Airborne

A group of strangers take the last flight to JFK during a snow-storm and end up facing a shit-storm of trouble on the seemingly jinxed flight. Airborne features some of the UK's best known and most up and coming talents including Alan Ford (perennial Guy Richie favourite) and Gemma Atkinson (now, a lot of you may criticise Gemma's acting skills, but personally I have a soft spot for her and reckon she's got good thing in front of her ... don't be crude!) and then, of course, there's Mark Hamill!

Without giving too much away, the film has (as we find out) two plots running side by side and for the most part it's not too badly done, but the inclusion of the second plot (the supernatural side), I feel, ruins anything that has gone before. There actually was no need to give it a supernatural twist as it takes a decent (and I'm not saying good, or great, I'm just saying decent) idea and then takes it into the realms of stupidity. It's unfortunate as I was fully supporting the film until around the hour mark.

The thing is, Airborne is not a terrible movie, it's not even a bad movie, it's just not a good movie. So many times writing this blog I've stumbled upon a film that show so much potential (despite low budgets, poor scripts / actors, whatever it may be) and then they let themselves down before they reach the final hurdle and this film sits nicely in this category.

Probably best left for the die-hards amongst us and those wanting to be just a little more terrified of flying than they already are!!

Rose

Taking a refreshing break from my recent zombie fodder, I picked up a copy of Rose and eagerly sat down to see what was going on in the UK film scene at the moment. Rose follows the heartbreaking roller-coaster ride of the eponymous female character and her young daughter who are under the control of cruel gang boss Blondie. Struggling to survive in 'Hellville', a place described as "an unspoken world that exists near you", Rose struggles to protect her daughter and is subjected to horrific events that spiral out of her control, culminating in a violent showdown.

This blogger must confess that the first 10 minutes of this film were a little confusing, set in another country, where a series of characters which will we never see again are introduced - I actually came away from the film not really knowing quite what the purpose of this first section was and feeling that it could have been removed completely with little loss to the rest of the production. Anyway, once we settle back into life in Hellville, things quickly get dark and gritty, and the performances of the cast (especially Helen Clifford as Rose, who was excellent, and the ever wonderful Scream Queen Eileen Daily) go a long way to making this film the success it eventually turns out to be. I was quickly gripped by the storyline and the plight of our heroine Rose. I was also left reeling by some of the tortuous circumstances she finds herself helplessly trapped in.

Lets get things straight, Rose is not a big budget thriller, it's dark, dirty and the sound quality leaves a little to be desired at times (although that may have just been my DVD) but despite all this, it's impressive, gripping, harrowing and, ultimately, beautifully conceived and delivered. It smacks of the desperation of real life and the drudgery and degradation that many must face on a daily basis and it packs a punch as it does so.

This reviewer suggests, if you like your films with a salty realism and dank criminal underworld violence, then this may just be the film for you.

For more info on Rose, please visit: http://rose-thefilm.webs.com/

F

This slick little psychological UK thriller revolves around a bullied school teacher, who has to face his demons after his school is taken over by faceless hooded thugs who set about systematically tormenting and killing off staff and students alike.

Made on a shoe-string budget (around £150,000), and with next to no gore or on-screen killing, F really was going to go one of two ways but thankfully it succeeds in dishing out decent chills and genuinely creepy atmosphere, making this a much more cerebral horror, compared to your run-of-the-mill blood and guts fest.

The hooded assailants work brilliantly, as we are never quite sure who they are, why they are there, or even whether they are human or something other-worldly. As the viewer, you are never really presented with any character you can sympathise with or root for, they are all pretty dis-likeable, and this might not sit well with some. Personally, I didn't mind as the lack of character connection means you can sit back and enjoy when someone is picked off by the thugs.

What really seems to be rubbing people up the wrong way is the film's ending. Without giving too much away, those who like a film to be wrapped up neatly in a bow, with no loose ends will be seriously annoyed. Personally, I found the ending quite refreshing - it doesn't allow us as the audience to sit back and relax, it send us away with a knot in the stomach, knowing that, just sometimes, things don't always finish with a Hollywood ending.

The Doberman Gang

This brilliantly bonkers 70's flick revolves around the exploits of a group of fairly inept bank robbers who, after their last failed attempt in which they accidentally locked their ill-gotten gains in the boot ('trunk' for my American cousins) of the wrong car during their getaway, decide a new plan is needed. That plan is the creation of 'The Doberman Gang'.

The dogs are the real stars of this movie, and are brilliantly trained and look cute and cuddly one minute, vicious and violent the next. On a few occasions some fairly bloody scenes are included, into what is essentially a family film.

The acting is pretty appalling, the script is patchy at best and the music is a crazy mix of half decent 70's tunes, bizarre nonsensical songs and annoying elevator music, yet somehow, in some strange way, it actually works. There are some genuinely (although unintentionally) funny moments and the actual robbery is entertaining and great fun to watch. Sure, this film was never going to win any awards, but for a pure throwback to the heady days of bad films, long hair and tight trousers, you could do much worse than settle down with a hotdog and a 'hair of the dog' and watch this odd little B-Movie caper.