Category: Survival

Fall

Rated: MFall

Directed by: Scott Mann

Written by: Scott Mann, Jonathan Frank

Produced by: Christian Mercuri, James Harris, Mark Lane, Scott Mann, David Haring

Cinematography: Miguel ‘MacGregor’ Olaso

Starring: Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Mason Gooding.

‘No trespassing.  Danger of death.’

Let me start by saying, I’m scared of heights.

So from the opening scene of vertical views down onto rock-climbers hanging onto cliffs and leaping for another hold.  My heart was pumping from the get-go.

And it didn’t stop.

Fall is relentless in ratcheting up the tension, truly, edge-of-seat viewing.

But there’s cheese.

Adrenaline junkies, Becky (Grace Caroline Currey), hubby, Dan (Mason Gooding) and best buddy, Hunter (Virginia Gardner) push their limits together.

Seemingly unstoppable, until the worst happens, leaving Bec devastated.  And her dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) concerned she’ll never snap out of her deepening grief.

It’s when Bec looks like she can’t go on, best buddy, she’s-my-cherry-pie, Hunter has the cure: climbing an abandoned radio tower via a rusty ladder, 2000ft into the air.

Time to tame fear, ‘And kick it’s arse.’

Cue the strings in the soundtrack.  Cringe.

Up to this point, I wasn’t convinced I was going to get into this movie, I’d just be on edge because of that insane height, standing on a pancake platform, Bec and Hunter about to fall any second.

Then those rusty bolts started rattling.

The camera work here pushes that feeling of vertigo and the thought of falling is always there as the girls hang off the edge of the tower to take selfies.

There’s a lot from Hunter’s online persona, Danger D and #LifeOverDeath moments.

But this, ‘kick fear in the dick,’ mentality gradually won me over – you get the vibe though, a bit twee.

Then the shots widen, pushing the sky into the background of these crazy climbers as the bolts start to fall and I’m gripping the arms of the chair.

It just keeps pushing that tension to the point I was thankful for some of the cheesy drama of the story.

It’s not ALL tension; there’s some room to breathe.

But wow not much.

Be prepared for a bracing thrill and some unexpected moments in this intense survival film: worth seeing on the big screen.

 

Arctic

Rated: MArctic

Directed by: Joe Penna

Written by: Joe Penna, Ryan Morrison

Produced by: Christopher Lemole, Tim Zajaros, Noah C. Haeussner

Composed by: Joseph Trapanese

Cinematographer: Tómas Ӧrn Tómasson

Starring: Mads Mikelsen, Maria Thelma Smáradóttir.

2018 Cannes Film Festival Official Selection – Midnight Section

Stranded in endless white snow punctuated by black rock, we see a man stranded.

Chains on the soles of thick rubber boots, scarf over mouth, beanie over head: eyes squint against the cold.

The beep from his watch is an alarm, marking the passing of one task to another – a methodical schedule to stay alive.

‘They’ll be here soon,’ he keeps saying.

‘We’ll be fine.’

There’s no introduction to this character.  All that’s revealed is he’s stranded, waiting for rescue because near the wreck of a small plane, he’s dug in the snow an: SOS.

The film reveals who he is by showing how he survives.

The film was shot in the highlands of Iceland during the winter – a lone surviver surrounded by virgin snow had its challenges, states cinematographer Tómas Ӧrn Tómasson.

Yet with all the difficulties of snow storms, car doors becoming unhinged in the wild wind and the unpredictability and change of weather, director Joe Penna has created a quietly moving film, using the wind, exerted breathing and touches of orchestral music (Joseph Trapanese) to expand the feeling of isolation and suspense as the character waits.

They’ll be here soon.

We’ll be fine.

When he realises he’s going to have to move, to find his rescue when a chopper finally finds him, only to crash-land because of a storm, the tension rises.

With all that quiet, there’s these perfectly timed moments that made me jump.

It’s not just the endurance of survival but all those things that can go wrong, because that’s life, right?!

Sometimes it’s so bad it’s funny

And this character gets it.  He can laugh… With tears in his eyes…

Mads is great in this role.  And a very likeable character.  A quiet strength was needed here – not an action hero, yet heroic for all his humanity.  He’s a relatable character shown in movement and expression because this is a film with very few words.

And I couldn’t look away.

The Revenant

The RevenantGoMovieReviews Rating:★★★★☆ (4.2/5)

Director:  Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu

Writers: Mark L. Smith and Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu

Based in part on the novel by Michael Punke, ‘The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge’.

Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki

Starring: Leonardo Di Caprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poutter and Domhnall Gleeson.

Revenant: A person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead.

Hugh Glass (Di Caprio), is part of a furring team, out in the wintery wilderness of Montana. In the 1820s, this was a fight for survival against the natives, against the cold, starvation and the wild animals.

After being attacked by a bear, Glass is left for dead, only to rise again to avenge the murder of his son.

I have to admit I was apprehensive about watching this film, thinking I’d be confronted with war-like graphic violence. If not for the beauty of the landscape captured by Emmanuel Lubezki (also cinematographer of Gravity (2013) and Birdman (2014)), this would have been a cruel film. Think dripping snow, captured leaves in ice, the endless sky and trees creaking and waving in the wind; a pack of wolves taking down a stray buffalo.

The reality of nature is that it’s both a heaven and a horror.

The director, Alejandro (Birdman (2014), Babel (2006), Amores Perros (2000)), insisted on filming 93 percent of this movie at exterior locations – Calgary in Alberta, Canada, Montana, United States, and the southern tip of South America, Argentina. Di Caprio certainly earned his Acadamy Award with this one. Just the cold itself, and all those icy rivers…

Brutal humanity is likened to the harshness of a winter’s landscape. How quickly a human can turn to animal instinct for survival is a harsh reality of the characters in this film. People do what they have to, to survive.

It’s a fight to stay human, to give food and shelter. A choice has to be made. And with cleverly executed filming and directing, we see Glass up close, we see his pain and his will to survive. We see others who give and others who take.

This is a revenge movie, but I’m glad it was balanced with some light: the murmurings of a loved one, a bird taking flight, the sun reflected on snow.

I liked the flavour Alejandro gave the film. There is a real authenticity here, thanks to Di Caprio, but Alejandro has given the film something almost mystical. Nature untouched, is a bit like magic. The Native Americans believed in the will of the trees and the wind, and I think Alejandro managed to capture some of this magic. Not an easy feat and a film worth watching.

 

 

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