Triple Bill Mini Musings: Aliens, Warriors, and Country Lanes...

Under The Skin:
What's it about?
An alien, with the outward appearance of a beautiful young woman, scours the streets of Glasgow looking for men to take back to a mysterious black space to be consumed.
Who would I recognise in it?
Scarlett Johansson.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
A meandering low-fi sci-fi from the director of Sexy Beast, Under The Skin is a strange tale that's more interested in sensory experiences than it is plot. Filmed from the alien's perspective, our human world is seen objectively from the outsider's viewpoint - myriad voices on the street merge into a muffled confusion, a sea side tragedy is watched like a science experiment. Told partly using hidden camera footage - where Hollywood A-List megastar Johansson vanishes unnoticed into the masses - the film further maintains its naturalistic edge by employing non-professional actors in supporting roles. Visually it's stunning - the opening sequence seems to suggest the alignment of planets only to transform into the creation of an eye - while Johansson's performance is stellar, combining the dangerous attraction of a siren with the vulnerability of a naive interloper. Arguably it's five-to-ten minutes too long, but it's quiet approach occasionally explodes with un-showy moments that deeply disturb - the aforementioned sea side sequence, or what happens within the pitch black ooze for example. It will no doubt test the patience of mainstream audiences, but fans of low-fi curiosities with unique perspectives will get a kick out of it. Johansson continues to build a varied and interesting career. Good.

Click "READ MORE" below for 300: Rise Of An Empire, and In Fear...

300: Rise Of An Empire:
What's it about?
Side-quel to Zack Snyder's 2007 slow-mo comic book punch-up in which more buff dudes in leather pants hack and slash their way through an overwhelming enemy force.
Who would I recognise in it?
Eva Green, Lena Heady, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro, Jack O'Connell, Andrew Tiernan, Peter Mensah.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
The original 300 had its flaws (such as a ridiculous overuse of slow motion), but it boasted numerous stand out moments that captured the public's imagination ("THIS. IS. SPARTA!"). It provided spectacle and buff, oily chaps flexing their pecs in conspicuous abundance, but it also packed some thrills. It wasn't a particularly great movie, but it was generally good, and most certainly iconic. This side-quel on the other hand, in spite of more buff dudes in billowing capes, feels flabby and distracted. A lengthy back story on Xerxes, who actually has little importance once Rise Of An Empire gets underway, feels intrusive, while the references to the 300 Spartan's fight nearby only reminds you of what's lacking here. There are spectacular moments, from a fiery sea battle to an athletic bunk up with Eva Green's wild-eyed Artemisia, but try as it might ROAE smells more of a franchise cash-grab than a story that needed to be told. There's plenty of visual flourishes and gushes of gloopy CGI gore, but however you slice it - it adds up to far less than the entertainment of seeing Gerard Butler kick someone down a bloody deep hole. Alright.

In Fear:
What's it about?
Two people, just embarking upon a relationship, head into the Irish countryside to find a spa hotel for a romantic evening - but they get hopelessly lost in the maze of winding country roads.
Who would I recognise in it?
Allen Leech, Iain De Caestecker.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Low-fi psychological horror chills here in a film that mostly takes place inside one car with two people. Most folks have felt that pang of panic when they get lost on unfamiliar roads in the middle of the night, and this film taps into that deftly. As the couple realise the road signs are pointing them nowhere, and that there's a stranger playing games with them, things begin to spiral. A couple of moments require a little bit of disbelief to be suspended, but there's enough tension throughout to keep you hooked. Good.