Green Room

[kevinknapman]

Tonight's Odeon Scream Unseen was the excellent Green Room.
Here's my review from the London Film Festival.

Green Room is Jeremy Saulnier's follow up to Blue Ruin. 
A young punk band book a last minute gig in a neo-nazi venue. Finishing the gig itself without any trouble (despite kicking off with a cover of The Dead Kennedys 'Nazi Punks F*ck off!'), they stumble upon the aftermath of a violent act in the green room. A stand-off ensues with the band stuck in the venue surrounded by white supremacist skinheads.
Saulnier makes another smart stab at genre filmmaking with this almost unbearably tense and smartly written siege thriller. It's often brutal bursts of violence made more bearable by a sly vein of black humour running through it.
A fantastic cast on both sides elevate this above the usual b-movie fare this could easily have been. Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Peaky Blinders' Joe Cole and Glue's Callum Turner impress as the punk band in over their heads, while amongst the venue's denizens, Blue Ruin's Macon Blair, Imogen Poots and Mark Webber are also excellent. Of course the main draw is likely to be Patrick Stewart as the venue's owner. An atypical bad guy role for Stewart, his softly spoken and menacing turn is definitely effective, though it does feel more of an extended cameo than a full role. 
Destined to be a cult classic, Green Room makes impressive use of its cramped setting and hardcore punk rock soundtrack to deliver a thrilling and exhilarating film. It may lack depth but when a movie is as ridiculously entertaining and technically audacious as this, who cares.

[kevinknapman]

Arrived at Picturehouse Central at 10.45 expecting to struggle to get a decent seat only to be pleasantly surprised that it was being shown in Screen 1 (the same screen I saw it on back in October).
Anyway the film remains just as tense and impressive on a 3rd viewing. Plus I'm pretty sure I could watch it many more times before it gets old.
I was even spotting details I hadn't noticed before

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the interview the band gave at the beginning playing on their van radio at the end for example

Such a great film.

[D-Fens]

Green Room is Jeremy Saulnier's follow up to Blue Ruin.

Doesn't that suggest it's a sequel?

Great movie, the sense of dread throughout was more unsettling that the violence, which while gory was mostly quick and blunt. And only really one jump scare.

A few questionable decisions prevent it being perfect because they were easily avoidable like I wonder if kevinknapman knows whether

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when they make the first deal to surrender the gun, does he put his hand outside to throw it? Or is it dragged out? Because the first was stupid and this could have easily been a movie where you're always with the characters not shouting at their decisions like in a bad horror movie.

[kevinknapman]

Green Room is Jeremy Saulnier's follow up to Blue Ruin.

Doesn't that suggest it's a sequel?

Great movie, the sense of dread throughout was more unsettling that the violence, which while gory was mostly quick and blunt. And only really one jump scare.

A few questionable decisions prevent it being perfect because they were easily avoidable like I wonder if kevinknapman knows whether

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when they make the first deal to surrender the gun, does he put his hand outside to throw it? Or is it dragged out? Because the first was stupid and this could have easily been a movie where you're always with the characters not shouting at their decisions like in a bad horror movie.

I used follow-up in the sense that it's the film he followed up Blue Ruin with.

As for the question I think it's the latter.

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Imogen Poots warns him and he's pulling his arm back in when it gets pulled out again. At least that's how I remember it.

[mupton]

I loved Blue Ruin, but

Yes Green Room was well made in a technical sense; it was tense, at moments although I could not really care for any of the characters and what happened to them, and it was obvious who was going to survive.

Most of all I found all rather pointless and self indulgent. Yes, the horror nerds are going to love it (they probably will cream in their pants). Some critics are going to be wowed by the fashionable independence of the film and that Jeremy Saulnier is the new hot thing - though his first movie was 9 years ago - so we got love the movie. But it was about as worthy as Sex in the City II. If I was Saulnier's Producer I would kick 'em up the arse and tell him stop being lazy.

[D-Fens]

I'm not sure you're supposed to care for the main characters, they're supposed to be disposable

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nobody to report them missing

and disingenuous

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changing their band picks when image doesn't matter any more

but I could empathise with being in their situation as most everything was made real and grounded.

You can pick out somebody who we'll follow until the end but I don't think you can say

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who will survive due to the path they choose and the movie is well aware of that too by not revealing his band.

I'm not sure many movies are worthy of anything bigger but at least this had real stakes and provokes some kind of feeling, unlike certain other high profile confrontations.

[cliveas]

What on earth was SirPatStew doing in this?

[raj101]

another late addition to the chew-em-up horror franchise. Not for me but I enjoyed it as I do most horrors - as a comedy. The getting-the-gun-out-of-a -sealed-room stand-off was interesting for a while.


3.5 stars.

Man those Picturehouse cinemas must be haemorraghing money, they had three staff just sat outside the screening room corridor chitchatting. Three! doing the job of one.

[The Sparrow]

another late addition to the chew-em-up horror franchise. Not for me but I enjoyed it as I do most horrors - as a comedy. The getting-the-gun-out-of-a -sealed-room stand-off was interesting for a while.


3.5 stars.

Man those Picturehouse cinemas must be haemorraghing money, they had three staff just sat outside the screening room corridor chitchatting. Three! doing the job of one.

"chitchatting"? They must have been taking a break from checking and updating Facebook, reading and completing cross-word puzzles. Gawd help them if they ever have to work in a busy cinema.

[raj101]

"chitchatting"? They must have been taking a break from checking and updating Facebook, reading and completing cross-word puzzles. Gawd help them if they ever have to work in a busy cinema.

agreed, or an actual job.