rossboyask

I saw Broken Path at the Phantasmagoria film festival this weekend and was very excited indeed. Johnny Yong Bosch gives a terrific account of himself here, as does Dan Southworth (a favourite performer of mine since the awesome US Seals 2), Motoko Nagino, and the other tremendous action performers in the film. The film is virtually one long non-stop fight from about 20 minutes in, after establishing Johnny's family life with his wife and young daughter. The action is outstanding, especially the final showdown between Johnny and Dan which really has to be seen to be believed, and the action scenes with Motoko Nagino kick ass, she is a tremendous performer, exhibiting some terrific fighting and stunt skills, and being a great actress as well. There a re a few criticisms such as the fact that every person in the film receives numerous injuries that would kill anyone instantly and then carry on fighting which just feels a bit silly. If the film was an animated Japanese film then you'd probably not bat an eyelid but some of it really was ridiculous. However the action scenes themselves were just terrific viewing and I think I could watch any of the set-pieces again and again. You can see what the cast had to go through making the film, and I'd love to see an outtake reel. In short if you love films like Drive, Wicked Game and so forth you will get a serious kick out of Broken Path, just don't expect any kind of realism per se.

I saw this excellent Noirish comedy thriller at the Phantasmagoria festival this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. The whole cast deliver first rate performances and the film has an excellent visual style, as well as paying generous homage to the classic thrillers of yesteryear and also very modern elements like some splendid (and justified) female nudity and mobile phone usage. The tangled plot is always intriguing and almost plays out as a jet black farce. The production design is excellent and the hotel location where most of the film plays out feels suitably claustrophobic and seedy. On a side-note it was great to see Brian Murphy back on the screen. Overall the film made for terrific viewing. Well done to everyone involved. Recommended if you want to see something a bit different with twists and turns, and laughs and scares.

I just saw this at the Phantasmagoria film festival and it was one of my two favourite films of the whole festival. It's a terrific horror film with excellent production values and some real scares in there. I was also impressed with the quality of the acting and the script as well. You really identify with the main characters and feel for them as they go through Hell in the woods. There are a few good laughs in there too including a funny and quite touching sex scene. The terrific atmosphere is cultivated with some excellent music and the imagery of the film throughout, including some quite splendid wildlife photography. There are some awesome special effects too but I don't want to spoil any of the best moments. Suffice it to say I was mightily impressed with the film, and it stands a good chance of being hailed as a cult movie. If you are a horror fan it is well worth a watch.