First up, Netflix. Below Zero is a decent Spanish thriller starring Javier Gutierrez as Martin, a cop transporting prisoners on a freezing foggy night. When his van is attacked by a vengeful ex-cop, Miguel, Martin has to stay alive and protect the inmates. It is best not to over analyse Below Zero as the holes in the plot will reveal themselves. Instead, it is best to enjoy the first two thirds at least as the tense claustrophobia takes effect.
Another thriller but a less successful one is Red Dot. A couple who have just found out that they are expecting their first baby go on a hiking holiday in northern Sweden. However, someone seems to be hunting them. There is nothing new in this survivalist tale. Unlikeable people making bad decisions and a completely obvious twist. But it is reasonably efficiently made.
That is more than be said about the other two films I saw on Netflix this week. In Squared Love, a womanising selfish man falls for a model who leads a double life as a teacher. This is a clumsily written ‘rom-com’. I have used inverted commas there as it is neither romantic nor comedic.
However, I think it is easier to sit through than the Korean sci-fi movie Space Sweepers. Set in 2092, the crew of a junk collecting spacecraft encounter dangerous situations as they go about their business. It is amazing that a film running for a bum numbing 136 minutes could not have one single original idea.
Below Zero: 6 out of 10
Red Dot: 5 out of 10
Squared Love: 3.5 out of 10
Space Sweepers: 2 out of 10
The much better selection this week can be found to rent on digital platforms.
After seeing Anna and the Apocalypse quite recently I wasn’t sure I needed another British school based apocalyptic movie. But School’s Out Forever was a very pleasant surprise. As a deadly virus ravages the country, a group of schoolboys with one teacher and a nurse try to take refuge in their public school.
This is fast paced fun with plenty of action. There are problems with the story with the criteria needed to survive the pandemic shifting to suit the plot, but it is easy to ignore that. Also with influences ranging from Lord of the Flies to If and a critique on the divisions in society, this film has more to say than it might first appear to.
Even more of a hoot is Willy’s Wonderland. When a mysterious man’s car breaks down in a strange town, he is offered the chance to pay for his repairs by working as a cleaner overnight in a disused family fun centre. It is not long until the mechanical creatures installed to entertain kids come to life and try kill the man. Billed as a horror, despite a fair amount of gore, the film isn’t very scary. Instead it is very funny. Nicolas Cage is perfectly cast as the wordless stranger and Kevin Lewis directs with a real swagger.
Pete Souza was the official White House photographer for both the Reagan and Obama presidencies. In the documentary The Way I See It, he gets to share his experiences working for two very different men. Anyone interested in US politics will get a lot out of this, and the compassion and empathy exhibited by Obama is in stark comparison with the scumbag who succeeded him. Souza is an engaging presence who has a lot of telling insights.
School’s Out Forever: 7 out of 10
Willy’s Wonderland: 8 out of 10
The Way I See It: 8 out of 10