The Guest

Tags

2010's, Adam Wingard, Brendan Meyer, Dan Stevens, Lance Reddick, Leland Orser, Maika Monroe, Sheila Kelley, The Guest, Thriller

Film Title

The Guest

Director

Adam Wingard

Starring

• Dan Stevens as David
• Maika Monroe as Anna Peterson
• Brendan Meyer as Luke Peterson
• Sheila Kelley as Laura Peterson
• Leland Orser as Spencer Peterson
• Lance Reddick as Major Richard Carver

A thrilling throwback to 80’s thrillers with a horror ambience, The Guest is a stylishly constructed, enjoyable and delightfully over the top movie with a killer soundtrack to accompany it.

The Peterson family; mother and father Laura and Spencer and their two children Anna and Luke are mourning the death of the other son Caleb, who died while serving with the army in Afghanistan. A knock at the door reveals David, who claims to have been a friend of Caleb’s. He explains to the Peterson’s that Caleb told him before his death to keep a close eye on them and this further endears him to the family. David is amiable and very polite towards the family, which leads to Laura asking the charming young man to stay. The young soldier integrates himself into their life and seems to have a positive and helpful influence on them. He helps the shy Luke, who is being bullied at school, to stand up for himself against his tormentors and himself deals out a violent beating on them to really make a point. He also tries to help Anna’s friends out when they need booze for a party without getting busted. To everyone else, David is a breath of fresh air and just an all round likable guy. The only person who he doesn’t manage to charm is Anna, who feels that there is something very suspicious about this stranger in her house. She can’t quite put her finger on it, but she knows that something is not right about the seemingly perfect guest. It seems that she may have every right to be worried for herself and her family as a spate of bodies begins to pile up around town in gradually grisly fashion. And with a mysterious Major snooping around and knowing more than he’s letting on, it sets up for a showdown as David gradually begins to show a sinister side. But is it too late for the family to realise that David is capable of a lot of danger before death comes knocking? Because it’s only little time before they wished they had never opened the door to the handsome stranger in the first place.

Right from the start, Adam Wingard puts his own stamp on the movie, with a neon-drenched style and allusions to the 80’s. He just feels so in charge of this film and his command over the events is exemplary. Wingard really likes to play with the genres in this film and manages to incorporate thriller, killer action and creepy horror. And the ounces of style he gives the movie(he was the editor as well as director) adds up to an enjoyably dark thriller with striking visuals. The highlights are an electrifying bar fight and a tense chase through the confines of a school that has been designed for Halloween. A word of warning to those who are fans thrillers with realism, The Guest isn’t the most subtle film out there. It’s boldly done with over the top, bombastic elements that actually add more to the film and make it more enjoyable. Depending on how you like your thrillers done, The Guest may divide you. But I was a huge fan of this film and the shifts in style and tone it had. And no discussion of The Guest would be complete without giving mention to the soundtrack. With an ominous synth coursing through the veins, the soundtrack to The Guest becomes almost a character due to its moody sound and sense of troubling atmosphere it conjures up.

Dan Stevens is a magnetic screen presence in this movie. Exuding charisma, smooth physicality and ice-cold steel, he is eye-catching to say the least. We may know from the beginning that there isn’t something right with David, but thanks to Stevens, there is still an aura of enigma surrounding him as carnage unfolds. There are even times when we slightly root for David, even though we know that he brings a whole lot of fatal trouble to those around him. One thing is for certain, it’s an effectively done change of his pace from his role in Downton Abbey. Maika Monroe; delightfully spiky and full of sassy attitude, portrays Anna, who is the only person who suspects that her new house guest is about to wreak havoc on their lives. Monroe balances a sarcastic personality with a genuine sense of concern for those close to her and she sells it all the way. Then we have Brendan Meyer playing the timid son who respects David and doesn’t for a minute see that there is something very wrong with him. Sheila Kelley and Leland Orser have a normalcy to them that highlights the way that they are clueless to the truth surrounding David and makes his infiltration all the more effective and shocking. These are decent people, grieving for their lost son, whose kindness is taken advantage of as David leads them on a merry dance of deceit. Lance Reddick adds deep-voiced mystery to his role as a shady Major, who has some sort

Bursting with action, thrills and oodles of stylish visuals, The Guest is one hell of a blast if ever there was one and boldly bad ass to boot.

 

 

Alien Resurrection

Tags

1990's, Alien Resurrection, Brad Dourif, Dan Hedaya, Dominique Pinon, Gary Dourdan, Horror, J. E. Freeman, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Kim Flowers, Leland Orser, Michael Wincott, Raymond Cruz, Ron Perlman, Science Fiction, Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder

Film Title

Alien Resurrection

Director

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Starring

• Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley
• Winona Ryder as Call
• Ron Perlman as Johner
• Dominique Pinon as Vriess
• Gary Dourdan as Christie
• J. E. Freeman as Wren
• Raymond Cruz as Distephano
• Brad Dourif as Dr Gediman
• Dan Hedaya as General Perez
• Michael Wincott as Elgyn
• Kim Flowers as Hillard
• Leland Orser as Purvis

Coming after the misunderstood and much maligned Alien 3, Alien Resurrection emerges as a mixed bag. We’ve got the horror and action for entertainment as well as some interesting and very stylish ideas, but also some wasted opportunities that could have been expanded on.

Two hundred years after Ripley sacrificed her life to kill the alien that was growing inside of her, scientists aboard the spaceship Auriga, have managed to create a clone of her, as well as the Alien. The corrupt and greedy scientists are part of an illegal experiment in raising the creature and developing many other like it. The operation is overseen by General Perez, corrupt scientist Wren and creepy Dr Gediman. Perez enlists the illicit services of a group of mercenaries in bringing human cargo aboard. The group of mercenaries consists of leader Elgyn, sarcastic Johner, enigmatic Call, paraplegic Vriess, weapon-bound Christie and Elgyn’s romantic interest Hillard. Once aboard, the cargo that they have provided will be used as the hosts for the Alien. Meanwhile, because of the cloning procedures, Ripley has developed super strength, acidic blood and a mental link to the Alien. Her personality has drastically changed and she is now a slinky, ambivalent and almost predatory shadow of her old self. The Alien itself has also evolved and is now more dangerous than ever. The mysterious Call discovers Ripley and it is revealed that she is part of a resistance movement that want to kill the cloned Ripley, in order to wipe out the Alien. Call is too late and soon enough the intellectually advanced beasts manage to escape and leave a trail of bodies in their wake. The newly cloned Ripley teams with the group, which also acquires the services of soldier Distephano and Purvis, one of the humans who was used as a host for the Alien spawn. There is also the presence of the Newborn, a loathsome hybrid of human and Alien that has been born from the Queen Alien to contend with. With time running out before the ship lands on Earth and carnage erupting from every possible place, Ripley and the group must fight to stay alive and make it out safe.

Alien Resurrection may aim for the claustrophobic impact of the spaceship setting of the original Alien, but there’s something hollow to it here that doesn’t match the iconic first film. Sure, the set design is great with slippery surfaces, dark tunnels and Alien nests to get through, but this style is not enough to sustain an impact. The ghost of the previous and more effective films hangs over Alien Resurrection and thus makes it a weaker sequel to such illustrious predecessors. There is also a wealth of interesting themes at play here, such as the dangers of cloning and hybridity, but they are not developed enough to be sufficiently interesting for the audience. Where Alien Resurrection succeeds is the action and horror, which are both in high supply. Standout sequences include the gang having to swim to another chamber while being chased by the rapidly advancing Aliens, Ripley’s descent into the nest and the gory scene of the Alien’s putting in motion their brutal escape from confinement. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is in the director’s chair and brings an unusual and eerie quality to this entry of the science fiction saga. Always keen visually, he brings verve to the corridors of botched clones, slimy pits and blood that score highly in my book. There can be an over reliance on special effects to be found in Alien Resurrection, but at least for the most part, Jeunet manages to keep it under wraps. The score provided makes uses of slithering percussion and punctuating brass, twinned with bristling cymbals and twinkling piano to symbolize the link between Ripley and the Alien, as well as the growing terror that the characters are plunged into.

Sigourney Weaver imbues this version of the Ripley character with slinky sex appeal, eerie cynicism and effective strength. Weaver really seems to relish showing us this newly modified Ripley, who may not have the humanity of her human counterpart but still has the unmistakable steel and wits to survive. Essaying the role for the fourth time, Sigourney Weaver is once again as riveting as ever. Winona Ryder brings a mix of pluck and vulnerability to the role of the enigmatic Call, who has own agenda for coming aboard the ship. Ron Perlman brings his familiar quality of being a super bad ass to the part of the dryly humorous Johner, while Dominique Pinon as the wheelchair-bound but heavily armed Vriess is clearly having a blast. Gary Dourdan brings intensity to the part of the skilled fighter Christie, whereas J. E. Freeman oozes oily menace as one of the corrupt scientists aboard the ship. Raymond Cruz is wasted as a renegade soldier who teams with the survivors, while Brad Dourif chews the scenery as the twisted Dr Gediman. Unfortunately Dan Hedaya, Michael Wincott, Kim Flowers and Leland Orser and chronically underused and given barely anything really memorable to do in the film.

A film very much full of ideas but not as thrilling as it could have been, Alien Resurrection is despite its flaws quite entertaining and manages to just about get the job done.