Green Room

This was on my to-watch list for quite a while before I gave it a chance. Holy crap this movie is good. Not ten stars good, obviously, but man it throws some curve balls. All of the actors were competent and believable. The tension builds and builds. The ending was stereotypical but didn't detract from the film at all. Wonder how much time Patrick Stewart had to spend in makeup to play a skinhead lol.

I watched this movie because I so enjoyed Jeremy Saulnier's "Blue Ruin" in which I thought all the characters were 'real' people and the action believable. If you want a brief respite from Hollywood's high-dollar, high-tech gloss then you will probably enjoy this depiction of a nitty gritty, down and dirty, all out, no holds barred fight for survival. Set aside a couple of hours and give this movie a watch. The acting was good, particularly from Patrick Stewart whose appearance in this Indie effort lent it some Hollywood 'depth'. The movie would have been just fine without him, but it was good to see him playing a cool part in a low budget show. Okay, there were a couple of 'oh-I-wish-I'd-had-my-eyes-closed-when-that-happened' moments but nothing too far out. As in "Blue Ruin", all the characters had a 'real people' feel. Highly recommended - by me anyway. On my 0 to 9 scale an 8.

'Green Room' is a film filled with intensity & sheer courageousness. And in this captivating horror-thriller, one sees Anton Yelchin in a Remarkable Performance. The Recently Deceased Actor is in top-form here!

'Green Room' Synopsis: After witnessing a murder, a punk rock band is forced into a vicious fight for survival against a group of maniacal skinheads.

'Green Room' isn't for the faint-hearted. This is a brutally violent film, with loads of gore. But, that also, is its ace. The uninhibited nature of the narrative its true strength. Jeremy Saulnier's Screenplay is intense & unforgiving, but also engaging & captivating. Jeremy Saulnier's Direction, on the other-hand, is dark & grim, perfectly in sync with the film's mood. Cinematography is purposefully claustrophobic. Editing is sharp. Art & Costume Design are perfect, while the Action-Sequences celebrate violence.

Performance-Wise: Its Yelchin All The Way. His recent demise makes his appearance in 'Green Room' all the more special, as well as saddening. He's particularly remarkable here, enacting the heroic part, with absolute flourish. He was truly among the best of his generation & his untimely passing, makes his loss truly heartbreaking.

Giving Yelchin total support are Sir Patrick Stewart & Imogen Poots. Stewart is villainous to the core. What a delight it is to see the acting legend portray a negative role after so long. Poots is sensational, who's only climbing the ladder with each film.

On the whole, 'Green Room' is intense & engaging! And lastly, R.I.P Anton Yelchin.

How in the world does this have a 7? This was an hour and a half of drivel. Can't believe I stayed awake for the whole miserable thing.

Green Room (2015)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

After a disastrous show, a broke punk rock group takes a job out in the woods where they will be playing for some "political" people. After the set one member of the group sees something he wasn't supposed to so the owner (Patrick Stewart) sets loose some goons to try and kill the band.

GREEN ROOM might not sound like it has the greatest story ever written but writer-director Jeremy Saulnier actually makes one of the more impressive thrillers in recent years. I'm sure many people will call this a horror movie, which is understandable due to the extremely gory violence but it also works perfectly as a tense thriller. What I enjoyed most is that the story itself is quite simple but the director does wonders with it and proves that as long as something is well-made anything is possible.

The film has become somewhat notorious due to its violence and I think it's going to turn a lot of people off but if you've got the stomach for it then you're going to be in for a treat. Unlike the SAW movies this one here isn't showing violence just for the shock factor but it uses it to keep the viewer off guard and not knowing where the next violent twist is going to come from. There are some pretty brutal deaths here but all of them happen for a reason.

The film's plot certainly keeps you off guard because you're introduced to this band and other supporting characters but you'll never be able to guess who the hero is, who is going to survive until the end and who will make it out alive. In most thrillers you know who will be walking away at the end here but that's not the case here. The level of surprise is a major plus and the director uses this to help build up additional suspense. The entire cast and especially Anton Yelchin, Joe Cole and Alia Shawkat are extremely good. Stewart is also very cold-blooded and sinister as the leader.

GREEN ROOM had a lot of hype as it was released to theaters and it certainly deserved ever bit of it. The film is certainly unpleasant at times but it's so well-made and intense that it really works wonders.