|
|
|
Tiger House
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Magnolia Pictures Review written by and copyright: Abraham Phillips (17th January 2016). |
|
The Film
 "Tiger House" is an interesting movie. It actually took me by surprise by twisting the home invasion horror/thriller. With that said it’s still not a great film. It’s all been done before. In a funny way it’s like "Home Alone" (1990) on crack. Kelly (Kaya Scodelario) is a gymnast. One night while playing around with her boyfriend Mark (Daniel Boyd), in Mark’s parents’ house, a home invasion happens. What those crooks don’t know is that Kelly is hiding. As you would guess, the premise sees Kelly defending the house, and trying to protect her boyfriend. The movie is a mixed up, messed up bag of cheesy silliness. If you go into this wanting a low budget home invasion B-action thriller, then it’s an okay watch. If you want more then B-grade cinema, then this is not for you. I actually found myself enjoying this over-the-top film. It has all the trademarks of a late night screening, Drive-In style grindhouse film. It’s violent, over the top and everything you would expect in a home invasion film. Adding in the hidden character of Kelly using her gymnastics to fight and survive, sure it's corny but awesome at the same time. What is so depressing about a lot of home invasion films is that your main character is often stupid. Kelly has many chances to get away, yet she does not. Adding to that are characters and situations that are flawed and make no sense really put a damper on this film. Thugs, violence, and gymnastics, need I say more? Starring Kaya Scodelario who is probably best known for her role as Teresa in the "Maze Runner" films (2014-2015). She is a great actress that is able to own her characters and bring them to life on screen in a believable way. The other stand out performance is by Dougray Scott as Shane. Scott is a dynamic actor that always impresses me in anything he does. He is able to draw you in and allows you to become apart of his character. Also starring the wonderful, highly talented Ed Skrein adding his skills to a well rounded cast. Cast aside, it’s the script, the plot, and the execution of the script that I think fails. Directed by Thomas Daley, this is his first feature length film as director and it shows. In the hands of a more capable pr experienced director this could have been a much better film. "Tiger House" is a film that's already been done a thousand times before, but is still able to capture a story that entertains.
Video
Presented in 2.35:1 1080p 24/fps using AVC MPEG-4 compression. The video is impressive. Solid in imagery. Crisp. I loved the darker tones, the grey scales looked terrific. The cinematography perfectly exemplifies the tension the filmmakers where trying to achieve.
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround is the only audio option. The audio is probably one of the strongest points. The gunfire, fights and all around special sound effects become loud and to the point of crystal clarity to the ears. Everything sounds wonderful and there is no flaw in this department. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.
Extras
Magnolia/Magnet has only included a few extras by way of a featurette and a handful of bonus trailers. The "Making of Tiger House" featurette runs for 19 minutes and 33 seconds. This has interviews with the writer, director and cinematographer. The film's original theatrical trailer is included, runtime 1 minute 41 seconds. Bonus trailers are also included for: - "Last Shift" runs for 2 minutes 29 seconds. - "The Blood Lands" runs for 2 minutes 17 seconds. - "Skin Trade" runs for 1 minute 30 seconds. - "The Dead Lands" runs for 2 minutes 17 seconds. - "Chideo" web service promo runs for 1 minute 47 seconds. - "AXS TV" runs for 1 minute. Rounding out the supplements is BD-Live connectivity.
Packaging
Standard plastic single Blu-ray case.
Overall
Simple. Cheesy at times. Unoriginal but still was somewhat entertaining. Great performances. I feel this is worthy of a watch. I think it has it’s moments even with it’s flaws.
|
|||||
|