Green Room

GREEN ROOM (2015)

I've got a dumb idea...

Months ago I saw the trailer for this movie and got immediately hyped. Sir Patrick Stewart playing a psycho neo nazi?! Sign me the fuck up.
I was also psyched because I was pretty sure I could convince Mitch to watch this movie with me since it had punk bands in it and a great soundtrack. Luckily, two months ago Mitch came to me and suggested we watch this movie. I didn't even have to convince him!

So last night we rented Green Room on itunes and settled down to watch it.

Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier it stars the late and great Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots and of course Sir Patrick Stewart. It made it's premier at Cannes in 2015 but was widely released in May of this year. Sir Patrick Stewart accepted this role after he read the script in his home in England and was so terrified at the end of it that he turned on the security system and poured himself a scotch.

The poster is an homage to The Clash's London Calling album cover.

(SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT)

A punk band called the Ain't Rights are on tour and after being told about a show where they could make a fare bit of cash, they drive to Portland only to find it's a neo nazi show. The band decide to open with the classic Nazi Punks Fuck Off song by the Dead Kennedys to a not so thrilled crowd.

After their show they are hustled out pretty quickly, but Sam forgot her phone in the green room so Pat runs back in to grab it only to find a girl lying dead on the floor, a knife sticking out her head and three neo nazis standing around her. Her friend Amber is cowering the corner. And so the neo nazis are stuck in a tough position....this visiting band has witnessed something they want kept secret. And they don't want the cops sniffing around, especially with what they're keeping in the basement. So the band ends up basically quarantined in the green room, fearing for their lives, and trying to find a way out. While outside the neo nazis, led by Darcy (Stewart) plan their deaths, wanting to make it look like an accident.

First off - was this a horror movie? Not really. It was more of a really violent thriller. Of course there are horror elements in a sense - neo nazis are pretty horrific, and there's some flesh hungry dogs running around. But I was expecting more of a jump scare, horror type film. Which it isn't.

Now, that doesn't make me disappointed in any way. I still enjoyed the movie and found it very intense.

It had a nice slow burn beginning to it where we got to know the main characters and care about them. And what I will say is the deaths in this film - they are mostly pretty quick, violent, and shocking. It's incredibly upsetting once you've gotten to know these band mates.

I really loved Amber a lot. She was pretty fucking bad ass. Pat, played by Anton, was really really great too. Such depth to that character. Sam, played by Alia Shawkat was a joy to watch too. Her death really upset me. It was so damn violent!!

No part of this film felt too long to me, every scene felt like it needed to be there. It's a dark, gory film that I really enjoyed watching.

Mitch on the other hand seemed to get very confused at the beginning. He couldn't follow along with the characters or story line. BUT he was also very drunk. So I'm not sure if that's the film being too convoluted to start, or too much beer in Mitch's tummy. I followed along just fine.

Overall - Green Room is pretty damn great. Is it as great as everyone is saying? Nah. People have a real circle jerk going on for this film and while it was awesome....if I had paid attention to the hype and had incredibly high expectations...I think I would've been disappointed.

But...WATCH IT! It's unique, it's independent, support it.

gif credit

Alrighty, I've got a list of a tone of movies for September and October and I'm going to knuckle down and watch them. Although as I type this I'm watching Hellevator which I talked about awhile ago. It's that reality TV show that puts three people into a horror movie type setting and if they survive they win money. It's hosted by my favorite female directors; the amazing Jen and Sylvia Soska.  It's on Netflix now yeyyy!

Stay Spooky!