Twenty eight one

 Primate

Slasher movies rely on a couple of things. First, that the people being slashed are so stupid you feel like they almost deserve their demises. Why don't they run away? Why don't they do the obvious thing to escape? Why don't they avoid dark places where they won't be able to escape a determined murderer?

Second, that the group of people who get slashed are in some way stuck in the location they're in.

I think that's it. If you have both, you have a slasher movie. So in this one, the group of young people are incredibly stupid. It never occurs to them for one of them to distract the mad chimp while another sprints for the car, or just not to go back in the house full stop, or to wait until the chimp is sleeping, because it's not supernatural and does need to sleep, even if you will have a long wait.

It's almost a twist that the group is stuck because of their own stupidity, especially when the pet chimp turns aggro in the first place. And you have to admit it does work that they seem to be having a who is the stupidest contest? The one downside was that the chimp got smarter as it got more vicious, although on the upside it did develop a sense of humour. All in all, solid stuff and three stars or so.

Quarantine

We've mentioned that Greg Egan builds great worlds but his plots then disappear up his arse in a cloud of talk and that's Quarantine in a sentence. The solar system is shut off from the rest of the universe and a private investigator uses brain mods to whatever whatever. There's some decent twists and then it dribbles into an ending that was not so much difficult to follow but really undernourishing when you did. Maybe about two and a half. Others might enjoy it more and at least the science was hmmm hardish?

Marty Supreme

So it's Uncut Gems with more boing and if, like me, you like the sound of that, you'll love it. Marty is not so much a loveable rogue as a cunt whom you just won't believe how cunty he can be. He gets into scrapes and everything he does to get out of them makes them worse. In fact, whenever he has an idea, it's so bad you'd think he'd learn to stop having them but that's a talent he never acquires. Most of the cast is against type but so good. It's breathless fun and four, four and a half star entertainment.

posted by Dr Zen @ 11:09 am