martinjohnston39 Reviews

Max Payne (2008)

if only , but a great film no doubt.

[8/10 · 21 April 2024]

I saw max payne when it first came out , in 2008.ive watched it numerous times , and i really like the setting , story and action peices. But .and here it comes .....comparisons must be made to the excellent rockstar games . No movie can match what a player feels and gets from such games .thats why gta has never been made into a movie.....yet . So with that said max should have been a chain smoking pill poppin mess who could still hold his own in a fight. The guy has lost his family and his mind , but here hes too clean cut ,thats what makes the story a tradgedy .so overall should you watch max pain , most definatly its a good film throwback to 90s thrillers , but heres my biggest gripe .why oh why didnt they use that haunting piano music from the game, audiences would have swooned as if goblin had written it themselves.

Shellmont County Massacre (2019)

when the clown came home.

[4/10 · 7 April 2024]

I dont know what to make of this one. On the one hand the killer was the most deranged psycho ive seen on film for a long time and the gore and cruelty was over the top,but the story line just didnt work . Also a severe lack of tension and creepy music . They are two things that would have lifted this above the thousands of slash n stalk movies. I figure this was made in one those fever dream summers were the heat took its toll, the whole thing screams of madness ,do people really act that in those situations , or was the director going for a bit of comic effect from the side of the masked lunatic? Worth awatch for the gore and in my opinion remade with better soundtrack and some creepy stalk at night scenes , that killer scared the sh.....out of me .

Blood Junkie (2010)

deserves more love

[9/10 · 11 February 2024]

C,mon people , with a swathe of horrors out there ,this stands out. The director and actors in this were excellent.it had a unique atmostphere and to me , a very creepy setting . The build up to the end was really well done , and i liked the twist ,leaving it open to a sequel. All in all for the lo budget this was truly a labour of love and should be more well known. Il have to find BILLY CLUB, now done by the same people , it had HEADLESSvibes but is a much better film.ive loved horror /slasher movies for forty years now and still this one got me.well done everyone involved , and no frogs were hurt in the making.

Joy Ride (2001)

one of the best

[10/10 · 12 December 2023]

Watched this again after 20 years , does it still hold up, you bet your last rubber duck it does. If you want entertainment and thrills from your movies this has it in spades equally hilarious and terrifying at the same time, unique for that. This movie will play with your emotions , you will be laughing then feel in peril for the two main leads , paul walker and steve zahn really have a connection in this move that is undeniable. Great cinematoghraphy , excellent soundtrack. This film just works. If your feeling at a loss for something too watch , i recommend this for an instant uplift. Il be getting the blu ray for this . A cult classic truly.

Bring Out the Fear (2021)

bring out the branston

[2/10 · 11 December 2023]

Oh dear, where to start with this one, first of all if a couple hadnt been more mismatched ever in the history of the world ,let me know. The cinematography was fine ,but if your in stunning wicklow ireland a go pro will bring that out. The main problem with this film is a plot, a short film maybe?. But an hour and half of running round the woods lost does not a filmeth make. A fail then like so many others trying to jump on the folk horror bandwagon. Roll up roll up and bring out the branson. There is one good thing to come out of films like this it shows you what to avoid in future , thank you.

The Windmill (2016)

windy miller serial killer

[9/10 · 2 December 2023]

This film will become a cult classic if theres anyone who still appreciates horror movies around. Although lacking in scares it has a creepiness that i thought could only be created in old hammer films. Also reminds me of clive barkers books of blood. A bus sets of from amsterdam with a group of people each hiding a deadly secret. The director does a great job and cinematogrophy is spot on.the actors were good apart from the aussie accent. Now to the best part ,the psychotic windmill grinder , he looked great ,solid kills , a worthy rival to victor crowley, this film is crying out for a part 2 . But because it wasnt mainstream i doubt we will see it. Holland have made some great horrors lately , keep it up .

The Innkeepers (2011)

new reviewers are spoilt

[8/10 · 19 September 2023]

Ive loved this film since it came out when i watched it on vee hd ,anyone remember that site ? Way before the netflix generation came along with their spoilt ,a film has to be made just for me ,me ,me. The slow build works perfectly , the chemistry between pat healy and sara paxton is well done. Which makes the pay off at the end so sad. Yeah thats right no one has took in how moving the last scene of this movie is . Well worth a watch and in my opinion ti wests best film along with house of the devil. The newer ti west outings x and pearl have lost that innocence of his earlier work , perhaps in the 12 or so years since this was made the world has took a turn for the worst and ti is reflecting that , anyway i still love this film and return to it every so often for it offerssomething the world is lacking in , comfort.

All the Colors of Giallo (2019)

disappointing

[3/10 · 15 September 2023]

I dont think there has been a negative review of this short documentary. So here goes ,most reviewers have let there love of giallo overshadow how dull this film is , there is one point where a talking head explains how important music and sound is to giallo ,but at moment there isnt a short clip of the disturbing music always used in these films and on and the talking goes wuth no music or soundbites , for gods sake they must have heard of berberian sound studio/? A whole film dedicated to it. Thats what is lacking , music brings excitement to stop the academic boredom setting in , i dont know maybe ive watched better docs on this subject .this film is good for beginners in giallo but it just didnt enlighten me at all and made one of the best genres in film seem very very dull.

The Alpines (2021)

the alpines really are full of snowflakes

[3/10 · 5 September 2023]

Well i watched it till the end ,so thats something. This was one of those films where you really wish a jason or micheal myers would turn up , or a trapped in the house SAW type situation. Instead a group of the best of the best ex students do a remeet. The character zach has lost his girlfiend and his job , and is seeking therapy but he is so unsympophetic, you cant root for him or the rest of these spoilt brats , people go to these beautiful lodges with stunning scenery and what do they do , get pissed and drugged like a day in philly streets . No tension , plenty of cringe and oh zach should have done us all a favour right from the get go.

V/H/S/94 (2021)

hail raatma

[9/10 · 2 September 2023]

What is wrong with people ? Ive said it before but i blame streaming , streaming is like tv years ago an endless stream get itof movies and heres a big clue tv , yes tv shows . If you were to pick out the good stuff from the rewind button in your mind there wouldnt be many that stand out from tell lie vision of the past. Today there are endless streaming services that cater for everything. And so people judge after they have watched hours of junk and the brain becomes tired . So if you were to pick up a vhs tape and pop it into your betamax in the 80s/90s and these short stories came on you would ,if a horror /thriller junkie be over the moon at these shockers ,all im saying is this new vhs series has been given life by going back in time im glad the directors and writers have looked back and have fast forwarded us more life into lets face itvhs viral flagging series from 10 years ago . Looking forwardif you pardon the pun to vhs 85 long may the series go onwards and if you dont like it theres astop button right under pause ,just near the tracking button.

The Gates (2023)

an own goal

[1/10 · 15 August 2023]

If this film was a football match and the director had 3 open nets in front of him , hes just piked it over the crossbar everytime. I decided to watch this because victorian horror ala jack the ripper era horror has a certain mystique about it , the fog the stiff upper lip . The sheer creepiness of the alleys and buildings of the citys and towns. This film doesnt utilize any of that .it spends its time entirely in a prison, which could be good look at alien 3 , but this does not compare with that movie. Richard brake should be the stand out in this picture he doesnt get the chance due to the method of jumping from body to body so is hardly on screen at all.

Bull (2021)

dead mans blues

[6/10 · 12 April 2023]

Neil maskell. Carrys this film as usual . Great actor. But the supporting cast let it down im afraid,that includes david hayman who is good in other films , hes too old and frail to come across as scary ,at one point i thought the 80 year old granny was gonna fight him back. IF your looking for a film that shows a bunch of truly scummy c:;;;;;nts then this is your film including the main protaganist. As a revenge film it does go all the way and some, the bleak lives of these people is well portrayed .i cant think why this bunch of miscreants would see any charm in each other though. And the ending would have been better if he had killed them all .piggy , and a few others. Overall i enjoyed it ,not a patch on aussie classic THE HORSEMAN 2009.

The Unheard (2023)

90s style thriller /sci fi

[7/10 · 4 April 2023]

A lot of people are hating the slow burners lately. I blame it all on too much choice ,streaming all day ,all night. Anyway i was reviewing this film? The lead actress holds this one for the most part . The part when she regains her hearing is moving but you know there is gonna be side effects.the house in the woods is creepy and the old video seqeunces are well done . Where the movie falls short is a background story to the killer , why ,what motivates him? The magnetic fields all around us is not explored fully. Still i enjoyed this one even if it turns into a stalk and slasher at the end. I like this director and i think his next films are gonna be great .the lead actress has a bright future as well.a lot of these films would have been hailed as cult underground films in the 80s/90s but in a world of streaming its an endless pipe pumping out mainly garbage but now and then a few gems and gold get sifted through.

Shiver (2012)

xxxx creek

[2/10 · 12 January 2023]

Cant believe this from the same guy who made the last horror movie. That starts in a diner as well ,but then max says he taped over it to show you what serial killing is really .brutal , cruel and mundane and messy.so ten years later the director got a bit more money and bigger stars and made this deriative hollywood by numbers abomination ,come on in the nineties and early2000,s we had this done to death. If you pardon the pun .thats what has peed me off about this film ,its took away the greatness of the last horror movie imo,i thought julian richards was innotive and would go on to great things ,oh well .dont bother with this tripe , having said all that maybe there is hope for the director as i really liked ,REBORN that took me back to the 70/80s great tv movies ,but this one is skippable .

Men (2022)

a local film for posh people

[7/10 · 9 October 2022]

I enjoyed this film and found a lot of the interactions with the many faces of rory kinnear hilarious . The vicar was excellent ,a pervert and a nasty piece of work. The sound and visuals in this film are amazing. The storyline was a basic premise but turned into so much more.people are complaining about the ending but i think it was the main protaganist just getting rid of her demons.she went to the country pile to relax after a selfish weak man took his life because his woman rejected him.shes enjoying her weekend until she comes to a dark tunnel ,i loved his bit of the film ,the echoes both haunting and filled with beauty.from there on in things unravel for her. Another great idea was having every man played by one actor. As a man myself i didnt find it offensive to men and i was sympthethtic towards her plight .although the subject matter is serious i still found myself laughing at a lot of the situations, geoffrey was hilarious . A solid effort from alex garland ,keeping a peter greenaway vibe all the way through.

Water Tank Murder Mystery (1994)

buy the dvd

[3/10 · 16 July 2022]

Can anyone tell me where to get this film from ?/ it seems unavailable anywhere , does it even exist/?/ its a must find for any true crime fans .will it revail any hidden clues to the real life mystery .i doubt it ,anyaway if anyonee reads this ,,,,,,,help?

Howl (I) (2015)

one you can watch again.

[8/10 · 22 May 2022]

I dont know why this film works but it does. Perhaps its just me but any horror set on trains will do ,ever since 2004s excellent ,,,CREEP. A great cast and likeable characters are what drive this one. Also the werewolves remind me of rawhead rex. Check it out.

Searching (III) (2018)

great film but would the book be better

[12 April 2022]

Lead actor is great, the online gimmick works, the vlogger who hardly knew her ,then crying over her best friend missing was funny. The justin beiber joke was cool,tech of google and the rest was on point. My main gripe was the ending ,and the news clips unless the director was riffing on how vacuous news reporters are. Overall worth a watch but i bet the book is better.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)

excellent apart from

[7/10 · 1 April 2022]

I thought the story was excellent, the interactive was ok , the acid trip scene was extremely well done .the only gripe i had was a clearly mentally ill creator shoved into netflix world as if these people at netflix are paragons of virtue, the future of the internet is in the hands of these corporations .

The Postcard Killings (2020)

hey 1999 wants it s film back.

[12 March 2022]

Wow , when they made films like this in the 90s , at least they were somewhat engaging, this had the arty murder set ups ,which would take days to set up in reality.an ex detective able to walk round crime scenes , and raid suspects armed in a foreign country, a joke.famk janson breaks into a mansion and comments on how big it is ,just like yours eh famke.but worst of all an hannibal lector moment that went nowhere . Overall crap acting and prepostorous police procedure.dont bother watch bone collector or even .seed.

Zoo (I) (2018)

Anyone notice the lockdown poster

[4/10 · 12 May 2021]

I liked ed speelers in howl so I watched this ' not as good atmos as that film but a conspiracy realists dream , lots of things tying into the current world situation I won't list em here so this gets posted except this film was made in 2018 , an agenda bender made by those in the Know, oh yeah Sean of the dead was 20 years ago and people still think they can out out do it.

Anti-Nowhere League: We Are the League (2018)

We are the league

[8/10 · 11 April 2021]

Great eye opener on what we're considered a joke band in our elite punk circle ,seem like a decent bunch of blokes ,and have come out of it all pretty well. Funny anecdotes abound if you can't take a joke this isn't for you if it was made a year later it would have mentioned animals near fatal stabbing at the hands of a maniac,I wish em well and thanks for all the laughs.

Slave to the Grind (2018)

Needs a part2

[3/10 · 25 March 2020]

An excellent documentary but a lot of stuff left out grindcore basically started through a fusion of gruff punk vocals ( discharge)and the speeding up of velocity via thrash metal. So the punk diy ethic got pushed aside .what about antisect deviated instinct ,etc. Perhaps I should get of my behind and make one on crust punk ....watch this space.

Defenceless: A Blood Symphony (2004)

A disturbing operatic headmasher

[7/10 · 24 August 2018]

A film with hardly any dialogue, beautifully filmed tale of revenge on greedy land owners with supernatural elements. A unique vision that hits your senses, it will stay with you long after ,and a repeat view will let you see the evil of the minds of unscrupulous greedy bastards and what happens when you push someone too far, Hard find but well worth the search for it.