BUG (2006)

We Love Movies – Video recommendation of the Week:

Film makers have some nerve these days.

If you’re going to make a film called “BUG”, you should at least have the decency to make it about a government lab near an isolated rural community. The refuse from a secret experiment infects some cockroaches (movie rule #154: always use cockroaches for maximum “bug” effect), making them both super intelligent and super aggressive (plus they reproduce quickly – so they’re also super ……what? horny). They get out and head for toward town. Here’s where you can take time to introduce the main characters and give a little back-story. Cliff is a stranger in town. He’s just passing through, really – but he has a secret he’s not telling. Trevor, the sheriff, years ago had a relationship with Sally, the woman who owns the diner. Sally’s been widowed for four years now but has a teenage daughter who is dating (sort of) the smart kid at school – even though the football jock keeps hitting on her. Then, of course, there’s Professor Evans who, by coincidence, is an entomologist (he studies bugs). He will eventually find a way to destroy the bugs, but will be horribly killed before he can tell anybody. There’s the mayor who will refuse to contact the authorities or admit that there’s anything wrong. Then there are the Gladwells (Molly and Dan) who run their farm out on RFD 122, but don’t get too attached to them – they’re the first ones to get killed.

Untraceable

I love cybercrime stories and I really enjoyed the byline in Die Hard 4.0 about ‘Fire sale’, when all the computers in the country go down. Real conspiracy stuff.

So when I saw the trailer for Untraceable I was really keen to see this film. The plot is about a FBI agent who tries to shut down a live website showing people being tortured and murdered. I was very concerned when I bought my ticket and it has R18 on it. It’s pretty gruesome stuff.

However in the light of ‘cyber bullies’ and ‘humiliation by Youtube’ being a plague of the modern age, I was curious as what this film would depict.

I didn’t really enjoy this film, its not the kind of film you’d sit down and watch again, but it was a suspenseful thriller and it did make me think. Has technology gone to far, or is technology just reflecting society and all its woes as it currently is? Deep stuff.

THE HOST

We Love Movies -Video recommendation of the Week:

Ode to the monster movie:

I just saw an outstanding monster movie recently called Cloverfield. It wasn’t like Frankenstein or Godzilla or any of the others I can remember from my childhood, and it will very likely change the nature of monster movies to come – a new benchmark – and when it comes out on video in a few months, I’ll have more to say about it then. But in the meantime, it reminded me of another great monster film I’d seen recently – this week’s movie, THE HOST.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

There was nothing surprising about the casting as the main actors had all played similar roles in the past. The ‘mad genius’ is a role well suited to Johnny Depp’’s acting style and he certainly was the stand out performer.

The singing was good. Particularly enjoyed the song about making the pies and the suitable vocations for best ‘meat’. The killings themselves would be a little too realistic for some (blood spurting, throats being cut…)

Overall a solid movie.

Rating: 7.5 / 10