Review: The Silencing

The Silencing is one of those pleasant films that comes out of left field and surprises you with a right/left combination, completing winning you over as a movie viewer.

This Canadian thriller from director Robin Pront and writer Micah Ranum reinvigorates the tired serial-killer genre with an exciting story full of twists and turns that keep you guessing for most of its running time. There were several WTF moments that had me smiling with gruesome glee at what I was watching.

Shawn and I have watched hundreds, if not thousands, of movies, many of them horror and thrillers. Rare is the day we're surprised anymore. But this one got me a few times thanks to some clever writing and misdirection. Bravo, guys!

The story follows a reformed hunter (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and a small-town sheriff (Annabelle Wallis) who get caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse when they set out to track a killer who might have taken the hunter's daughter five years earlier. Sounds pretty 90s serial-killer movie, doesn't it?

But Pront and Ranum freshen it up with some genuine suspense and good writing and filmmaking. Pront's style reminds me of early David Fincher, but that's not a complaint. This movie looks good and moves fast. I wasn't bored for a second. And the killer actually made me jump when he first appeared on screen.

Coster-Waldau and Wallis are very good. It was refreshing to watch characters who reacted believably to the situations unfolding in front of them, or least in a way that I would have. And I applaud the way the movie resolved itself, right down to dispatching the bad guy. Yes, folks, justice prevails here.

The Silencing is one of the better movies I've seen this year. And I hope it finds its audience. It's a Good!

Comments

The Animated Addict: "The Adventures of Tintin" (2011)

If you're a 40 + white dude, like myself, you may remember a comic series called " The Adventures of Tintin ". I know I remember them. This series, dating back to 1929, got turned into a animated feature film by Steven Spielberg in 2011. After buying a model of ship called The Unicorn, teenaged journalist Tintin finds himself on adventure that will take him from the high seas, to the low deserts, and from the distant past to the present. With his trusty dog, Snowy, by his side, Tintin uncovers a story connecting two men across the centuries.. . The story is really quite good. It's well crafted, and high paced- with just enough slow moments to build and develop the world and the characters. This is the sort of adventure story you'd find in the old serials of the 1930's and '40's. In fact, it felt like it was the sort of tale that you'd find Indiana Jones undertaking. I found myself swept up, and swept along as our hero swung from one e...

Grace Victoria Patterson returns

What's this? Two podcasts From The Basement in less than nine months? Has the world gone mad!?! No, but when past Basement guest Grace Victoria Patterson asked nicely if she could return to this fine podcast, Jason and Shawn -- agreeable sorts that they are -- said yes. Hence we have this new episode for your ear holes! Grace provides an update on her career, which has seen the cheerleader-turned-actress appear in no fewer than eight films plus a TV series, with more projects on the way. She and Jason talk all about this, plus some other stuff. What kind of stuff? Stick with us! And stay tuned, as The Basement Boys discuss a whole slew of movies and television, including the Netflix Jimmy Savile documentary, The Batman, the horror romp The Cellar and more! It's podcasting that's so awesome, you'll be awesomed out by its awesomeness! What are you waiting for? Push play and enjoy!

Unlock your fate with The Puzzle

When my dad wasn't working, building stuff or being my dad, he was making puzzles. It was a guaranteed way for him to unwind. So it was with great interest that I sat down to watch Italian filmmaker Davide Melini's award-winning short The Puzzle. You see, the mother in the five-minute film likes to relax with puzzles just like my dad. Unfortunately, her good-for-nothing son keeps harassing her for money. Losing herself in her favourite passtime, the mother soon discovers that completing this puzzle might unlock a nightmare. The Puzzle has been an official selection at more European film festivals than you can shake a stick at, and was voted Third Best Italian Film at the Rome International Film Festival in 2008. Having watched it, I'm not surprised. It's a tight little film that hits you hard in the final few seconds. You can tell Melini cut his teeth as an assistant director for legendary Italian filmmaker Dario Argento. But enough chit chat on my part. See if yo...

Search This Blog