Warner Archive Instant Hearts of the West (1975) - Warner Archive Instant seems to be having something of a miniature Howard Zieff festival, showing Slither, Private Benjamin, and Hearts of the West. Hearts of the West stars Jeff Bridges as a naive farmboy in the 1930s that dreams of writing western novels. He heads west, suckered in by some con men. When the con men try to rob Bridges, he makes off with their loot and stumbles into a western movie set. This leads to that and soon enough Bridges is starring in movies and running from the con men that want their loot back. Co-stars Andy Griffith and Blythe Danner. The film is amiable, if a bit uneven, and features a good cast. The movie seems like it is going to end on a dark note, but Zieff and writer Rob Thompson thirst for their happy ending, and Bridges gets what he deserves. If you're looking for some lighter fare, and particularly if you're nostalgic for Old Hollywood, this is a good option. Check it out with a Warner Archive Instant 2 week Free Trial
(2014) Director Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood, Machete Maidens Unleashed) puts his well-established knowledge of genre convention to work in this mostly effective, if perhaps a bit too serious, remake of a late 1970s Australian horror movie. The titular character is a patient at an experimental hospital - set in the spookiest old house they could find, of course - that treats patients in a persistent vegetative state. A doctor, played by Charles Dance, appears to be working toward nefarious ends along with his daughter and head nurse played by the always welcome Rachel Griffiths. In arrives a soft-hearted new nurse, played by Sharni Vinson, who quickly becomes interested in Patrick - and even becomes a bit obsessed once she learns that Patrick has the power of telekinesis. Eventually the young nurse makes a few key mistakes and unleashes the power of Patrick's depraved mind on the hospital.
Patrick relies heavily on an old-school approach to horror - creaking stairs, creepy old medical implements, people popping up for no good reason other than to give a good scare - and it works for the most part to create a spooky mood and keep the audience jumping. You do have to give yourself over to the movie - you have to ignore some of the sillier aspects and just have a good time. On the downside, while it is worth a watch overall, Hartley doesn't seem to make any effort to twist any genre convention or play with any of the film references he makes. The film is ultimately limited by Hartley's too-slavish devotion to the films he grew up watching. Every bone in this movie's body is old-school. Nevertheless, Hartley does show enough talent to make him worth watching. The question is whether he'll work up the gumption to take his films to another level, or whether he'll forever be content paying homage to his favorites. The orchestral score by Pino Donaggio (who built his career on scoring horror movies in the 70s and 80s) is massively overbearing in the first act and it hurts the film, but once the action gets going it complements well what Hartley is trying to do. Lead Vinson is game here but she doesn't bring any real heat to the role. Griffiths as the spooky head nurse is excellent. Peta Sergeant as another nurse brings some very welcome sexuality to the role and seems to be the one having the most fun (perhaps that's the benefit of being the sexy friend in horror films; the downside, of course, being that a horrible death for the character is a given). Again, worth a view, but not a game-changer. Screened via VOD.
Americathon and U Want Me To Kill Him? after the jump
