Movies
The Reeds (Horrorfest ’10)
“One of the major problems with the film is that the finale is misleading. During most of the film the viewer is led to believe that there’s a creature running loose in the Reeds, while the finale reveals it to be something completely different.“
Unlike previous years the AFM is loaded with all sorts of films yet to be discovered such as Nick Cohen’s The Reeds. Emitting some underground talk around the AFM floors, we caught one of the two screenings in hopes of discovering something special. While I can’t recommend this for everyone, fans of Triangle and Timecrimes might find something special here.
The Reeds follows a boating party that gets lost in the ancient waterways of the Norfolk Broads and finds itself victim of a terrifying secret hidden in The Reeds.
Beautifully shot and featuring a solid cast, this supernatural thriller grabs your interest from the get-go and keeps you long for the boating trip until the twist-laden conclusion. While I understand Chris Baker (Long Time Dead) was trying to bring something original to the table, it only become too much to swallow, especially when the meat of it has already been done several times before.
Ignoring the forced twist, The Reeds carries some incredibly tense moments like when one of the teens catches a glimpse of himself outside of the boat window. Another brilliant sequence is when the boat hits a steal rod that shoots through the bottom and impaling one of the young men. It doesn’t end there, as he remains alive as they cut the pipe off and lay him in bed with it sticking out of his gut.
One of the major problems with the film is that the finale is misleading. During most of the film the viewer is led to believe that there’s a creature running loose in the Reeds, while the finale reveals it to be something completely different. Remember the way you felt when you found out Jason Voorhees wasn’t the killer in the fifth Friday?
Again, this might hit the right beats for certain horror fans, while this reviewer felt a bit disappointed. It is a gorgeous movie that has moments that are sure to raise some eyebrows. It’s best going into the movie knowing that there’s no creature so there’s no disappointment. Expect this one on DVD.
Movies
’28 Years Later’ – Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson Join Long Awaited Sequel
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland (Annihilation, Men), the director and writer behind 2002’s hit horror film 28 Days Later, are reteaming for the long-awaited sequel, 28 Years Later. THR reports that the sequel has cast Jodie Comer (Alone in the Dark, “Killing Eve”), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kraven the Hunter), and Ralph Fiennes (The Menu).
The plan is for Garland to write 28 Years Later and Boyle to direct, with Garland also planning on writing at least one more sequel to the franchise – director Nia DaCosta is currently in talks to helm the second installment.
No word on plot details as of this time, or who Comer, Taylor-Johnson, and Fiennes may play.
28 Days Later received a follow up in 2007 with 28 Weeks Later, which was executive produced by Boyle and Garland but directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Now, the pair hope to launch a new trilogy with 28 Years Later. The plan is for Garland to write all three entries, with Boyle helming the first installment.
Boyle and Garland will also produce alongside original producer Andrew Macdonald and Peter Rice, the former head of Fox Searchlight Pictures, the division of one-time studio Twentieth Century Fox that originally backed the British-made movie and its sequel.
The original film starred Cillian Murphy “as a man who wakes up from a coma after a bicycle accident to find England now a desolate, post-apocalyptic collapse, thanks to a virus that turned its victims into raging killers. The man then navigates the landscape, meeting a survivor played by Naomie Harris and a maniacal army major, played by Christopher Eccleston.”
Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) is on board as executive producer, though the actor isn’t set to appear in the film…yet.
Talks of a third installment in the franchise have been coming and going for the last several years now – at one point, it was going to be titled 28 Months Later – but it looks like this one is finally getting off the ground here in 2024 thanks to this casting news. Stay tuned for more updates soon!
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