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10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
A compelling story and a bone-chilling performance from John Goodman make 2016's 10 Cloverfield Lane, an effective nail-biter worth checking out. It initially appears to borrow from other movies, but definitely establishes its own cinematic credentials.
The film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle, a woman who gets into a car accident and when she wakes up, she finds herself chained to a dirty mattress and an IV coming out of her arm in what appears to be a basement of some kind. Michelle is then introduced to her host, Howard (Goodman) who has brought Michelle to his underground shelter in order to protect her from the air being attacked by all kinds of deadly chemicals. Howard has apparently spent all his life constructing this bomb shelter, which hearkens back to the 1950's...it is fully equipped like any home except that it is underground and there is seemingly no way in or not. Michelle initially doubts Howard's story until she meets Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), who is also in the shelter and helped Howard with its construction, who supposedly at the time of the attack was trying to get into Howard's shelter and broke his arm trying to get in.
To say anymore at this point would be wrong, but suffice it to say this is a film seems like it's going in one direction and does a 180 just when you think you've figured out what's going n. The screenplay by Damian Chazelle (Whiplash, LaLa Land), Matthew Steuken. and Josh Campbell is rich with enough red herrings to pique viewer interest but not too many that we get bored with what's going on. Most of the conflict and entertainment in the story comes from this character Howard, who initially appears to be just a male version of Annie Wilkes in Misery, but there's an unsettling layer to Howard's insanity that is hard to categorize specifically. Howard offers just enough details to his story and his motives while keeping things equally murky, never explaining anything thoroughly. Howard is one of those creepy movie characters who you're not sure whether or not he's telling the truth or if you just hope he's not telling the truth.
Director Dan Trachtenberg creates a brilliantly claustrophobic atmosphere for this story with a big assist from set director Michelle Marquand II. Goodman is Oscar worthy creating a character who kept the hair on the back of my neck standing up. Winstead is a durable heroine who never loses her head and Gallagher is a charmer as Emmett. Film editing, sound editing, and music deserve mention as well. A first rate chiller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
A compelling story and a bone-chilling performance from John Goodman make 2016's 10 Cloverfield Lane, an effective nail-biter worth checking out. It initially appears to borrow from other movies, but definitely establishes its own cinematic credentials.
The film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle, a woman who gets into a car accident and when she wakes up, she finds herself chained to a dirty mattress and an IV coming out of her arm in what appears to be a basement of some kind. Michelle is then introduced to her host, Howard (Goodman) who has brought Michelle to his underground shelter in order to protect her from the air being attacked by all kinds of deadly chemicals. Howard has apparently spent all his life constructing this bomb shelter, which hearkens back to the 1950's...it is fully equipped like any home except that it is underground and there is seemingly no way in or not. Michelle initially doubts Howard's story until she meets Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), who is also in the shelter and helped Howard with its construction, who supposedly at the time of the attack was trying to get into Howard's shelter and broke his arm trying to get in.
To say anymore at this point would be wrong, but suffice it to say this is a film seems like it's going in one direction and does a 180 just when you think you've figured out what's going n. The screenplay by Damian Chazelle (Whiplash, LaLa Land), Matthew Steuken. and Josh Campbell is rich with enough red herrings to pique viewer interest but not too many that we get bored with what's going on. Most of the conflict and entertainment in the story comes from this character Howard, who initially appears to be just a male version of Annie Wilkes in Misery, but there's an unsettling layer to Howard's insanity that is hard to categorize specifically. Howard offers just enough details to his story and his motives while keeping things equally murky, never explaining anything thoroughly. Howard is one of those creepy movie characters who you're not sure whether or not he's telling the truth or if you just hope he's not telling the truth.
Director Dan Trachtenberg creates a brilliantly claustrophobic atmosphere for this story with a big assist from set director Michelle Marquand II. Goodman is Oscar worthy creating a character who kept the hair on the back of my neck standing up. Winstead is a durable heroine who never loses her head and Gallagher is a charmer as Emmett. Film editing, sound editing, and music deserve mention as well. A first rate chiller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.