In the TV series Lost, we see a character named Desmond Hume residing in an underground facility, driven borderline insane by the monotony of his daily routine. Desmond is required to regularly enter a series of numbers on a computer every 108 minutes. While nothing as redundant occurs in The Bunker, the game’s tone, setting, and non-linear storytelling feel directly inspired by a show like Lost.
The Bunker, developed by Slendy Interactive in partnership with Wales Interactive, begins in a post-nuclear war era with the birth of our protagonist, John. He’s born in an underground shelter that houses less than 60 people. However, we quickly flash forward 30 years later to find John alone with his mother. Thus the central mystery reveals itself: what happened to everyone else?
An Alarm Sounds
What separates Slendy Interactive’s first outing from other titles is its aesthetics: everything is live-action. With a runtime of roughly 90 plus minutes, you essentially have yourself a movie. Now the industry hasn’t mastered manipulating a real human being completely. The Bunker is simply a point-and-click thriller, but is still impressive for a developer’s debut game. Unless you’re slow to select the next location and make John stand around looking clueless, the gaming experience itself doesn’t distract from the cinematic quality.
Adam Brown’s John looking rightfully terrified
In the midst of John’s daily routine, an error message indicates a system failure somewhere in the facility. This is where the conflict and John’s unease begins. He hasn’t traversed from his floor with his mother much, if ever. Visiting other floors to resolve a mechanical problem sets his nerves off. Actor Adam Brown‘s performance, especially his facial expressions, effectively communicate John’s dread with his predicament.
Repressed Memories
As you take John along on his mission to repair the electrical and air filter systems, Brown moves timidly along each darkened hallway. With each floor you explore, a seemingly repressed memory rears its ugly head. We begin to see what unfolds with the shelter’s previous occupants via flashback, culminated in the game’s final moments. It’s as disturbing as it is gratifying.
Actress Sarah Greene plays John’s mother and she covers every range of human emotion fathomable by the game’s end. However, I’m intent on avoiding spoilers, so I’ll reference these specifics no further. If you ever throw up your hands during The Bunker‘s story, which can take a stretch to get into, be assured there’s absolutely a pay-off.
Lesser Demons
Outside of our two leads, the minor characters deliver their lines in a most uncomfortably wooden fashion. Then at certain points where John is simply standing in a hallway, the musical score swells as if hinting at a big reveal or jump scare, but nothing comes.
John’s mother portrayed by Sarah Greene
Mechanically speaking, the game is ultimately not intended to be any sort of challenge. It’s rather unfortunate though, as glimmers of a Quick Time Event (QTE) appear all-too briefly. However, the average gamer will pass these QTEs with flying colors and then some.
Despite any criticisms I levy against The Bunker, the story and high production value compel you to forgive them. This feels like a full-fledged Hollywood production but occasionally the actors arbitrarily stop and wait for a button click. They even filmed this in a real decommissioned bunker. This pays off as it makes your environment feel legitimately previously occupied.
It might be too early for declarations, but I’m predicting this title could see the same success as last year’s live-action mystery game Her Story.
Grade: B
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Backed by overwhelmingly positive reviews, hopes were high for Hell or High Water. It’s been a while since the last truly memorable western in film’s modern era. No Country for Old Men is the most recent example that comes to mind, and that was 9 years ago. Audiences awaited another high quality, realistic take on the genre, in which Hell or High Water definitely delivers.
Masterfully written by Taylor Sheridan, Hell or High Water brings more than one expects. Sheridan scripted the dialogue to feel authentic. He also sprinkles in a surprising amount of humor. As with Sheridan’s writing debut, Sicario, Sheridan then deals an exhilarating final act. High Water‘s story structure is nothing short of flawless.
The Tanner Brothers
This writing is brought to life by the stellar cast. Chris Pine and Ben Foster respectively play bank-robbing brothers Toby and Tanner Howard. You’ll find out quickly that these two actors belong on screen together. Their chemistry is palpable and relatable, yet their personalities could not be more contrasting. Pine is the more grounded, noble character. Foster is the loose cannon, as he is known to act very well (Alpha Dog).
Conversely, Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham play Texas rangers hot on the Howard’s tail. Their equally-relatable and even amusing chemistry is astonishing for a western drama. Bridges’ character, Marcus, often playfully roasts Gil’s character, Alberto, which can possibly offend some. Although, Alberto surely dishes it back, hence you feel the strong bond between these rangers.
Furthermore, you’ll notice the environment’s exuberance as well. Sheridan purposefully wrote the story in a small town of an open-carry state. The most minor character serves an indelible purpose. The movie’s local militia shows their dedication to protecting the town. Sheridan himself appears as a struggling ranch hand. Even the lifelong steakhouse waitress gives a monologue which represents the lack of change in area. The smallest of acting parts matter.
The Texas rangers
The story of Hell or High Water immediately places the Howard brothers in a compromising position. Even without seeing their faces, you can tell one brother is reluctant to rob banks, while the other lives for it. Contrarily, when we first visit our two Texas rangers, both are coasting by on dull work. The elder ranger, Marcus, is on the verge of retirement. Both the brothers and the rangers seem to subconsciously yearn for excitement.
You may feel a sense of justice as you discover the brothers’ reasoning behind the robberies. Obviously you will have a problem with any violent methods used to obtain said justice, so mixed feelings will exist. As with the characters, this movie puts your beliefs in a compromising position.
Other moving parts contribute to the cohesive final product. Musicians Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds) enhance High Water‘s tone with original country tunes. Director David Mackenzie captures the Texas plains and tense moments beautifully. Nevertheless, the pacing may drag for the unfamiliar. Westerns are known for the slow-burn pacing most of all. This movie is no different. However, when the action picks up, it is thrilling, unflinching, and shocking.
Hell or High Water builds tension in a modern-era western that we haven’t seen in almost a decade. As a result of Sheridan’s writing prowess and top-notch performances, we’re given the best film characters so far all year. If you’re fortunate enough to have High Water playing in your city, you should feel obligated to see it. You will connect to these characters and their stories in ways you didn’t anticipate, making this movie an absolute “must-see.”
Grade: A
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While watching Green Room I had one of those cathartic movie experiencing moments where I literally had to stop and think to myself, “This is why I watch films.” Before going any further into this review I will just go ahead and say off the bat, this movie deserves your attention, it is a drop everything and see it now type affair. It won’t be for the faint of heart but for any fear seeking, thrill riding types, this movie is just for you.
Green Room opens up with some well shot scenes which sets the standard for the rest of the film’s run time. There are multiple scenes that are beautiful even despite the depravity that is ensuing in said scene. What starts off as a young punk rock road group, ends up in a terrifying tale that circles the themes of “what are you willing to become to survive.” The idea of duality permeates through this entire movie as you see many complex scenes of characters shifting in and out of being the hero and becoming the monster. It is such a well crafted story and walks that line perfectly, while never committing to giving an answer on what is morally right. The characters are deep, without having to say much, the scene of hopelessness infects the movie in all the right ways, and the constant sense of dread never lets up.
Rest in Peace Anton
The recently deceased Anton Yelchin takes up leading male roles and really delivers a performance that will have us all missing this bright young star’s career and what it could have been. His character has such a major transformation in Green Room that I am afraid to dive into anymore in fear of strolling into spoiler territories. He has an amazing supporting cast that includes the likes of, Alia Shawkat (Maeby Funke from Arrested Development), and Imogen Poots (a name that is infinitely fun to say) whom both give great performances; especially Poots whom I cannot wait to see more of.
This Isn’t the Patrick Stewart You Grew Up With
It would be hard to go any further without pointing out the complete paradigm shift Patrick Stewart’s career will take after this role. Never have I seen a more sadistic performance. It borders on the line between Walter White (Breaking Bad) and the character Ed Norton plays in American History X. He is absolutely terrifying in this movie and I had multiple thoughts that stemmed along the lines of, “Not my Patrick Stewart!” He plays a neo-Nazi skinhead who owns the bar that our main characters are playing at. To go any further into detail would ruin the mystery behind the entire run time of Green Room, which had me second guessing myself at every turn.
I do not easily scare. I am not one who gets much out of the horror/thriller genre these days. This movie is certainly more of a thriller, and while it has elements of torture porn and gore fest, it would be disingenuous to call it either. Yes there is plenty of gore, gore so graphic it even had me turning my head at multiple points. Yes this movie has elements of people trying to survive their sadistic captures, which sounds very by the number, but again this movie is so much more than that. It is easy to lump this flick in with those types of movies when only seeing a trailer or hearing people talk about surface level elements. You will just have to trust me when I say the movie is unlike anything you have ever seen. Never has a movie evoked so much emotion out of me. It has been such a long time that a film got under my skin this much, and it is a sensation I deeply miss. If you are a fan of these twisted thrillers, this is a must see for you. However, if you are easily spooked, do not enjoy stressful scenes, or are easily squeamish, I would heavily consider passing on this movie. It is a rough and emotional experience, but I mean that in the most positive of ways. Movies this special only come a few times in a lifetime, and I challenge all of you to seek it out and experience it for yourselves.
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Fall may be a magical time, but when it comes to setting up Halloween music playlists, you may find the lack-o-options frustrating. Sure, “Thriller” helps even the most uncoordinated shake their booty, and of course “Monster Mash” is a classic, but these tired songs don’t always cut it when you’re trying to envoke the feeling of the holiday to liven up your shindig.
Rather than throw a spoopy cd on repeat, here are a couple of off beat albums to flesh out your playlist that no one will bat an eye at.
NIGHTMARE REVISITED
Of course we couldn’t kick off this list without some iteration of everyone’s favorite hybrid holiday movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. While every Halloween playlist is sure to have at least one instance of Danny Elfman warbling about his conflict of interests from the cult favorite The Nightmare Before Christmas, there are a surprising amount of people who still haven’t revisited the nightmare. Nightmare Revisited is exactly what it sounds like – a group of popular bands and artists collaborating to cover the entirety of the Tim Burton phenomenon. But this collection isn’t limited to hits like “This is Halloween” or “Sally’s Song.” The album also covers the instrumental tracks, which will give you over an hour of ambiance. What’s this?
NATIVE CONSTRUCT
The collaborative group of Berklee students blend the modern metal genre with a wide spectrum of compositional influences and come up with a uniquely textured sound that lends itself perfectly to any playlist. With Native Construct’s extended-range guitars, theatrical vocals, and full complement of symphonic instrumentation, their 2011 album Quiet World can be thrown into the Halloween music mix on random or go the entire distance as a stand alone.
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
Not feeling the more modern metal? Go for something more “traditional.” Older albums from The Dillinger Escape Plan offer just enough of the creepy vibe without the haunting idea that your guests would turn up their noses at the screaming vocals. The album Miss Machine in particular sounds as if it was pulled straight from the soundtrack of any popular horror flick.
MR. BUNGLE
Perhaps a random addition to mix into a Halloween-centric playlist, but party goers aren’t going to be picking apart your musical tastes. And if they are, they really shouldn’t be invited. Mr. Bungle’s album California adds a random and moderately terrifying ambiance to what is otherwise background noise for bad decisions. Eat all the candy!
THE DARKNESS
Halloween doesn’t have to be all dark and dismal, and adding glam rock band The Darkness to any playlist will prove to be quite the misnomer. Their album To Hell and Back offers lighthearted songs that all your partygoers know by heart with just enough 80s to inspire a fun atmosphere and sing-a-long moments.
Honorable mention goes out to Jason Segel’s hit, Dracula’s Lament, because obviously.
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I just got around to watching Argo. Although terribly inaccurate Argo is a tense, oh-my-god-I-feel-nervous thriller. Ben Affleck is well on his way to becoming a great director (so far). He is similar to Clint Eastwood, although Eastwood is a good actor and a good director, Affleck is a meh actor and a great director. I suppose it all balances out.
Argo is about Tony Mendez, the CIA operative who led six United States diplomats out of Iran during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. Not having been born in 1979, Argo helped fill in some gaps and also helped clarify a great deal of Iran and Americas strained relationship. The problem being that Argo definitely paints America as the hero, Iran as the villain, and Canada as some strange bystander. In reality Canada was the hero, Iran was the semi-villain, and America kinda came in near the end and helped a bit. Aside from this, the story very closely follows the timeline and actual events of the situation even though several nail-biting sequences are thrown in to help up the tension for the audience. I guess the movie does say “Based on a true story” and not “100% the factual truth”. Whatevs.
The thing that really sells the concept is that Americas involvement at all was classified information until 1997, when former President Clinton declassified the information. Until then the sole credit of the operation went to Canada to prevent further complications to the hostage situation. The CIA basically helped get the hostages out by sending in Tony Mendez to play a fake film director of a fake sci-fi movie called Argo to rescue the six diplomats by teaching them to play fake writers, fake camera men, and fake directors. They also had a fake press conference to make Hollywood believe the movie was real along with fake posters, a fake script, and fake producers. Then they were simply to stroll they the heavily guarded airport with fake credentials, fake tickets, and fake identities. So up until 1997 people never knew this movie was a fake and that it simply had been stopped mid-production like so many other films. This makes for a unique thriller with an extra edge of mystery to it.
I definitely think you should watch this movie, with the only fault I have being that the movie is non-stop build up and the ending is just the inevitable sweet release. It doesn’t quite satisfy the story other than simply letting it up and then quickly ending it. Also Alan Arkin’s performance was garnering a lot of high praise and I didn’t find it anything above the norm. John Goodman is in the movie a little too if that’s your thing?
Here is to hoping that Ben continues to direct excellent movies. Since this movie has been out quite some time I am not going to assign a number score, but I definitely recommend it.
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Just in time for the Halloween season, Ryan Murphy takes a break from obnoxious teenage theater kids and their problems (I miss that time when Glee was good) to bring us American Horror Story. The show, which premiered Wednesday at ten, promises to fill the gore and sex void that’s been around since Nip/Tuck went off the air.
The show stars Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, and Taissa Farmiga as the typical American family that ain’t so typical. McDermott plays a wealthy psychiatrist who was caught cheating on his wife (the super hot Britton) soon after she miscarried(don’t worry, a demon will probably eat him at some point). To top this dysfunction, their teenage daughter enjoys cutting herself and burning people with cigarettes. And what, you may ask; does a doctor do to heal his broken brood? Why move to the land of wholesome family-based fun: Los Angeles, of course.
Oh look, honey! This will totally be in our budget now!
Naturally, when they arrive at their new home the realtor reveals that the last occupants of the house died there in a murder/suicide-type situation. Of course, they buy it anyway because brain-stained walls drive the asking price of a home way down. This proves my theory that the real number one indicator of future horror film victims is to be cheap rather than to be a slut. Add some creepy neighbors and a mental patient with scary eyes and the episode takes off.
If you’re looking for originality, look elsewhere. The show is basically the equivalent of what would happen if the last 80 years of the horror genre were to throw up a television show. The first episode alone packed in creepy redheaded twins, a disfigured man in black, and an evil basement laboratory. As for the driving plot: apparently the house causes its owner to go berserk and kill his family. Sound familiar? How about like The Shining or even The Messengers (which Dylan McDermott actually starred in)?
The question is: does the recycled horror-formula take away from the show? Honestly, no. It’s called American Horror story, so it gives you the best of horror cinema that has become a staple in American movies for decades (especially the ones that are rip offs of Japanese films). Imagine cramming together the best episodes of the Masters of Horror with better writing and acting. Sound good? I think so. Plus, it’s on FX so there will be tons of dialogue with soft cursing and scenes with a lot of man-ass. I have high hopes for this show, so give it a shot. The second episode premieres Wednesday at ten and at the very least it will give you something to watch in-between Sons of Anarchy episodes.
If you missed the first episode, catch it streaming on Hulu. (also, the image pictured below is a scene in that episode- you’re welcome in advanced).
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