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The Vault (2017)
Oddly Disturbing (and marked as non-spoiler as only detail is to do with intro titles.)
I rather liked this film. It's a good, old-fashioned horror - nothing super special or spectacular, a few jump scares, touch of gore and a fairly obvious, but satisfying, ending. But, what really got to me was the intro and intro-titles - I found these more unnerving than the whole film. I'm not sure if it was the unusual choice of song (which I hadn't heard before, but loved and now don't want to like) or the rather too realistic corpse dumps. I'm unsure, but it still gives me the shivers.
The Day of the Roses (1998)
Heartrending and Heroic...
This is an exceptionally well made docu-drama based on the events surrounding the Granville train crash. I've seen it twice now and each time it has brought me to tears. The accident itself was the result of a tragic chain of events - everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The battle by the rescuers to save as many passengers as possible is inspiring and heartrending; they faced overwhelming odds - from the weight of the bridge to leaking gas that meant they were unable to use heavy equipment. The tragedy also revealed serious flaws in the emergency training and equipment, showing how unprepared the services were to deal with a disaster on this scale.
This is definitely worth watching, and I think that although this is a dramatisation, it is still an excellent testament to the emergency services who risked everything and the ordinary people who survived that day. A very, very good film.
Frágiles (2005)
Surprisingly scary...
I was pleasantly - or should that be unpleasantly - surprised by this little movie. I rented it on DVD with low expectations and it sincerely unnerved me. Although I am a horror fan, I am not a fan of slasher pics or anything too gory; I much prefer the Japanese and Asian style horror where the atmosphere is oppressive and the terror creeps up on you until you jump out of your skin.
Fragile managed to make me jump a mile out of my skin with the twisty ending which followed a careful and extremely effective build up. Calista Flockhart is very convincing as the nurse caring for the final few orphans in a remote hospital that is closing down. The isolation, scenery and atmosphere really do chill you to the bone, and the ignorance and stubbornness of the staff - who know that something or someone is hurting the children but choose not to believe - frustrated me completely and resulted in a lot of me shouting at the screen (good thing I watched this alone), which I consider a good sign; not many movies get me that involved.
I would highly recommend this simple, effective, well-acted, creepy and unnerving film.