ATM (2012)

ATM – David Brooks (2012)

After a party when David (Brian Geraghty) offers to drive Emily (Alice Eve) home their annoying workmate Corey (Josh Peck) also want to follow. Corey is a real pain-in-the-ass for David who just want to drive home Emily as he just managed to get a date with. The three ends up at an ATM after Corey want to take out money for buying a pizza. This is such a machine that is inside a small building and to enter you need your bank card. It's just before midnight at Christmas time and its horrible cold outside. After they have get their money and will go back out to the car again they see a mysterious man who stands and stares at them, so they hesitant to go out. Soon, it pops up a man who is out with his dog and they witness the dog owner is brutally murdered by the mysterious man. This is the prelude to a horrific nightmare for the three friends. What is the mysterious man really looking for?

This is a quite good debut of David Brooks, who has brilliantly created a thriller that makes you sit on pins and needles in the couch. I find myself repeatedly sit and yell at the actors what they should do, stupid as they are. At one time they hear my suggestion and it turn out to be a fatal mistake, so I shut up for the rest of the movie. The entire drama takes place in and around this particular ATM machine and the three friends struggle to find a way out of this mess. With such a small location you really need the movie to move on with a clever, well-made script. David Brooks keeps the tension throughout the movie in an almost perfect manner with sudden twists in the three friends' attempts to find a way out of it. It is an ice cold thriller during a chilly night with madness and murder. There are a number of similar movies with a few people's struggle for survival on relatively small areas. Frozen by Adam Green where some people get stuck in a lift on a ski slope is a prime example of this.

The effects of the movie are pretty sparse but when they appear on the screen, they are frightening because of its brutality. It is not Santa Claus standing outside and is the lethal guardian of the night. In my opinion a very good movie that is exciting, tight and shot on a very small area with just a few actors.

Links: IMDb, Trailer

Svart Död (2012)

Svart Död - Daniel Lehmussaari (2012)

Daniel Lehmussaari is not exactly a debutant in the Indie movie camp, his first movie; I Vädurens Skugga came back in 2003. Since then, he have made three more flicks and a short. Now his fifth flick will be released really soon, and this is something as unique as a Swedish zombie movie and on top of that, it's a really charming low-budget indie flick that is not so common here in Sweden. Could be that the Swedes appreciate the film a little extra because it's damn funny and a bit odd to hear the actors speak Swedish. For those of you who only watch movies on top 100 on IMDb can stop reading now because this is, as I just mentioned, low-budget indie-zombie-flick-for-fans.

A professor with assistant and four students set out on a geological expedition a weekend to explore some minerals. By accident, they discover a mine entrance on the road and decide to investigate the mine instead. It's something they should not have done but for us who watch the film, it is an excellent decision, because there are hungry zombies inside and skulk. Thirty years ago, namely, five miners were buried after a cave-in and the bodies were never found.

The actors are real amateurs so it gets as it gets but it is a wonderful collection of geeks who runs around in the mine. One of the characters that I have fun at is Therese played by Evelina Nilsson, a really stupid blonde who really lives up to its name in every way haha. Then there is the professor who always is sympathetic and calm in most situations. In the beginning you might get a bit scared that only this gang will be food for the zombies, but it appears more idiots during the movie, which has different reasons to just visit this deadly mine.

The special effects are pretty good standard for a movie like this. I actually think the zombies are pretty cool and the blood looks thick and good. In a zombie movie, there's always a zombie slaughter so in this, including headshoots & headstomps. Even the zombies gets one or two meals, of number one on the list of zombie food, namely, living, fresh, raw and wiry human flesh. A scene that I laughed at was when our cave scientists end up at a small opening with a pool of water. After they admired the beauty of the pool for a while they go further into the mine, a zombie head pops out of the water, gosh so fucking terrible but funny.

Buy the movie when it hit the market for sponsoring the beautiful and crazy world of independent cinema.

Links: Trailer, IMDb, Facebook, Cruzical Film & Media