Tag: The Black Phone

Nat’s Top 10 Movies for 2022

Another strange one for me this year.  I haven’t been able to live in my home for the past three months, having to for-go screener reviews.  My troubles are small, I know. Top 10 Movies for 2022 And I hope that each and everyone is looking after themselves and keeping safe.  The escapism of being emersed in the world of cinema has and will always be a sanctuary with some true gems this year, lifting and provoking thoughts about all the important stuff.  There is more to life than the ongoing leak into my ceiling!

So, my Top 10 for 2022 it’s all about the layers of living this life – the depths of what’s hidden underneath, the most satisfying viewing when a story surprises, when the film comes full circle to, understand the question and the corresponding answer from the characters.  This year, it was about understanding the why of the characters.  That’s what kept me coming back, to fascinate, starting with:

10. Men ★★★★

Controversial, divisive, ambitious and thought-provoking in a beautiful setting that spoke of poetry; a backdrop to the journey of understanding, ‘men.’

9. Official Competition ★★★★

An unexpected journey that’s witty and enlightening.  A satire with a criminal heart.

8. The Black Phone ★★★★

The pacing of this adaptation of Joe Hill’s short fiction piece led the way to a mysterious piecing of a dark puzzle that had me cheering for this supernatural thriller.

Special mention here of, Smile that I watched but didn’t review – was my best current release for Halloween viewing.

7. The Innocents ★★★★

A unique and poetic film about children who gain supernatural powers.

6. Three Thousand Years of Longing ★★★★

Beautiful on screen and thought-provoking – a classic tale that made the romance between a Djinn and human, relatable.

5. The Fabelmans ★★★★☆ 4.2

I kinda fell in love with The Fabelmans because there was something genuine in the feeling, the characters rounded-out without slapping the face with it.

4. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore ★★★★1/2

There’s a perfect play of darkness and light as the story starts digging deeper: it’s funny, sometimes confronting, it’s explosive, dramatic and heart-warming.

I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next.

3. Fire Of Love ★★★★1/2

A fascinating documentary that’s both exciting and poetic, romantic and philosophical.

An experience that I enjoyed from the start to its poignant ending.

2. Everything Everywhere All At Once ★★★★1/2

Added to the Kung Fu fighting and humour there’s also a good foundation to the family drama so I had a good giggle, got a little teary, and was pleasantly surprised by edgy concepts held together with the use of chapters to give the movie structure.

If you’re reading this review, you’re more than likely going to go watch it and I highly recommend it: go watch it.

1. The Forgiven ★★★★1/2

Based on the novel written by Lawrence Osborne, the complicated idea of this abrasive Englishman willing to leave with the nomadic father of the boy he has just killed is the beginning of the unpacking of his complicated nature.

I’m a huge fan of John Michael McDonagh’s previous films, greatly enjoyed and included in my, ‘If you haven’t watched, you’re in for a treat,’ list: ‘The Guard (2011) and Calvary (2014) and like these previous films, The Forgiven is a quality film that will stay with you.

The Black Phone

Rated: MA15+The Black Phone

Directed by: Scott Derrickson

Screenplay Written by: Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill

Based on the Short Story by: Joe Hill

Produced by: Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill

Executive Produced by: Ryan Turek, Christopher H. Warner

Starring: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, James Ransone and Ethan Hawke.

‘Would you like to see a magic trick?’

It’s 1978.  Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) is pitching a baseball, trying to impress a girl.

With two strikes, he almost does it.

He lives with his dad (Jeremy Davies) and little sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw).

Their dad drinks.  Finny and Gwen are tense.

Kids in town are going missing.  And they all know why.  It’s the Grabber (Ethan Hawke).  He’s taking them.

What drew me into this film was how cool the kids are – this is a movie about them; a crime, supernatural horror where kids are being kidnapped and a black phone that’s dead but still ringing.

The film is based on the short story written by, Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son and a great horror writer in his own right, see, 20th Century Ghosts (2005), short fiction piece, Best New Horror – a unique voice that’s haunting and has a punk horror feel about it.  There’s also the novel, Heart Shaped Box (2007) and others worth checking out.  Yes, I’m a fan with signed copies.

Adapted for the screen by director Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (Sinister (2012), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) and Doctor Strange (2016)), it’s like there’s a window into what it’s like growing up in a small town in Denver: bullies, parents, crushes.  Serial Killers.

Gwen as the little sister is hilarious with her little skips of excitement and comments like, ‘Dumb fucking fart knockers.’

Not only is she a fire-cracker, she has a gift.  Her dreams show her things she’s not supposed to know, like, The Grabber has black balloons.

So when her brother’s taken, she prays to God for her dreams to show her where he’s been taken.  And desperate, the cops listen because no-one else knows about those black balloons.

The suspense is built by slowing the shots, the words silent, the sound of sinister amplifying the quiet to give a moment to feel, to then screech a sudden shot to a dead kid, to get the heart pumping.  There’re some jumps here, layered over the suspense so, The Black Phone creates a suspense thriller without the gore.

There’s a lot of thought here from director Scott Derrickson with cuts back and forth when Finney realises he’s trapped in basement, where no-one will ever hear him scream.

There’s good use of objects from the creepy mask of the killer to create an other-worldly monster, the toy rocket ship like a talisman, the crack in the wall of the prison like a bleeding cut.  And of course, the black telephone.  The ringing built in the soundtrack like the sound of a saviour.

There’s a careful stepping as each piece of the story come together, each given space and care and more thought than I expected.  And there’s restraint to let the performances of the characters become the focus.

Where do they find these kid actors?!

And there’s good support from Jeremy Davies as the dad and ‘night-night naughty boy’ Ethan Hawke suitably creepy as, The Grabber.

A better than expected suspense, supernatural thriller with thoughtful pacing set to a 70s vibe.

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