anticipating what this impressive collaboration brings to our screens next year .
i mean , he ' d have to blast the room to smithereens , but if the outline of the opening of the box was intact , i bet it still would work .
if you ' ve seen christopher nolan ' s doodlebug , you ' ve seen this short film . though i must say , it is a dark and manipulative drama very neatly induced in just under six minutes .
tldr : it ' s physically impossible take a littler box out of your original box , you can try to carry your original box out of you room . but as soon as you ' re over the wall , everything will look and seem like an endless abyss of space . . . but at least you could float around your room like a sexy sandra bullock astronaut .
as an editor , griffiths’ has cut his teeth on a series of successful shorts , including 2011 short of the week pick stanley pickle . yet it is in making the transition from editor to director that we’ve really begun to get a sense of the talent and originality griffiths injects into filmmaking . with room 8 now his third ( and most ambitious ) short as a director , following splitscreen : a love story and we were wanderers on a prehistoric earth , we asked griffiths how he went about developing geoffrey fletcher’s stark script and how the production differed from his previous work :
towards the beginning of his stay in room 1408 , mike mentions that
some smart - ass
once wrote about the
banality of evil .
the
smart - ass
in question is german political theorist and intellectual
while mike is reviewing the room for the first time , he puts down the bottle of cognac on the bedside table , opened . when the radio starts and he looks back from the window , the cork has magically reappeared .
paul and jennifer hemdale have just moved into their dream house . but their happy marriage is about to be put to the test as they slowly discover the secret behind the black room in the . . . see full summary »
“online film competitions are becoming more and more common , but the problem with most is that you must use your own resources to make the film first and then it gets judged . what was unique with this competition is that first you pitch for the chance to make it , the judges pick the best pitches and then they give you the resources to make it , including a substantial budget . opportunities of getting good budgets for short films is few and far between at the moment so i wanted to grab hold of this one with both hands . ”
how about that ! the ending is haunting and left me with a sense of dread . how would you react if you were to find a box like that ? do the boxes give access to a parallel universe , somehow ? i have so many questions , and they all go unanswered . it’s a very mysterious film .
someone ' s going to need to enlighten me as to what ' s so great about this . it ' s not a terribly original idea and is reminiscent of christopher nolan ' s
doodlebug
short film from decades ago . sure it ' s a neat little idea , but there ' s nothing else to it .
there ' s a competition to write a story around a given script . as i understand it all the writers are given words to the script and have to create a story hence there being 4 other winners who had their film created with similar scripts but each of them have had original ideas and executed them differently . this is probably my favourite .
i ' m ok with the shaky - cam , but everything about this film is very derivative ( especially of doodlebug , as you mentioned ) , and i saw the whole
send the next prisoner
thing coming almost immediately . it ' s also just pointless and meaningless , pretty much the only thing someone will get from watching this is
ah ha !
room tells the extraordinary story of jack , a spirited 5 - year - old who is looked after by his loving and devoted mother . like any good mother , ma dedicates herself to keeping jack happy and safe , nurturing him with warmth and love and doing typical things like playing games and telling stories . their life , however , is anything but typical - - they are trapped - - confined to a 10 - by - 10 - foot space that ma has euphemistically named room . ma has created a whole universe for jack within room , and she will stop at nothing to ensure that , even in this treacherous environment , jack is able to live a complete and fulfilling life . but as jack ' s curiosity about their situation grows , and ma ' s resilience reaches its breaking point , they enact a risky plan to escape , ultimately bringing them face - to - face with what may turn out to be the scariest thing yet : the real world .
as jack is lying face - up , his head at the tailgate of the truck , he beholds the naked sky for the first time . the world is passing by - from top to bottom of the screen . this is exactly the opposite of how he would see it from his established perspective . this is no small error for arguably the most beautiful moment in the film .
edit : if you tried to carry your open orig box out of your room and over the wall , then as soon as you got your box over the wall , everything will look and seem like an endless abyss of space . so imagine you climb up to your ceiling while holding your original box . you open the lid of your orig box so the bigger you opens your ceiling . you climb out and are now hanging on the outside of your wall by one arm with your other arm holding your original box . you look up and see the bigger you is holding your entire room ( his box ) that your hanging on to . and you see he himself is hanging on to the side of his room , which is being held by an even bigger you . you then look down at your box and see an infinite chain of ever smaller you ' s clinging to your box to infinity . but while the chain is infinite , it ' ll never be longer than the distance you can hang from the box , it ' ll just get infinitesimally small .
if cox continues to play like this , there could be room for him on the bengals’ 53 - man roster , or at least the practice squad . having a guy like cox who is not afraid to defend the run while still being able to locate the ball could provide a lot of depth for a secondary that’s faced a few injuries in training camp .
it’s no secret shonda rhimes is a hamilton fan ( honestly , who isn’t ? ) , so it’s clear this week’s episode title is an homage to the hit broadway show . however , if you tuned in tonight thinking you’d hear a hamilton reference or five , you were mistaken — in tonight’s captivating , wrenching episode , the room where it happens is the or .
this is the perfect metaphor for why we can ' t accelerate mass to the speed of light . imagine if you opened the box , but you had a rocket , at first you would easily pass through 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 boxes . . . but as you became inversly smaller the distance to the next box would become infinity more difficult to achieve on a logarithmic scale , eventually , no matter how much force you put behind the rocket , the distance to the next box would be infinity long never allowing you to reach it .
now what if , while holding your orig box at chest level , you opened it and flipped it upside down to try to get the littler box fall out of your orig box ? it still wouldn ' t work . but something really weird would happen . the bigger you would of flipped his box ( your room ) upside down as well , and so on to infinity . so all the boxes ( rooms ) are now upside down and free falling within each other . but , given physics , we know everything falls at the same rate ( not accounting for friction ) , and a weird effect would take place . everything in your room would seem to be weightless because everything is technically in free fall ( although it wouldn ' t feel like your falling at all ) . you ' re orig box would just float there upside down . it ' d be like being on the space station ; the space station and everything in it is just constantly
falling around the earth
but we call that orbiting . if you think about that , it ' s pretty damn cool ; you can essentially control and
aim
the gravity of your room
now what if , while holding your orig box at chest level , you opened it and flipped it upside down to try to get the littler box fall out of your orig box ? it still wouldn ' t work . but something really weird would happen . the bigger you would of flipped his box ( your room ) upside down as well , and so on to infinity . so all the boxes ( rooms ) are now upside down and free falling within each other . but , given physics , we know everything falls at the same rate ( not accounting for friction ) , and a weird effect would take place . everything in your room would seem to be weightless because everything is technically in free fall ( although it wouldn ' t feel like your falling at all ) . you ' re orig box would just float there upside down . it ' d be like being on the space station ; the space station and everything in it is just constantly
falling around the earth
but we call that orbiting . if you think about that , it ' s pretty damn cool ; you can essentially control and
aim
the gravity of your room .
shined up i decided to watch this after polanski ' s
the tenant
and that was probably a bad choice , because that film is precious . this one consists of three elements , typical of the king formula . the first is the expression of terror , shaped safely so that you can watch but not be personally threatened . i think this is a king invention . here , we know we would have taken seriously the warnings so he deserves what he gets . it relieves us . the second element is trite , so far as i am concerned . also a king specialty is to weave some sort of emotional trauma into the otherwise merely decorative horror . here it is the death of our character ' s child , which happened before we meet him . this allows for the final zinger . the third element is the stuff i study and that king knows well . i call it narrative folding . situations are nested in each other . time gets shifted , at the same time that the period in the room proceeds in real time , even with a clock counting down . ghosts inhabit ghosts and all people are ghosts . cold is hot . water is land . daughter is wife . this is the stuff that makes the film work , and i think it is done pretty well . its why they picked cusak . he understands this stuff . has since
malkovich
and
fidelity
and mastered in
identity .
ted ' s evaluation - - 3 of 3 : worth watching .
] once upon a time , before i came , you cried and cried and watched tv all day , until you were a zombie . but then i zoomed down from heaven , through skylight , into room . whoosh - pshew ! and i was kicking you from the inside . boom , boom ! and then i shot out onto rug with my eyes wide open , and you cutt - ed the cord and said ,
hello , jack !
paul and jennifer hemdale have just moved into their dream house . but their happy marriage is about to be put to the test as they slowly discover the secret behind the black room in the cellar . something else is already living in their new home and it is growing stronger every day . it has claimed many victims including the last owners of the house . repairmen who journey down into the basement soon meet a horrible end . when paul is taken over by this demonic entity , it is no longer trapped within the walls and is quick to take advantage of all pleasures of the flesh . jennifer and her younger sister karen begin to suspect that something is wrong with paul . karen finds out the truth a hard and painful way , leaving jennifer alone to fight the demonic entity that has possessed her husband and threatens to destroy her very soul . and paul is not the only one transforming as jennifer soon discovers that the black room is not only evil but alive as well and may not be able to be stopped ! the . . .
“the first thing i got from the bare script was that there had to be something really fascinating inside the box . i felt that to open a box and see the room that you where sitting in could provide some really cool visuals and an interesting story . everything developed from there . setting it in a prison cell came about when i wanted the man to jump out of the box at the end , but had no real reason for him to do so . so i had the idea of him jumping out to make himself small to escape under the door . ”
“the first thing i got from the bare script was that there had to be something really fascinating inside the box . i felt that to open a box and see the room that you were sitting in could provide some really cool visuals and an interesting story . everything developed from there . setting it in a prison cell came about when i wanted the man to jump out of the box at the end , but had no real reason for him to do so . so i had the idea of him jumping out to make himself small to escape under the door . ”
you wouldn ' t be able to actually lift the littler box out of your original box , since they ' re actually all the same boxes , it ' d be like standing on your own hands and trying to lift yourself up . so if you reached into your original box and grabbed the littler box then the bigger you would be reaching in to his box ( your room ) and be grabbing your original box , and this would reverberate through all the boxes to infinity ( everything reverberates through all the boxes to infinity ) . when you start lifting the littler box up , the bigger you starts lifting your original box up as well . with your hand still inside your original box , it will be picked up by the bigger you but only as high as you can stand on your tip toes . as soon as you let go of the littler box inside your original box , so does your bigger you let go of your original box .
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lakeith stanfield and his sorry to bother you director boots riley discuss the stress of filming sex scenes .
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a sleep - deprived office worker photocopies a
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thrown to rot in a narrow and gloomy cell of a hideous soviet prison , a weary new inmate struggles to come to terms with the new reality . within the grey cage , an unwelcoming fellow convict cautions the newcomer not to touch the intriguingly mysterious red wooden box which rests on the lower bunk , moreover , not even think of opening it . why is there so much secrecy about the contents of the box ? could there be hiding the means to his escape ?
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the contents of a mysterious box leads a convict to attempt an extraordinary prison escape .
set in a russian jail , when a new british prisoner is thrust into one of the cells he finds a fellow countryman and a mysterious red box . when the box is opened a series of incredible and surreal events give him a chance to escape .
“this was a much larger production than my previous films . i was used to working with a bare minimum crew with a very low budget , one of my previous films was even shot on mobile phones . this project gave me the opportunity to work with a great production company ( independent ) , with great actors on a great set . ”
the implications regarding the justice system are also interesting : apparently , the guards are working with shears to get rid of prisoners . it’s like a form of solitary isolation that takes in a lot less space , and eventually , assuming they don’t get food or water , they die in the matchboxes , they are essentially executed . in its essence , it’s an allegory for the current prison system , where prisoners are dehumanized and reduced to insignificant creatures , mandated by their own uncontrollable impulses – those that got them imprisoned in the first place , but also , in this case , curiosity .
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a prisoner sits on his bunk , greeting the man who shares his cell . the prisoner spies a box on his bunk . the rest is left best discovered by the viewer , but the following story beats can both thrill and disturb with a claustrophobic stab that is sharply felt . the production is small - scale , but it meets the needs of the story and never feels rough or unpolished .
james w . griffiths’ neat mind - bending short is part twilight zone and part doodlebug as a prisoner finds a unique way to escape his cell thanks to a mysterious red box . featuring excellent production values and a premise of endless permutations it is an enjoyably twisting and twisted story with a particularly dark climax .
youtube comment :
should ' ve tried to pick up the box from the the box . . . . that would probably cause a spatial loop and the universe would collapse .
mind - blowingly entertaining . wonderfully shot . similar idea with nolan ' s doodlebug .
holy shit , i didn ' t see that coming . what a short ! best short i have seen in a while . i totally recommend giving it some notice .
expérimentation louable de l ' unité ( classique ) du lieu , que n ' aurait pas déprécié , via rétroaction , un amateur de correspondances méta - médiumniques tel que léonard himself ( suffit de substituer aux plates & planes triangulations bidimensionnelles , la rodomontade quantique ) . intéressant imbroglio entre le carcan psychologique de sa vie intérieure ( ici , la
vice
, comme une vis , qui rive , rogne et échaude ) , et mon existence mondaine , souvent l ' épiphénomène de l ' autre (
may god forgive your sins ; your nervous system won ' t
( korzybski ) . à défaut d ' être intellectuellement séduit par tout le profond caractère insoupçonné de son unprocessable situation , le vulgairement écroué ( cd . le taulard ordinaire , moyen ) ne pense qu ' à sa fuite ( romanesque robinsonnade ) , qui ne saurait être , évidemment—nous qui gambergeons le savons de toute éternité ! — , qu ' une ligne de fuite vers le même intransigeant quantum .
step one : go to www . random . org . step two : pick a number . step three : get weird ! * * nobody cares if you don ' t think…
a list of films where the location manager could take a nice holiday . suggestions welcome .
outline and winners would get produced to their short . the movie also went on to win bafta for
a british prisoner is taken to a new cell and there he meets a man who protests to not to open a red box that he finds inside the cell , unable to fight his curiosity he ignores the man and opens the box only to find something mysterious and the rest happens to be the end of the story .
if you find it super interesting here are few other similar short films hope you might like .
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cox racked up three tackles , one interception , and one pass defended in a second half battle during the bengals’ preseason opener .
the cincinnati bengals opened the preseason on friday night , beating the tampa bay buccaneers 23 - 12 in paul brown stadium . at the half , the bengals were down 9 - 6 and had to rely heavily on the defense in the second half to keep the buccaneers from taking the game away from them . a large part of that effort came from rookie defensive back demetrious cox who signed with the bengals as an undrafted free agent out of michigan state following the draft in may .
cox first saw action late in the third quarter of friday’s game . the first play we’ll look at is a tackle on a run play where cox limits buccaneers running back jeremy mcnichols to a one - yard gain . in the clip below , you can see cox pursue the running back well , moving toward the line and then turn mcnichols back inside toward help . cox does well to help limit mcnichols to only a yard here on first - and - 10 .
two plays later , on third and nine cox is on the outside perimeter one - on - one with bernard reedy who runs a solid out route right at the first down marker . cox sticks right on reedy’s hip , and actually had solid coverage , but the great throw from ryan griffin was right on the money and tampa bay picked up the third down . also on this play , and this has nothing to do with cox , check out the great pressure from defensive end chris smith . though , like cox who was unable to break up the pass even with great coverage , smith’s motion toward the quarterback didn’t do enough to negatively impact the play for the buccaneers who converted their third down into a first down .
finally , we’ll look at cox’s interception , which was the only turnover of the game for the bengals . playing deep in the last zone , the overthrown ball was too much for walker and cox did a good job of tracking , locating and getting underneath the errant pass for the pick .
cox also gets up quickly and gets back down the field , showing some shifty moves on the return of 37 yards , which completely flipped the field for the bengals’ offense . had cox stayed down , the offense would have been on their own 10 yard line , but instead they were outside of their own 30 yard line .
the struggling offensive lineman could find his way to the top of the depth chart after all .
the improved play of the offensive line got a lot of attention during minicamp , but linemen cannot be judged by drills in shorts and no pads .
bengals backup quarterback matt barkley and linebacker vontaze burfict go all the way back to high school . the terms of their relationship were not friendly in the beginning .
eric ball has taken up a very interesting hobby after his time with the bengals .
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an aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the african american maids ' point of view on the white families for which they work , and the hardships they go through on a daily basis .
in a post - apocalyptic wasteland , a woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in search for her homeland with the aid of a group of female prisoners , a psychotic worshiper , and a drifter named max .
a team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity ' s survival .
when keller dover ' s daughter and her friend go missing , he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts .
in the
special thanks to
part of the credit , there ' s the name of jack white , the guitarist and vocalist of the band the white stripes , a poster of which can be seen in a scene in joy ' s bedroom .
( insert expletive here ) . . . . perfect ! ! ! ! !
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explore popular sci - fi movies and tv shows available to stream with prime video .
hotel transylvania 3 : summer vacation stars plan their dream summer getaways to some memorable movie settings .
a woman , rose , goes in search for her adopted daughter within the confines of a strange , desolate town called silent hill .
a journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone in a week of viewing it .
a woman who lives in a darkened old house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that her family home is haunted .
a mother and daughter , still wounded from a bitter custody dispute , hole up in a run - down apartment building . adding further drama to their plight , they are targeted by the ghost of former resident .
a young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals .
a group of longtime friends converge on a fatal course with destiny when they cross paths with alexander tatum , a mercenary surgeon . he is a hunter with the keen skill of one who has also . . . see full summary »
newlyweds are terrorized by demonic forces after moving into a large house that was the site of a grisly mass murder a year before .
in 1921 , england is overwhelmed by the loss and grief of world war i . hoax exposer florence cathcart visits a boarding school to explain sightings of a child ghost . everything she believes unravels as the ' missing ' begin to show themselves .
a young couple grieving the recent death of their daughter move to the countryside where they are haunted by their tragedy and a sinister darkness .
soon after moving into their seemingly idyllic new home , a family learns of a brutal crime committed against former residents of the dwelling .
a freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town , where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives .
the reform club , pall mall , st . james ' s , london , england , uk
, who wrote about the
banality of evil
in her essay
eichmann in jerusalem .
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explore popular and recently added tv series available to stream now with prime video .
go behind the scenes of the mission : impossible movies , check out the latest videos and trailers , and see which spy movies topped the box office in our mission : impossible guide .
not long after john chambers and his family arrive at their new home in a small country town of pennsylvania , john begins to experience sleep paralysis . lying there paralyzed , trapped . . . see full summary »
three american tourists follow a mysterious map deep into the jungles of japan searching for an ancient temple . when spirits entrap them , their adventure quickly becomes a horrific nightmare .
a woman and her friends break into her abandoned childhood home , where her mother went mad and nearly murdered as a child .
a young woman must save herself and her friends from an ancient evil that stalks its victims through the real - life phenomenon of sleep paralysis .
a troubled young woman takes up residence in a gothic apartment building where she must confront a terrifying evil .
deep in the northern california woods , in the heart of the notorious emerald triangle , lies a remote cabin . the residents struggle to fight off the repeated attacks and abductions by . . . see full summary »
four friends on their way to coachella stop off in los angeles to tour true - crime occult sites , only to encounter a mysterious young runaway who puts them on a terrifying path to ultimate horror .
i have no idea why this is rated so high . i actually had to look it up here to see if it was supposed to be a horror movie or comedy . it is like some trash movie filmed in the 80s . plenty of nudity though if you are into that sort of thing . it really reminded me of the first hellraiser . that movie was scary when it came out but if you watch it now it ' s laughable . at least it had a storyline worth following .
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with jurassic world : fallen kingdom now in cinemas , we take a look at how imdb users rated the films of the franchise . plus , browse exclusive lego® jurassic world playsets , presented by lego .
a punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo - nazi skinhead bar .
trippy indie madeline ' s madeline is the movie that lakeith stanfield and boots riley from sorry to bother you want to see the most .
a mysterious outsider ' s quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance . proving himself an amateur assassin , he winds up in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family .
a young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter .
a family in 1630s new england is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft , black magic and possession .
a widowed mother , plagued by the violent death of her husband , battles with her son ' s fear of a monster lurking in the house , but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her .
hoping to walk away with a massive fortune , a trio of thieves break into the house of a blind man who isn ' t as helpless as he seems .
after getting in a car accident , a woman is held in a shelter with two men , who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack .
when the davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway , the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back .
five friends go for a break at a remote cabin , where they get more than they bargained for , discovering the truth behind the cabin in the woods .
a deaf writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window .
a young married couple ' s lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance from the husband ' s past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years .
secure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world , a man has established a tenuous domestic order with his wife and son . then a desperate young family arrives seeking refuge .
while attending a dinner party at his former home , a man thinks his ex - wife and her new husband have sinister intentions for their guests .
a band straying into a secluded part of the pacific northwest stumbles onto a horrific act of violence . because they are the only witnesses , they become the targets of a terrifying gang of skinheads who want to make sure all the evidence is eliminated .
now . whatever you saw or did . is no longer my concern . but let ' s be clear . it won ' t end well .


shank is a 2009 british drama film starring wayne virgo , marc laurent , alice payne , tom bott and garry summers .

the film was written by darren flaxstone and christian martin , and directed by simon pearce & christian martin ( uncredited ) .

the film won an audience award in the 2009 barcelona international gay & lesbian film festival as well as the emerging talent in queer cinema in 2009 at the miami gay and lesbian film festival .

shank ( 2009 film )

christian martin’s cal is the long - awaited sequel to 2009’s gay gangster flick shank .
more shank from behind . . . . . a behind the scenes scene from a movie called shank
alto sax great bud shank & director graham carter during filming of the bud shank
against the tide
documentary .
set in the economically depressed england of today , cal is a startling sequel to the hit 2009 film , shank . 20 - year - old cal returns from france to britain aft . . .
the film is great and has good sound and video quality but the storyline moves slower than shank and in my opinion is not as good as shank was . although the film has a whole was great to watch .
cal hooks up for sex on gaydar . . . . . taken from the movie urltoken - world premiere melbourne queer film festival 20th march 2009
2009 , first run features , 109 min . dirs . peter brosens , jessica hope woodworth . .
john greyson - director - talks about shank and his protest with toronto international film festival 09 and the tel aviv spotlight . . . .
teaser trailer - limited time only on youtube . . . . . if you like what you see become our friend on facebook - shank cal shank - profile name . . .
the film has a good storyline however not as interesting to watch as the first film and the actors are not as good . however the film does give a different prospective between the two .
after the film , gore and directors bonni cohen and jon shank came onstage for a q & a . here are some highlights , edited for clarity and brevity :
what got you interested in doing a documentary on the life of big band leader stan kenton , was it your award - winning bud shank film ,
against the tide ?
. . .
what was that about saving your bullets ?
from the first film .
the directors on making the film : we needed to follow this guy around ; see the film through his eyes . we didn’t want to do another slideshow .
from the writers of last years film fest favorite , shank , comes this hard - edged prison drama . when father jack ( daniel brocklebank ) is incarcerated , his fellow inmates suspect the reason is pedophi . . .
rubens place - gay film - about a young man reconnecting with his boyhood friend .
shank is a thought provoking urban drama , which opens a window onto the sharp reality encountered by the unwanted faces of inner city youth .
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
producer & director graham carter during editing of the documentary film woody herman : blue flame .
session a : ‘come on ding dong ! ’ - unexpected lessons in leadership . alice elliott , film director , filmmaker , associate teacher , tisch school of the arts , kanbar institute of film and television , new york university , film director ; kathy conour , film subject , ba in social work , olivette university , disability rights activist ; diana braun , film subject , disability rights activist , illinois council on developmental disabilities , arc of illinois ; and alyce myatt , moderator , executive director , grantmakers in film and electronic media ( gfem ) .
sign up for production news , trailers and release dates ! take a peek behind the scenes with the video “shank from behind . . . ” here
, the film was released in the united states on july 3 , 2002 . it is a
a 2009 film directed by guy ritchie , and starring robert downey jr , jude law , rachel mc adams , and mark strong , based on the sherlock holmes stories that updates ( or maybe restores ) holmes and watson as thinking men of action . a sequel , a game of shadows , was released in december of 2011 . both films are known for their humor and for using modern - day action film techniques .
as others have said , this is a follow - up film to the earlier
shank
and both harder and less heart - warming in its story - line . it ' s nevertheless a good film , and i ' m possibly being a bit hard in only giving it three stars , but i don ' t think it deserves four .
the second film has holmes typing a suspicious question mark after watson ' s
the end
.
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing
as ‘shank’ careers towards a gut - wrenching finale , its final scenes demanded a lot of 21 - year - old bott . “i was actually looking forward to that day , ” the actor cheerily reveals . “‘shank’ is very gritty and a lot more violent than most gay films . the end was the most challenging scene for me out of all of it . ” no spoilers here , but suffice to say that ‘shank’ wields a powerful emotional climax that will shock many audience members .
so what next for the trio ? pearce and virgo have just completed another gay - themed film , ‘release’ , while bott stars as a mentally disturbed young man in ‘tender age’ . but for pearce , ‘shank’ will always be that special first film , overflowing with ambition and promise . “yes , it’s a gay drama , ” he reasons . “but we were keen to cross over . christian and darren built in themes that would enable ‘shank’ to go beyond the gay market . part of the film is that there is still a lot of intolerance and hostility out there . we wanted to address that . it should be seen by everyone . ”
a carefully crafted visual poem set on an unforgiving landscape .
- 2011 toronto international film festival .
from the makers of shank comes this fabulously quirky british comedy following a young gay couple who find one hell of a unique way to get themselves out their . . .
for pearce , virgo and bott , ‘shank’ represents the plucking of their feature film cherries . all of them 21 or under at the time of shooting ( and all , sorry about this , straight ) , they’d each had varying filmic experiences , but never the heavy responsibilities that ‘shank’ demanded them . it all began when gay producing partners christian martin and darren flaxstone , having seen a short by pearce , offered the young director a bag of cash ( an estimated £120 , 000 , peanuts in the film business ) to help bring their script to the screen .
promo trailer for the upcoming sequel to shank disclaimer - no copyright infringement intended re music extract from fool yourself by chase & status fair usage claimed for promotional purposes . . .
two guys and a girl : holmes and watson with irene in the first film and sim in the second .
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this entry was posted on september 14 , 2009 at 11 : 10 pm and is filed under new releases day . you can follow any responses to this entry through the rss 2 . 0 feed . you can leave a response , or trackback from your own site .
watson winds up in the hospital for a bit , but he ' s fine by the end of the film .
on metacritic , the film achieved a rating of 65 out of 100 , which indicates
generally favorable reviews
.
i was disappointed with cal . a very negative story spoilt the upbeat and hopeful ending of shank . the film was too preoccupied with making social and political comment . i am not sure why so many gay films are based on the tenet that the possibility of successful , rewarding gay relationships is unachievable . both shank and cal focus for their drama on gay men as victims . i am not saying this is not a reflection of reality . but it is far from being the whole story .
i saw an inconvenient sequel : truth to power monday night at a san francisco jewish film festival screening at the castro . it’s a powerful and important film . but for the average ticket holder , much of the event was a mess .
this film is really bad . . . i was at the previews and all i can say is that the people that think this film is good are generally the fools causing foolishness in our society and the idiots that bothered to make this cack
in the first film , holmes deduces that riordan was killed as soon as his experiments were successful , for this reason .
harris co - wrote , directed and stars in the film , which is filled with humor , action and clever turns .
holmes could also be considered this too . early in the film he was trying to construct a silencer and later in the film he empties his whole gun just moments after telling watson to
save your bullets
. watson calls him on it .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
in the first film , holmes gets chastised by watson for drinking a bottle of a chemical intended for use in eye surgery .
short entitled
chicken scratch
was shown prior to the film , which later aired as part of the series ' fourth season . the film made its network debut on cartoon network on may 23 , 2003 and on march 5 , 2004 on toonami .
shot in bleakest bristol , shank is an ambitious little film that deals with , among other things , closeted homosexuality , drug use , peer pressure , asbo culture , disaffected youth , knife crime , happy slapping , male rape and self - determinism . despite this veritable quagmire of hot topics , the film is deftly handled by first time director simon pearce , who ensures proceedings move along at a brisk pace with minimum fuss and distinct lack of obvious preaching .
not invoked by the film itself , unless you count mary ' s comment that watson ' s journals would make interesting reading , but the film ' s divergences from the canon can be handily explained by applying the standard theory that watson ' s published accounts were somewhat fictionalized ( with the film , by this hypothesis , showing the actual reality ) . considering what happened to blackwood ' s
visit the recent belgian cinema los angeles page on for events & and news about belgian cinema the grit and whimsy iii film series .
american cinematheque aero theatre 1328 montana avenue , santa monica , ca 90403 urltoken - 323 . 466 . film tickets at urltoken egyptian aero
a quick behind the scenes look at shank in the mix - in this scene cal returns to olivier to find his house trashed and then a message comes through on his phone . . . . . . .
watson ' s use of the word
masochist
: the film is set in 1891 and the word was first recorded in 1890 .
dredger
bears some resemblance to rondo hatton , who played a similar hulking villain in the 1944 holmes film the pearl of death .
a collection of queer characters , representations , and sensibilities on film . from queer masterpieces to camp classics , documentaries to romantic comedies , …
these are my first xmas crap - wrappings of the 2009 regular season . i am pleased with these , but i expect better from myself . for starters , i need to branch out from the green masking tape and find new means of adhering the wrappings . also : more creepy faces needed . it ' s a start .
people say
it ' s hard to make a film
to excuse bad films because , hey , it ' s hard to make a film . i don ' t disagree : making a film is , in ways i ' m sure i don ' t even recognize , a technical , financial , organizational , creative , and human relations challenge whose details would make me drop into a fetal position and soil myself .
brilliantly portrayed was lovely film from start to end . . just shows what young kids have to go through to deal with their emotions . .
mood whiplash : noted by many a reviewer . the film ' s pacing is a little odd , so at times it suffers from this .
at last a gay 18 rated film that lives up to the selling write - up . well worth the price will certainly recommend to all my friends
i will go beyond that and assert that no film with a blemish as ham - handed as
unobtainium
would score above 60 % .
“it was an absolute eye - opener , ” says filmmaker simon pearce . we’re chatting about his experience shooting gay drama ‘shank’ , for which the 22 - year - old first - time feature director has been scooping awards left , right and center ( to date he’s bagged the miami gay and lesbian film festival’s emerging talent trophy , as well as the prestigious audience award in barcelona ) .
when i read the mixed reviews this film has received on this page , i disbelieved those that were so against the film thinking that they must have some axe to grind . having seen the film for myself , i wish i had believed them . talk about disappointing . . . ! all the characters in this film are so poorly drawn that i found it difficult to feel anything for any of them . and when it came to the end , it was predictable and left me feeling that there was something cynical about the way the story had been told . it had nothing redeeming in it at all . as for the religious scenes and imagery with which the film was shot through , some of them were inaccurate and others left me wondering what message the film makers were trying to convey . having visited and worked in several prisons i could not see anything realistic about the way the prison was depicted , either . do not buy this film thinking that it will come anywhere near
priest
. it does not and will leave you feeling let down .
the second film opens and closes with him writing
the final problem
, the actual short story that a game of shadows is loosely based on .
set in the economically depressed england of today , cal is a startling sequel to the hit 2009 film , shank . 20 - year - old cal returns from france to britain after receiving news that his mother is ill . he finds his home city of bristol facing hard times , with poverty and crime on the rise and rioting and looting rife . now openly gay , cal clashes with his homophobic mother and alcoholic , predatory aunt . things soon turn around upon meeting a cute , young student who needs his help . however , cal s act of kindness brings about a whole lot of trouble and a race against time to make peace with his mother and escape his home town . an intense , dark and intelligent feature bringing cal s story bang up - to - date .
i have read comments on this film all over the shop - reviewed everywhere . so i curiously took a look - bang in your face and rattling your sense and prejudices and expectations from frame one . some sentimentality right at the end softens the landing as the credits roll . when you get off this ride that is shank you will be greatly satisfied - it defies the mis - used low budget moniker - it ' s a slick fast paced well written , shot and performed film tackling tough but relevantly and contemporary issues in an entertaining and engaging way . good stuff .
set in the economically depressed england of today , cal is a startling sequel to the hit 2009 film , shank . 20 - year - old cal returns from france to britain after receiving news that his mother is ill . he finds his home city of bristol facing hard times , with poverty and crime on the rise and rioting and looting rife . now openly gay , cal clashes with his homophobic mother and alcoholic , predatory aunt . things soon turn around upon meeting a cute , young student who needs his help . however , cal ' s act of kindness brings about a whole lot of trouble and a race against time to make peace with his mother and escape his home town . an intense , dark and intelligent feature bringing cal ' s story bang up - to - date .
the ‘tasteful’ literary adaptation of dorian gray creeps effortlessly into the local multiplexes , but in this regard it does not typify the majority of new british feature films . more typical is the low budget social realism of films such as fish tank and shank or the ultra - low budget films such as reckoning day heading almost immediately to dvd , that are all released this week on very limited schedules . of these , fish tank , a family melodrama set on an essex council estate , has the highest profile thanks to the critical success of andrea arnold’s previous cctv thriller red road . in contrast , the teen gang film shank with its gay sexual themes has struggled for publicity and recognition .
interview with wayne virgo and tom payne - from shank to cal five years on . . . . . . the story continues . . written , produced & directed by christian martin ( c ) faqs limited t / a bonne idée productions w . . .
this was the only an inconvenient sequel screening at the festival . but the film will open in theaters on august 4 . i’ll have a full review up before then .
scenescape . the inspired script is both sinfully cynical and aw - shucks sweet
. he also called it
one of the few american creations that is both gleeful pop culture and exquisite high art .
however , the film received minimal controversy for some of its violence , which many felt was too extreme for a family - oriented film ,
shank is a movie starring wayne virgo , marc laurent , and tom bott . a closeted teenage street punk takes up with the latest roughed - up gay victim of his bullying gang , which does not set well with the gang ' s drugged - up , brotherly leader .
anonymous killer narrator : the film cuts between sherlock ' s investigations and the many unnatural killings committed by the villain , all without revealing how or why he committed the murders .
blade below the shoulder : blackwood has a glass blade hidden in the sleeves of his robes , and attempts to stab watson with it in the film ' s opening scene .
a jazz record label and film production company , was founded in the denver , colorado metropolitan area in 2002 . jazzed media ' s owner graham carter is a multi - grammy nominated record producer ( the bill holman band : live and the bill holman band : hommage ) and award winning jazz filmmaker ( phil woods : a life in e flat , bud shank : against the tide , stan kenton : artistry in rhythm and woody herman : blue flame ) .
a game of shadows also has the actual text from
the final problem
( the story that the film is loosely based on ) appearing around the illustrations and credits themselves .
combined with continuity nod , the establishing shot of baker street in the first film is almost exactly the same shot that opened the granada sherlock holmes series with the seminal jeremy brett .
posthumous character : the ginger midget is dead before we even get to meet him , but the things he does in his experiments for blackwood lie at the core of the film .
. as for me , i don ' t give two shits about whether this film breaks new ground in 3 - d or whatever , but the giving of shits is , of course , a matter of individual discretion . i defer to others on whether this film is secretly awesome because of the fabulous new way the director combined computers and cameras or whatever .
on rotten tomatoes , which is a travesty . i am confident in saying the same film with merely hollywood - blockbuster - average visual effects would be scoring in the teens among critics .
the film follows the story of two teenagers who decide to go to the são paulo gay pride parade , encouraged by the uncle of one of them , a successful executive . . .
: used to contrast two of the most dramatic onscreen murders , both of which occur at the midpoint of the film when lord blackwood ' s plan is coming together . we see blackwood drown
super detailed fight narration : the film has two scenes wherein sherlock plans a beatdown out in advance before delivery . assisted by robert downey jr ' s real - life knowledge of wing chun .
director / co - writer q . allan brocka has created a gorgeously textured film that not only explores the recesses of the human heart , but is charged with sex and fi . . .
if i could i would give this film a zero , it started of poor giving no real insight in to the main carachter call , it pics up in the middle of the film with a sweet reltaionship booming but come then end of the film there is a very grapic rape scenc that i feel did not have to be as graphic as it was to get the point accross , i feel this film soud carry a warning of quite how graphic this scene is , any one who has been unforunate enough to have been in this type of situation woud undoubtable be upset by this scene . in all honest my partner had to wak out at this scene and i barley managed to watch . the fims finale dose not make up for or justify such a graphic scene .
images from the film are rendered as victorian era - esque pencil illustrations . much like the kind you might find in the occasional novel , including the original stories ( illustrated by sidney paget ) .
however , technically the film still doesn ' t go far enough . london should have been constantly obscured by a thick , choking fog , while in the movie it ' s just cloudy skies .
punch ! punch ! punch ! uh oh . . . : holmes vs . dredger . it somehow manages to be played straight , subverted , and averted throughout the entire course of the film .
also from the second film , holmes advises watson
whatever you do , don ' t let these gypsies make you drink ,
then takes a large swig from the bottle simza just offered him .
key to the film was casting . in a neat twist on traditional casting calls , pearce and his producers sent out an announcement for actors to submit their auditions by mobile phone ( “we thought that was very fitting for the film , ” says pearce ) . they also visited a local film college to scout for talent , and weren’t sure they’d have much luck , until… “wayne walks in halfway through the session , ” pearce recalls , “myself , christian and darren all clocked each other across the room and were like , ‘that’s him ! he looks the part , god i hope he can act ! ’”
quoted by moriarty in the second film when he
dismisses
irene from their lunch engagement , though on - screen never found the body by holmes , so who knows ( see greenlighted sequel above ) .
set in bristol , the counterculture centre of england , this film is not a
classic
gay film . it tells a rich story about how you face yourself , and how you face your friends ' s attitude about who you really are . if you have a chance to visit bristol , do visit canteen , 80 stokes croft , you will understand what is real bristol which lies beneath the posh clifton suspension bridge .
this film was ok . there were good points , there was the normal level of psychosis . but the prison guards using a metal bar to stop a prisoner from saving a younger man from being . . .
a shy but smitten college boy pursues a ny go - go boy through the pretext of making a documentary film about him , with the guys knowing each other only as
doc
and
go .
it was the best gay film i seen since noah ' s arc & queer as folk and it was so raw and real ! great job ! ! . hat off to wayne virgo for making it feel real .
session a : new work in deaf studies at osu . brenda brueggemann , professor , english & disability studies , faculty leader , asl program , the ohio state university ; marla berkowitz , ma , cdi , aslta provisional , senior lecturer , asl program , the ohio state university ; and trena shank , senior lecturer , the ohio state university .
a standard definition dvd presentation , watched on a 40
widescreen hd television , upscaled to high definition . viewed in a 1 . 78 : 1 aspect ratio . tla releasing ' s presentation of the film is good enough .
before there was strictly come dancing there was a little student film tripping the light fantastic with some lovely characters . . . . . 20 years ago this year ! 1993 - 2013 - how far have we actually c . . .
consequently , while one side is drooling and barking insanely , worth observing only periodically to ensure that none of its members is approaching with a sharpened shank or chewing through his own tongue , all the substantive policy - crafting , such as it is , occurs between the least and most wild - eyed , reality - indifferent , and business - subservient wings of the democratic party .
when watson comes to find holmes after his boxing match in the first movie , holmes ' experiment with his violin and a jar full of flies is a recreation of a similar scene in the basil rathbone film the adventures of sherlock holmes .
moriarty is always one step ahead of holmes , managing to pull off his schemes without a hitch while distracting and misleading the good detective at every turn . by the end of the film , with minutes left to go , it looks like
a tortured love story set in the streets of bristol , ‘shank’ follows young drug pusher cal ( wayne virgo ) . confused about his sexuality , cal belongs to a rag - tag gang , and is closest to jonno ( tom bott ) , with whom he shares a handful of homoerotic encounters ( “in the film there’s the blow back scene , which i kept calling ‘blow back mountain’ , ” jokes bott ) . but when cal attempts to extricate himself from the gang , and falls for natty - dressing french exchange student olivier ( marc laurent ) , he discovers that getting out is going to be even harder than coming out .
in this session the presenters will screen the award - winning short film , body & soul : diana & kathy and follow - up with a panel made up of the subjects , the filmmaker , and moderated by gfem . the film captures a unique 40 year friendship while humanizing the issues of independent living , the aging of people with disabilities , and the importance of and tools used in effective advocacy . the film and follow - up discussion provide concrete examples of how leadership can come from the ground up . the importance of independent living and the need for effective advocacy from all sectors will be reinforced . the session will underscore the fact that disability rights are human rights and , as such , require a seat at every policy discussion .
in the first film , the warner bros . shield , village roadshow w , and silver pictures square appear as metal - worked sewer covers on a cobblestone street ; the camera pulls back to reveal the street as part of the movie ' s opening chase .
it ' s also demonstrated to have a severe limitation ; that no allies interfere in the fight . notably , in game of shadows , holmes plans out a curb - stomp battle for an assassin he finds in the rafters , only for the not - so - damsel in distress to try and shank the guy with throwing knives . his plan thus foiled , he is forced to grab the girl and run .
terrific sequel to the equally brilliant shank . i think the former was more harrowing but this is close - cal succeeds with the heart strings too , by bringing in cal ' s mother and shining its light into corners of his life which are emotionally powerful . top notch acting from wayne virgo , tom payne and all the cast make this gritty , visceral , powerful cinema . hats off writer and director christian martin .
do you reserve particular contempt for the film out of its inverse popularity , or its inherent qualities ? i mean , a lot of bad films are being consistently farted out by hollywood , and that without your comment ( not that i ' m expecting it ) .
shank is a powerfully modern drama showing the fine line between what it means to have a reputation vs . what it means to find real love and the harsh denial that comes with it . also touching on issues of discovering one ' s sexuality through shady means , but ideally leaving a message of what it means to hurt somebody while maintaining the heart , dignity and kindness when the person who hurt them is hurt themselves .
was and remains a very watchable , even thought - provoking science fiction film , despite - - please note this - - its sometimes middling special effects . it took a terrible actor , arnold schwarzenneger , and put him in a role where his stiffness could actually work .
a 16 - year old icelandic boy ' s first kiss with another boy gives him
jitters
- - feelings he can ' t deny . this is a well - written film that captures the confusion and excitement of being a . . . see full summary »
“it’s our story” is an inside view of the reality of life with a disability . it speaks directly from the voices of those who know what it’s like , and directly to those who want to know how it is . the content contained within the archives has the power to change the way the world sees disability , and the way the disability community sees itself . the story flag will be on display in the blackwell hotel ballroom lobby on april 28th and 29 , 2009 at the multiple perspectives conference . exhibit is free and open to the public . for more information on the story flag , please visit their website at : urltoken .
kung fu ( robert downey , jr . ' s primary style of martial arts , which was speculated in - universe by the choreographer of the film as due to holmes having a book of chinese boxing which he tested in his bareknuckle fights ) , as well as some serious
in the second film , take a close look at moriarty ' s little red notebook . then go watch the granada version of
the final problem
- specifically , the scene where moriarty visits holmes in baker street and consults his notebook about when holmes first crossed his path .
grit and whimsy
is the monthly belgian film series organized by the consulate general of belgium in partnership with the american cinematheque . every third wednesday of the month is belgian movie night in los angeles ! the latest upcoming screenings are listed below , with more to be announced .
, while far from flawless , managed to achieve what it seemingly set out to do , a thing at which many a film has failed , namely , give something to everyone in the audience . it ' s a romance and it ' s an action flick . it has suspense , layers of conflict , a pretty heroine , a dashing hero , a tear - jerking ending , even boobies and gunplay . its special effects - - please note this - - serve the story rather than seeming like 100 % of the reason anyone bothered to make the film .
poorly , woodenly acted , melodramatic , stupid fake accents and nonsense . i honestly thought that this might improve or acquire some meaning as the film went on , but it ' s a disconnected mix of drunken aunty , dying mum , impossibly stereotyped pimp , insouciant jobcentre adviser , ridiculous clients and stupid coincidences including when they miss the train . oh , and did i mention the acting ? it ' s so bad i have to say it twice . this was so dire . i was really hoping for more as
shank
had been half decent . honestly , don ' t bother . if i had paid money to watch this , i would have been hopping mad . fortunately , it was a friend ' s copy !
in order to incapacitate the first mook of the film , sherlock manually sweeps his leg and punches the side of his kneecap to blow the limb . while this is not terribly unrealistic , a punch to the side of a knee would be difficult to pull out and would not do as much damage as , say , a kick , to the point that it would need a freakishly good striker ( as sherlock is supposed to be in the film , anyways ) . needless to say that you better don ' t attemp to punch an aggressor ' s knee in real life .
: the film features three leading characters all caught smack in the middle of a cluster of fiery debris - scattering explosions . some minor skin loss and smudges are suffered , but everyone keeps their pretty faces , hair , eyes , ears , and bones intact , and soon shake it off .
certain scenes , however , are handled in the most brazenly melodramatic ways imaginable , including the old applying - sun - lotion - seduction cliché . also dragged out are various frolicking in the shower scenes while sappy music conveys a sense of how much this couple are falling for each other against all the odds . worst of all , a cringe - worthy montage complete with parading in front of a mirror make - over and cutaways to show the distance growing between cal and his chav friends are also included . shank comes from a very sincere place , though , and despite the low budget and one or two uneven performances , the obvious conviction of all involved wins through . the film is many things , but it is never boring and is nearly always provocative and challenging .
“my friends often joke that we need to do a comedy , ” laughs pearce , “’cos i tend to veer towards darker stuff . ” and dark ‘shank’ is ; a rough , fearless examination of today’s youth culture , where issues of sexuality , masculinity and violence inform and enforce our chaotic world . “i’d not seen anything like it before , ” affirms 19 - year - old virgo , whose friendly , rapid - fire vernacular is the polar opposite of cal’s muted uncertainty .
: an interesting version , as holmes imagines at least some fights before starting , pointing out the weaknesses he ' ll exploit , and then we get to see the fight again in real time . this is applied interestingly later in the film ; in every fight where holmes gets his ass kicked , the
artists appearing on the jazzed media label include phil woods , bud shank , terry gibbs , bill holman , bob florence , bill charlap , brian lynch , hubert laws , marvin stamm , bill mays , carl saunders , don menza , christian jacob , irene kral , jackie & roy , bob lark , jim mcneely , mel martin , benny carter , frank tiberi , jeff hamilton , john clayton , jeff clayton , lorraine feather , judy wexler , frank derrick , and matt wilson .
in the first film , holmes observes that one of the mooks is partially deaf , a heavy drinker , and has a slight limp , and proceeds to bring him down with four attacks ; one each to the ear , liver , and knee , plus one to the vocal chords to stop him screaming .
after shank im a little disapointed if im honnest . cal is very slow moving maybe the budget wasnt as big as it was for the first film . last 10 mins in whole is sad and well what happened to cal . . a cliffhanger i guess . . . think it could have been a little more upbeat as it was set in bristol iv been many times and it can be party party even when the chips are down . it was nice to see wayne back on screen , he is a good actor and the team around him aregood at what they do . if i may lastly add if there is going to be a return of cal tho i feel there may not please up the stakes give cal a good time and lets see him happy . lets wait and see . . .
, today , and when i say
i saw avatar today ,
the reader should note that this entails spending upwards of $ 9 to sit in a movie theater for three to six hours - - honestly , i lost count - - to watch a story that has already been rendered in film several times . *
this just wasn ' t my cup of tea . all a bit stagey and preachy and i don ' t think anybody involved has been anywhere near a real prison . and the plot twists make no sense - all for effect with no real logic . the cover picture is selling a very different kind of film . . .
on the other hand , this excuse has it somewhat backwards . a corollary is that a filmmaker gets only so many opportunities to make a film , so this should constitute a reason to step back and take the time to make it as well as possible : story , casting , effects , performances , directing , all of it .
whether stan kenton led his innovations orchestra through some crazy but genius classical - jazz big band fusion , or gave rising musical stars like maynard ferguson , bud shank , and so many others their own big breaks , the man did it with innovative style , and a fearlessness and humanity not found in many jazz circles . producer / director carter knew it , recognized it , and has set about documenting it through countless interviews with those kenton has helped mentor and give voice to , rare performance footage of his orchestra , and really rare archived imagery .
getting crap past the radar : even for a pg - 13 rated movie , cocaine is never mentioned in the 2009 movie . however , at one point watson looks at some bottles , picks one up and says disgustedly ,
you do know what you ' re drinking is meant for eye surgery .
cocaine was used for anaesthetic in eye surgeries in the late 1800s . in the second movie mrs . hudson says that holmes has been living on cigarettes , coffee and coca leaves . cocaine is made from coca leaves . ( meanwhile , holmes is shown drinking formaldehyde as watson repeats his earlier comment , only this time reminding holmes he ' s drinking embalming fluid . ) though the effect of consuming coca leaves and cocaine are completely different . coca leaves work like energy drinks and in this case makes more sense , considering holmes energetic behaviour .
bareknuckle boxing matches from the time had a more open ruleset than modern day boxing , including wrestling and some striking variety as portraited in the film , but a boxer finishing off his opponent with a kick should have made the judges scratch their heads . presumably justified because they are too shocked ( and intimidated ) with holmes ' s quick victory to notice the fact .
tla releasing us ' s library of some 200 gay , horror and international titles for dvd , tv and vod is available for acquisition . tla will continue to acquire and produce films such as redwoods , shank and chef ' s special . however , it is seeking a us distribution partner . its other entities , parent company tla entertainment group , tla releasing uk , tla video retail outlets and www . tlavideo . com [ / link ] continue to operate unchanged . this has been coming since november when rich wolff [ / link ] richard wolf and richard ross left tla to form rich releasing .
simplistic and crude in the final analysis . accents all over the place with a large splash of rp coming in particularly from the lead boy and , of all characters , the girl gang leader . as for her suddenly revealed motivation for such appalling behaviour - well , i groaned out loud . then there was the repressed gang member who committed the rape . in some ways the most difficult part in the film . to sustain convincingly it needed an actor of range and invention . sadly here , the actor knew only anger by compressing his brows together and no other expression . rather embarrassing . the french lad was too camp for me to believe he would work for cal but then who knows ? i did feel that the intentions of the film were of the best .
writhing with untamed sexuality and aggression , this blistering british indie centers on cal , a teenage thug so desperate to hide his gay cravings from his gang members that he binges on drugs , anonymous sex and acts of violence . but the bad boy ' s secret desires are uncovered when he rescues a kind - eyed french exchange student from one of the clan ' s sadistic hate crimes . though the two boys fall passionately in love , cal ' s crew is bent on revenge for his betrayal and the young lovers are placed in unspeakable danger . unapologetic and as poignant as it is shocking , shank is a must see .
a totally uneven film that seems unsure what it is , an urban hip - hop music video or a drama ? i ' m ashamed to say my mate and i turned to each other and we both decided to walk out . ten pounds i wish i ' d never spent . sometimes the main reviews of timeout are totally way off and i have to say this was one of them !
27 - year - old johan ( vincent rottiers ) lives alone on his father ' s farm in south - central france , tending to the land and shuttling his mentally unstable sister between the countryside and a nearby institution . as winter sets in , johan becomes increasingly isolated , neglecting his girlfriend and fixating on a wolf that has never been seen but that he is certain is endangering his livestock . john shank ' s elegant drama , hailed by variety as
stunningly shot , languidly paced . . . assembled with impressive confidence and featuring quietly powerful performances ,
follows the solemn alienation of a man desperately holding on to a bygone rural existence .
hollywood silencer : holmes is trying to build one early in the film , much to the annoyance of watson and mrs . hudson . somewhat subverted , since the silencer does not work . at all . of note is that the creators have shown their work here , he ' s using a nagant , which forces the cylinder forward to seal the chamber , making it the only revolver that can actually be suppressed .
it is wrong to look for good points in this pile of ordure just because the filmmakers are young and british . unless we have filmmakers with more to offer , there is nothing to gain from supporting a domestic industry . this film shouldn ' t have been made . having been made , it shouldn ' t have been released . i can only hope it wasn ' t subsidised by the taxpayer in any way .
there is probably someone or something more egregiously half - assedly named in the annals of film - - perhaps
the dark side
from george lucas ' s typewriter - bound monkey troupe , as if the oppressors of the universe go around labeling themselves as
dark
rather than light , good , fair , and balanced ; or ever concede they ' re a
side
of anything rather than its whole .
a friendly little western film with two great leading men that doesn ' t seem to dare to scare its audience all that much . there is relatively little tension , a bit of banter and a somewhat anticlimatic ending . at least the road there is somewhat unpredictable and refuses to follow the well known paths of the genre all that closely . entertaining and satisfying enough . zellweger is a classic mis - cast , though .
finally , reckoning day is something different altogether and mainly gathering attention for a dvd release on 14 september – a ‘no - budget’ with a ‘mega - budget’ storyline ( action thriller about international drugs gangs ) picked up by revolver entertainment . of interest are reports of a controversial advertising campaign involving the taking of the drug ‘salvia’ which is likened to lsd and the fictional drug that is used in the film , including videos posted on youtube .
a great , sensational and old - fashioned entertainment crafted by a superb performer and fine filmmaker . a masterpiece . a skillfully and brilliantly made western laced with wit and adventure . it ' s packed with explosive action and dazzling suspense . a thunderous and breathtaking classic that will astound you . ed harris and viggo mortensen are magnificent . harris is magnetic , giving one of his best performances and an excellent approach as the director . mortenson is outstanding , giving another compelling and fantastic performance . renee zellweger is extraordinary , you truly believe this actress can truly play anybody . jeremy irons is riveting , giving a knockout performance . a powerful and unforgettable film . an exhilarating film that will move you with it ' s power , characters and story . a great amount of action , thrills , fast - humor , romance and drama . it ' s pure excellence with great character development .
imperial stormtrooper marksmanship academy : there is an outstanding amount of
no one was hit
in both films , from both the good guys and bad . which is exactly the way it usually is in a real firefight , especially with the era ' s relatively inaccurate guns . while there are more deaths in the second film , most of them are red shirts , and / or are at the hands of sebastian moran , the cold sniper dragon .
choke holds : a thug sneaking up on holmes is put in a blood choke by watson . to prevent the guy from screaming , holmes immediately pinches off his nose and mouth . they chat for a bit even as watson chokes the guy into unconsciousness , and once the thug has passed out , move on . at the end of the film , dredger has to be slowly air choked because he ' s just too darn big for anything else .
pearce was as stunned as anybody . “it was quite a bold decision for them to make , ” he nods . “i immediately loved the story and wanted to do it , but i was worried about being able to deliver on their expectations , it’s obviously a story that is very close to them . christian and darren have been happy slapped and queer bashed . a lot of the themes in the film were derived directly from experiences they have had . ”
: jr . ' s portrayal is more socially challenged than our usual holmes , has some weird eye contact moments , and is implied to have issues with sensory integration . guy ritchie explains in the blu - ray special features that part of holmes ' social short - comings is that he can ' t filter out the many clues he picks up in social situations , for example his disastrous dinner in the royale . in the second film he mentions that seeing
everything
is his