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Showing posts with label Rose Byrne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rose Byrne. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

28 Weeks Later (2007)

Happy New Year's Eve!!

"28 Weeks Later" is one of those very rare films where I had to hit the pause button while watching it because it got too intense for me to handle the first time I watched it. This film is violent and unforgiving, and the way it is filmed only adds to the intensity of the events that are happening on screen. Danny Boyle has given up the director's chair and has taken on the role of executive producer. Robert Carlyle stars as Don and has great support from Jeremy Renner and Rose Byrne.

The film begins at the height of the original RAGE outbreak, where Don and his wife are living with four other survivors in a boarded up house. During their meal, a boy comes to the house and begins pounding on the door begging to be let in. They let him in but a few minutes later a mob of infected attack the house and quickly over run the place. Don barely escapes, leaving Alice behind after she decides to try to protect the boy. He catches a glimpse of her being attacked as he runs away to a boat waiting down at a stream. He escapes to live another day...

28 weeks later, a portion of London has been cleared and declared safe for a small portion of residents to return and start the rebuilding process. A U.N. team led by Americans are providing military support and protection of the quarantined area. Don's two children return to London after being away in Spain during the outbreak; they catch the attention of Major Scarlet Levy, the chief medical examiner, who was not informed that any children would be in the first group coming back. During her medical inspection of Tammy and Andy, Scarlet notices that Andy has different colored eyes, just like his mother had. Once home, Tammy and Andy ask their dad how their mother died, forcing Don to lie and tells that that he saw Alice being killed by the infected when all he saw was that she was attacked. The kids decide to sneak out of the quarantine zone and visit their old house, where Andy finds his mother in a feral state. The kids are discovered by the military and take them back to the zone, along with the mother to be inspected. Scarlet discovers that Alice is carrier of the Rage Virus, having been exposed to the virus but hasn't become fully infected; Scarlet also notices Alice's different colored eyes and suspects that her genes have a natural immunity from the virus. The Commander orders Alice to be killed and body destroyed immediately but Scarlet begs that Alice be spared because she could offer a cure to the virus. Before Alice can be killed, Don sneaks in and visits his wife, apologizing for leaving her behind. He goes in to kiss her and her saliva infects him, "turning" him immediately. Having loss all control, he ruthlessly kills Alice and begins to kill and infect the nearby staff. The virus quickly spreads throughout the quarantine zone, forcing the military to turn their weapons on both the infected and innocents who are trying to survive. Scarlet finds the kids and tries to protect them. With the help of Flynn, a sniper who realizes that London is lost and will be nuked, the group makes an attempt to escape London while being chased down by the infected, the military, and a very clever infected Don who is driven to find and kill his children.



Scarlet, Flynn, Andy, and Tammy


Flynn rescuing Scarlet and the kids

Don running away from the infected

Infected Don

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Insidious 2 (2013)

See this movie! “Insidious 2” picks up exactly where the original left off at, keeping the intensity that was steadily built throughout the film and finds a way to take it up a notch. Nothing is subtle in this ghost story because it doesn’t need to be and that’s what makes this film so much fun. It’s intelligent, it suspenseful, it has moments of comic relief that doesn’t feel forced, it’s still PG-13, and it has some freaky moments. The entire original cast returns, including the incredible duo of director James Wan and writer/actor Leigh Whannell.  Go see this movie!


At the end of “Insidious”, it appeared that Josh Lambert was possessed by the ghost of an old woman that had been following him since his childhood and that he/she strangled the spirit medium Elise. In “Insidious 2”, the police suspect Josh of being Elise’s killer. While he’s free until being charged of the crime, Josh and his wife Renai move their young family in to the childhood home that Josh and his mother Lorraine lived in. During the first night there, Lorraine, Renai , and Dalton see ghostly visions. Josh doesn’t believe them and warns his mother to not get his family worried about such nonsense. While Renai stays at home and has another encounter with a ghost, Lorraine goes and gets help from Elise’s partners, Specs and Tucker, as well as a medium named Carl. Together they discover who the old ghost woman who is haunting Josh is. In the meantime, Renai and her two sons are attacked by a possessed Josh. Will Lorraine and the others make it in time to save Renai and her family before it’s too late?


The old ghost woman


 Lorraine, Josh, Dalton, and Renai

Dalton is not having a dream...

Angry, angry ghosts

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Insidious (2011)

I felt that the movie “Insidious” offered a unique and refreshing look into the theme of possession and other worldly spirits. This is the only film that I can think of offhand that involves astral projection and the way that it’s used here is pretty clever. Like Carol Ann from “Poltergeist”, young Dalton is a beacon to lonely ghosts and a rather dangerous demon that wants to possess the child and cause havoc in the real world. The difference here is that Dalton has the ability to astral project his conciseness while he sleeps and he does this often enough that he gets “lost” and is kept hostage by the evil spirits until they can control his body. Only his father Josh can save him because like his son, he can project himself as well and by doing so, he must face the dangers that he has fought since his own childhood. To say anything more would ruin the movie!


“Insidious” was created by the same team that started the “Saw” series; written by Leigh Whannel and directed by James Wan. They took a different path, making a film that was PG-13. The movie is still has their sense of intelligence and smart use of effects to tell this creepy demon/ghost story that keeps the viewer entertained and engaged.