Fourthy Talks Random Films & Stuff

[Marty McFourth]

Synopsis: Guy lives a seemingly peaceful life as a bank teller. However, an encounter with a pretty but mysterious woman makes him realise that he is a non-playable character in a massive online video game.

This is the most recent film I watched and I absolutely loved everything about it. I really enjoyed how much of it reminded me of The Truman Show. The plot was so much fun and executed perfectly. It's a really fun experience with lots of chaos, comedy and action. All of it done super well. The feel-good and more emotional moments geniunely pulled at my heart strings and made me smile. I loved the romantic parts in this, they felt so geniune of scenes and I was not expecting to tear up a little by the end. Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer had fantastic chemistry.

 

[Marty McFourth]

Synopsis: Jack Dwyer moves to Southeast Asia with his family and gets caught between a political uprising and riots aimed at foreign companies. However, he decides to face the situation for his family's safety.

This was a fantastic experience. The sound design and effects in particular are what I'd choose to highlight first, you really feel every blow, explosion and gunshot. It's certainly one of the more engaging and tense thrillers I have seen in a while. It has a great setting and build-up right from the start. The pacing was really perfect. Owen Wilson is an actor I often forget just how good he is, probably because I don't really associate him with too many serious roles. It is a terrifying situation to imagine yourself in and I really found myself putting myself in the shoes of the characters, it really does a good job making you connected with them in such a short amount of time.

Synopsis: In order to pay for a course, James takes up a job at an amusement Park. He meets Emily, a co-worker, and falls in love with her. But due to some circumstances and misunderstandings, they face issues.

Nice film with great 80's vibes and music. it makes you feel-good and tugs at the heart strings. It's a very well told coming-of-age story. If you enjoy films that feel like a throwback and make you nostalgic, then I think you'll really appreciate a lot of where this goes. This is one of those roles where Jesse Eisenberg really shines as an actor for me, he's perfectly casted here. HIs personality and mannersims just go so well with the character he's playing. Kristen Stewart also puts in a very good performance as well, one of her best by far and a character I really like. She shows a lot of personality in this.

 

[Marty McFourth]

1408 (2007)

Synopsis: A man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. As he settles in, he confronts genuine terror.

Many, many rewatches of this film over the years and it never gets old. It's easily up there with the best Stephen King adaptations and is in my top favourite horror films. John Cusack puts in an absolutely terrific performance as his character Mike Enslin starts to unravel and lose his sanity. He dominates majority of the screen time and really carries the film to the heights that it manages to achieve. The pacing is perfect, couldn't be better. The scares are really effective. I've never been able to listen to The Carpenter's the same because of this film, their song 'We've Only Just Begun' really sets the tone well. The scenes with the radio switching on by itself are so eerie and so, so good.

House of Wax (2005)

Synopsis: A group of friends stranded on the way to a football match approach an abandoned wax museum for help. But the events that unfold find them running from the murderous brothers who manage the place.

I don't remember this film being kinda... good? Granted it isn't going to win any awards or wow you in any sort of way but it has aged far better than I expected and sets out what it wants to do as a slasher well. The premise is super fun for a horror film and it has some neat kills. Watching this again really made me appreciate the build-up at the start and how they stumble upon the museum. It sets a good, creepy vibe. The cast aren't half-bad either with their performances. With all that being said, I do tend to enjoy 2000's horror more than the average person and all the cheese that comes with that era.

Unbreakable (2000)

Synopsis: David, a security guard, survives a fatal train accident, only to be tracked down by a man named Elijah Price, who claims that David is blessed with superhuman abilities.

This could be arguably considered M. Night Shayamalan's greatest film. I tend to flip-flop between Unbreakable and Sixth Sense as my personal favourites. This is around the time in which he really found his groove as a director. It has such an excellent, intriuging story with a nice twist on superheroes. It realy pulls you in as a viewer and keeps you guessing about what happens next. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson are both phenomenal, putting in some of the best performances of their careers. I always loved the way in which this film opens up, it has a great hook and scene that keeps you watching. It has aged extremely well visually and I'd highly recommend it to those who may have never seen it.

 

[Y2Jayne]

House of Wax aged remarkably well and is quite brutal, I still love Hilton's death.
My favourite Shyamalan movie is Signs I think.

 

[Marty McFourth]

Billy Elliot (2000)

Synopsis: Billy wants to be a professional ballet dancer. But when his father refuses to support his dream, he secretly goes to ballet classes. However, things change when his father sees him dancing.

Really unique coming-of-age film which I feel has aged exceptionally well. It's always one I feel that everybody can watch at least once and be touched by. The premise is wonderful. Jamie Bell is phenomenal in this film as Billy Elliot, he really put his all in to this role. It's one of the best performances I have seen from a young actor at the time. It's a beautifully told story, with fantastic direction from start to finish. The characters are great and all so well developed and are given time to grow. The performances feel real and geniune.

Disturbia (2007)

Synopsis: When a teenager is placed under house arrest, he succumbs to despair and starts spying on his neighbours, hoping to spice up his life. This, however, leads him to witness a serial killer on the loose.

Something about this film is just awesome to me. Like, it really doesn't do anything super original and the comparions to Rear Window are obviously fair, but it's just an addictive watch. To me, it has all the elements of what a thriller should have. Only with some nice comic relief thrown in there at times and a more energetic vibe with it being set around a group of teenagers. I just really like it. I love Rear Window, so when this dropped I was honestly so excited to see another film like it. I loved the concept a lot. Shia LaBeouf is great in this role and David Morse is plenty menacing. The pacing is honestly perfect and when it starts to ramp up in the tension department, it's really damn good. Some great twists and turns to keep your attention.

Red State (2011)

Synopsis: Three teenagers arrange a meeting with a woman. Soon they find themselves trapped in a fundamentalist Church dominated by a fundamentalist preacher, Cooper. Will the teenagers come out alive?

Good film and it was interesting to see Kevin Smith direct something that isn't comedy. He did a great job. This was way out of his comfort zone and you wouldn't notice it by watching the film, he understands what makes horror effective. There's so many scenes in this that make you feel uncomfortable and give you a ton of anxiety. I was thoroughly enthralled by it and really intrigued to see how all the craziness would end. The film just keeps giving with the shocks and twists. The premise is fantastic and it's well-built up by Smith throughout. Highly recommend giving it a watch. Michael Parks was excellent as the cult leader.

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)

Synopsis: On their flight to Amsterdam, Harold and Kumar are mistaken for terrorists and are deported to Guantanamo Bay. A series of comedic incidents follow as they try to escape the harrowing place.

I would say that White Castle is the superior movie. It's better written and more consistently funny overall, but this is still a really good movie. If you like the characters, then you'll almost certainly enjoy it. There's plenty of laughs to be had. John Cho and Kal Penn are on top form once again. It's even crazier and more absurd than the previous movie with some of the situations they manage to find themselves in.