Genres

Visitors Review

davideo-2 2012-05-25 18:32:42

Challenging and uneasy, but it does pay off in the end

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Christine (Rachael Blake) and Michael (Tom Butcher) are a suburbanmiddle class couple who are settling down to have dinner, when Rian(Jumyan Hunter) and his gang of thugs force their way into their homeand hold them hostage until their son arrives home. As the wait dragson for his return, the couple find themselves pitted in a devastatingpsychological battle of wits with their assailants, which gets moreintense as they become more brutal with every passing moment.Paul Andrew Williams's latest offering shares it's name with the streetMary Poppins was set on, a film made in 1964 and set in 1910. Preciselyone hundred years later, the change in the social demographic anderosion of the quaint English attitude couldn't be more clear. From'chim chimene chim chimene chim chim churoo' to 'yo blud, give me yamoney, I is gonna shank you 'innit?'. From harmless, whimsicalfantasies of immaculate, middle class nannies flying in on umbrellas todark, 'urban' thrillers of lawless filth terrorizing the innocent. Thisis the latest addition to the 'real time' thriller genre (basicallywhere events are playing out as they are happening), of the sort donein films like John Badham's 1995 flop Nick of Time. This distinctiveapproach to the genre naturally works wonders when placed in the righthands, and Williams works the wonders that he did with his first twomainstream films again here. All the same, this appears to have weirdlyskipped the cinema and arrived straight to DVD, in the style of someolder student production. One can only guess the material on displaymay have been too much for the type of audience that had seen a filmlike The Cottage. Indeed, this is extremely uncomfortable viewingthrough out, failing to put the viewer at ease with each stomachchurning moment that passes. It's blissfully short, though, and if youcan manage it through to the end, the denouement pays off and you areleft with a pretty satisfying revenge film that leaves the viewerpondering over an ethical and practical problem that makes you wonderif the judgement has been affected by the circumstances. ****

mailpete-885-380181 2012-05-25 12:01:33

holds your breath for quite some time and makes you write a review ;)

The intensity with which this movie strikes, is INSANE! It builds upthe tension until the very end, which is without a doubt a long timebut the reward for waiting takes over one like nothing you have everfelt before. it's like feeling what the character is feeling. If you'repatient you won't be able to sit still when everything unloads in a fewwonderful seconds.If you lack the ability of empathy you'll probably end up thinking it'sa Funny Games adaption. The idea might be but the reasons are way moresubstantial.Watch and feel!

Siamois 2012-05-23 03:10:32

Fears of the middle class...

A middle class couple's dinner is interrupted when three young men,looking for their son, take them hostage in their suburb home.Recently, many gritty thrillers mixing elements of horror haveoriginated from the UK portraying the tension and clashes between themiddle class and young criminals referred to as "chavs". Eden Lake wasa stellar example of this, mixing element of a youth crime thriller andsurvival.Cherry Tree Lane is the latest offering of this sub genre, playing onfears of these so-called "chavs", a term that spread like wildfirethroughout Britain around 2005 and has been the cause of many debatessince then. Director Paul Andrew Williams attempts to goes back to his firstsuccess, 2006's "From London to Brighton" by emphasizing a documentarystyle with naturalistic dialog in a conventional, claustrophobic homeinvasion setting. The whole film takes place inside the house, mostscenes involving action of some kind are implied and take place offcamera and the actors were unknown to me, which suggests a relativelysmall budget.Cherry Tree Lane feels terribly clinical as far as the writing anddirection is concerned. This is not a bad thing when done well buthere, nothing presented feels particularly new in light of the filmsthat came before and nothing is done particularly well either. Firstand foremost, none of the five main characters are terriblyinteresting. We barely get to know the couple before the chavs'intrusion and from then on, both of them spend the major part of themovie with tapes on their mouth. The three chavs are sketchy charactersand Williams never allow us to learn much about them, their lines beingboring and feeling like clichés. Andrews makes it very clear that theyare criminally dumb, leaving prints, evidence and DNA which we, asviewers, know will certainly lead to their arrest and yet, theirmorose, blasé attitude suggests they are accustomed to this level ofviolence and aggression. Totally implausible as they would have beenoff the street long before the events taking place in this movie.Even worse, for the last act of the movie, Andrews introduces threemore characters, even more young and again, their attitude seemsrobotic and artificially detached from the events taking place. I getthe social criticism attempted by the writer/director but it is sopoorly made I didn't buy it. Where other films exploring similar themes (Clockwork Orange, FunnyGames, Eden Lake, Straw Dogs) are percussive and expansive, this oneseems like a bit of a waste despite good intentions. As far asdocumenting a phenomenon, Andrews fails compared to other directors, asfar as sending a particular message, he fails as well. With more polished writing, this might have gone somewhere but as itis, Cherry Tree Lane has all the substance of Death Wish and none ofthe entertainment factor.

dschmeding 2012-05-22 09:14:38

Britains disconnect of the classes

I guess a lot of people will be disappointed by the movie expectingeither a funny games rip off or a modern day torture-porn movie by thestraight plot of "Cherry Tree Lane". Thank god its neither... the plotis simple... a middle class couple sits at the dinner table when somegangster friends of their son turn up, take them hostage and hint toplans of killing their son for snitching on one of the gangsterscousins. The couple is bound and gagged and they are waiting for theson to come home. That is the basic setup... there is little dialog,the unfolding is slow and all physical violence is shown off screen. Sothis is no exploitation movie. From early on its playing on thedifferences between the couple and the teenage gangsters. There is nocommon ground here and its all in the little things like when they flipthrough the DVDs, the choice of drinks and TV channels with lack ofinterest. There are many similarities to movies like Eden Lake here,especially because this movie takes things to one and another extremeuntil the credits roll. At first I thought the idea of introducing 2girls and their little brother in the mid of the movie was a bit offreality but it made total sense in taking hints (like the constanttossing of things) in how they all are as ignorant towards each otheras they are to the couple and the situation itself to a more directlevel.Its quite a different approach for this subject and many will focus onthe violence itself or complain about a lack of on screen violence.This is not a movie for you, so stay away. And although I wouldn't putFunny Games and Cherry Tree Lane in one drawer this is a movie thatserves many Haneke elements up until an end that does not resolveanything. Its a pretty bleak movie and its one in a row with many likeEden Lake, Harry Brown, London to Brighton etc. ... I guess its a signof the times ... and Britain seems a lot more damaged than the rest ofthe world today.

FlashCallahan 2012-05-18 00:42:54

Short, sharp, and to the point......

Prosperous professional couple Mike and Christine are settling in for astandard evening of wine, TV and low-level marital hostility when aring on their doorbell changes everything.Their son Sebastian is in a little trouble with some local boys, whoare quite prepared to camp out and wait for him to get home.The resulting culture-clash is raw, revealing and nerve-split-tinglytense......Be warned viewers, this is a grim and depressing movie, one not to beviewed with someone you have not known long.The claustrophobic setting only mounts to the tension, and the feelingof dread right from the moment we see the boiling broccoli, stays withyou right until the last reel.There are some predictable moments in the film, The two main gangmembers are like good cop, bad cop. One having complex/complexionissues, the other being apologetic when the other isn't there.The acting is good, and the camera-work and set is haunting andsometimes quite visceral.There is no way out for anyone in this movie, and even the innocent aredoubted in this, many will ask about the final frame 'did he have theknife/axe' or 'was he scared'.The film doesn't let up for the duration, and there were many times ihad to heavy sigh, as it was very uncomfortable to watch.But coming from the director of 'from London to Brighton' and 'Thecottage', I had a good idea it wasn't going to be a happy experience.Be warned though, if you do want to see this piece, it is good, but youwon't feel very good after watching it.

Chris Faulder 2012-05-17 18:23:13

Another reviewer, another planet...

Do not listen to Mr Smoove! While it has its faults, this movie isnowhere near how he describes it. @Mr Smoove - you were either watchinga different movie or you are, well, I'll not be impolite... My partnerand I found it an excellent, gritty film filled with utterly gnawingtension and disturbing to the core. It would be interesting to knowwhich movies Mr Smoove thinks are good, because he appears to rate thislower than, say, the Spice Girls Movie, or Johnny English, or anythingvomited forth by Michael Winner - and that intrigues me greatly... Donot listen to Mr Smoove! While it has its faults, this movie is nowherenear how he describes it. @Mr Smoove - you were either watching adifferent movie or you are, well, I'll not be impolite... My partnerand I found it an excellent, gritty film filled with utterly gnawingtension and disturbing to the core. It would be interesting to knowwhich movies Mr Smoove thinks are good, because he appears to rate thislower than, say, the Spice Girls Movie, or Johnny English, or anythingvomited forth by Michael Winner - and that intrigues me greatly...

Mondo_Giallo 2012-05-11 05:29:48

An effective and disturbing house-invasion movie

Cherry Tree Lane is an urban thriller about a couple whose home isinvaded one night by a gang of youths who wish to harm their absentson. While they wait for the boy, they mete out some physical andpsychological torture. Like all house-invasion movies this is a verydisturbing film. It's not entirely dissimilar to notorious exploitationfilms such as House on the Edge of the Park (1980). Although,admittedly, the sexual violence in this thriller is committedoff-screen unlike that earlier film's non-stop barrage of sexualassault. Nevertheless, Cherry Tree Lane is certainly in the samegeneral ball-park, just toned down and with better acting performances.All of the action is restricted to the interior of the house at thefateful address, generating considerable claustrophobia. The villainsare typical London gansta youths - this is a house invasion movie forthe hoody generation. It plays on middle-class fears of gangs ofviolent working-class youths. The young hoodlums seem to have come froma different world from their victims. They have no use for the contentsthat make up the unfortunate couple's home such as bottles of red wineor their DVD collection. This uneasy chemistry adds to the tension andadds a different undercurrent to proceedings. The film does stretchbelievability a little with the introduction of two teenage girls and ayoung schoolboy into the fray; they act as if this is a normal nightout but it just seems inconceivable that they could be so blasé in thisextreme situation. Nevertheless, the introduction of these charactersdoes allow for the set-up in the final scene in the movie, in whichthings are left hanging on an unanswered question that leaves theviewer wondering if the horror of the night has in fact ended at all.Overall this is not an easy film. It's intense and sometimes difficultto watch, and it truly offers no respite by the end. So Cherry TreeLane is certainly not a film for everyone. But for those with a mindfor something dark and troubling, it's a journey worth taking.

2012-05-10 17:41:19

Uncomfortable, but....

On the surface, this appears to be a slightly amateurish, low budget,run of the mill thriller which seeks to exploit some of the fears ofmodern society.Yet when the dust finally settles and the credits roll you will leanback on your chair, think about it...then realise that there was moreto it then that.This is a genuinely scary film, something that will unnerve you and setyou on edge. It touches on the essence of what makes a film scary.There is no special effects, no malevolent spirits, no clever setup.It leaves you with an idea of what might happen next, then yourimagination fills the gaps while you can faintly hear what's happeningin the background.Brutal.

tom van de Bospoort 2012-05-06 15:01:53

gory and emotionally gauging

Shot like a BBC drama set in the middle-class suburbs, a very violentand new like feel to film making, with that very British look on films.If you are sqeemish or don't like films like Antichrist then you wontreally like this, with its gorish portrayal on kidnap and slaying.At the premiere, some people were shocked by its goriness and violencemixed with very crude language, with very gauging gut wrenching, tokill or be killed.Worth seeing for those gory documentary style film lovers.well worth a 7 out of 10 in my books, as it is a little slow to startand has some overworked areas, not bad for 2 weeks shooting and 3months preparation

rollexx 2012-05-06 09:10:29

One of the worst movies I've watched....

You know that feeling when the film suddenly stops short, you're leftwith no closure or satisfaction, and as the credits start to roll youbegin to wonder why you watched this movie in the first place? Thismovie leaves that you with that awful taste after watching it. Themajority of it takes place within a living room, alongside mindlessdistractions and unnecessary violence that prolongs an end to thishorrid movie; the plot seems to be going no where. And you'recontinually wondering when this slow, drawn-out buildup finally leadsto a climax or resolution, but it is very anti-climatic.I would describe it to the likes of a teenager's first sexualexperience; awkward, the other never feeling satisfied or seeing aclimax, and a long sigh of disappointment immediately after.

Ilovehandbagsandshoes 2012-04-30 18:11:09

Home Invasion addict

Seen Funny Games and The Strangers. We all know the basic framework.However, this British film is particularly disturbing and kind ofbrilliant because it highlights how the worlds of the middle classrecreational drug user/dealer and the violent existence of gangland'scriminal ring underclass collides. As I heard two West Indian blokes once say on a train "the only time ablack man is invited to a white man's party is coz he wants drugs". I preferred this film to the previous two mentioned because among itspowerful themes, it really explores just how much a person can takebefore they snap.Mutilation is banal compared to full-on maniacal rage....

MikeHell 2012-04-30 05:11:09

Yawn...yawn,,,yaaaaaaawn....

"Ultimate Urban Horror" - only one thing in this tag line is correct -"urban" as it all happens in a city. Chery Tree LAne is one of theworst, pointless, slow moving films I have ever seen! Absolutely nosuspense, no tension, no ... nothing! There is nothing you'd expectfrom a good thriller (not to mention a horror). After 30 minutes youfeel like shouting at the thugs "Come on, guys, do something". It islike a 5 minutes worth of script (not very original script at that)made into 75 minutes worth of film by pointless and boring cameraaction and close ups. The baddies are as threatening as toothlesspensioner on her way to a Bingo - she can hit you with her purse, butwill ultimately do no damage. If you have 75 minutes to spare, havenothing better to do and you think watching this film might be a goodidea, then ... don't! Just don't. You'd probably have more fun slidingdown a banister made of razorblades into a pool of acid - which wouldbe a preferred option to dying of boredom watching this piece of ...'art'.

jakedrotning 2012-04-28 01:15:39

no closure

doesn't resolve the ending. i still feel upset, which means acting wasgood but story line was lacking. finallity is important in a violentstoryline like this. will leave you wondering.the actors portrayed the characters properly, even though it wasn'twritten the best way.this is a good reason why to get a bar across the door, likeunbreakable made it look, (bruce willis, m. night shayalaman), but abunch of chutney blokes bursting in isn't a way to make a plot either.if you want to get angry and be upset at the lenght yougsters arewilling to go to so they feel like adults, and possibly their fathers)then this is the movie for you. otherwise stay clear, i wanna stillpunch them in the face.

cootie_05 2012-04-27 16:06:59

It feels like you're watching a Crimewatch reconstruction video...

Despite noticing that this movie had probably gone straight to DVD Ithought I would give it a chance, but boy was I wrong.From start to finish the whole movie was a 'must turn off' rather thana 'must see what happens at the end'. Not only did it take around about10- 15mins to actually get into the plot (already taking up a sizableamount of the 74mins running time) but the plot never really happened-or if it did happen, I didn't really care. The storyline felt moread-lib then written and almost felt as if it was meant to be a comedy,and a poor one at that. In fact the only redemption of this movie wasthe feeling that this film could be used as a perfect example of hownot to do crime.The only horror in this film was the acting, script and randomly thrownin spurts of unnecessary crude violence. A huge disappointment despitethe 4 star ratings detailed on the box.

saund83 2012-04-24 07:47:25

Facts that make this movie disappointing

Straight to the point. In my opinion Cherry Lane Tree is not a movieworth watching and has been overrated. I would rate it 3/10. Afterwatching Funny Games (US Version) and reading Cherry Lane Tree plot Iwas willing to give it a go. Unfortunately noticeable differencesbetween the two movies took place. For example: The main charactershave blank personalities and are unlikeable from the first moment asthe movie starts, with a cold situation between the couple. Poor actingfrom all the cast and poor directing. Scenes Like one gang membercalling another in order to bring him a drink from outside, or Callinghis mother to record an episode on TV because he will be late home, oranother gang member eating biscuits in the kitchen take place and areannoying as they get way off the movies storyline. The scene with thegirls visiting towards the end of the movie with one also bringingalong her smaller brother completely spoils whatever is left of thismovie and is completely unnecessary. Seriously this movie has some verychildish scenes and is disappointing overall.

Nektarios Antoniades 2012-04-23 23:50:47

Meaningless Waste of Time

I was tricked into watching this film by a review, so I feel obligatedto give my own so there will be no more casualties..!This movie can not really be called a thriller: there is no realsuspense and nothing is surprising;you can tell how things will evolvefrom the first minute that the actual "plot" starts.I actually fast forward it many times and compelled to rerun it, onlyto find that nothing had happened in between.All in all, this was a wooden, disturbing presentation of a lower classyouth, with a completely unsuccessful attempt to portray adysfunctional family, lacking all definitions of any meaning of film.

HumanoidOfFlesh 2012-04-22 23:00:18

Home invasion and culture clash.

A middle-class couple Christine and Mike is abused by a trio of hoodieswho use a supposed betrayal by their son.The father is savagely beatenand the mother is raped by knife-wielding black youth namedRian."Cherry Tree Lane" is not as intense and brutal as similarlythemed "Kidnapped".I enjoyed it due to its remarkable acting and grittysocial realism.The violence is mostly off-screen but the atmosphere isquite unsettling.The climax is abrupt and there are some implausiblemoments,but if you like terror cinema you can't go wrong with "CherryTree Lanes".It's a chilling little thriller in the vein of "Eden Lake"that will disturb you.Better think twice the next time you go to answerthe door.8 hoodies out of 10.

Keeganjj 2012-04-22 18:50:27

Hmmmm...

Was not impressed with this film , the majority of the acting was pooralthough Ashley Chin who plays 'Asad' in this film was very good andplayed a very convincing character and he should receive a great dealof credit for this film, as he was the only person in the film thatdidn't look like a 'first timer'.The film had a slight impact on me and has a good story line for themajority of the film which did keep me on edge and eager to find outwhat is next, but then ends bluntly which made me feel like I'd wastedmy time watching it as there's no summary to the story line and in myopinion is a complete fail. I will not be recommending this film to myfriends but that does not mean to say that other people won't enjoy thefilm, but I stand firm on saying it's just not my cup of tea!

kosmasp 2012-04-17 02:31:32

Haneke does not approve

You can see beyond my vote. I was never a big fan of invasion and/ortorture movies. Having said that, this really is done pretty good. Onemajor thing though: After Funny Games this particular "genre" of movieshave actually become obsolete in my opinion. You can say what you wantabout Haneke's effort (I didn't really like Funny Games, but that wasthe point!), but it made any other movie that tried to do anything inthat direction look really ridiculous.It tries really hard to do good, but if you have seen Funny Games youmight feel the same way as me and think that you would have never haveto watch something like that again. It's not the actors, they're tryingand it tries to stay as grounded as much as it is possible. Of courseyou might not feel that way, than this movie will be a nice watch foryou. But again, that is something that only you can answer foryourself.

JohnRouseMerriottChard 2012-04-16 16:56:34

Unsettling latest instalment of home invasion horror.

Cherry Tree Lane is written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams. Itstars Rachael Blake, Tom Butcher, Sonny Muslim, Jumayn Hunter & AshleyChin. Plot finds middle-class couple Christine (Blake) & Mike (Butcher)suffering the ultimate home invasion hell when one night three youthsforce their way into the house looking for their informant son.It's the sort of plot that could have been gleaned from The News Of TheWorld on a Sunday morning. Whilst not as horrific as Eden Lake, or asfar fetched as Harry Brown, Williams' third film unsettles from the offand has much to say along the way. We begin with a slow zoom in shot ofthe front of the house, a middle-class suburbia that's comforting and aworld away from the horror about to be unleashed. Then inside andWilliams appropriately films an untended cooking pot coming to the boilas Christine chats on the phone in the back ground, the simmer to boilmotif neatly setting us up for what is to come. Told in real time,Cherry Tree Lane's story never leaves the house, claustrophobia reinsas our couple are trussed up and subjected to a terrifying ordeal.Pretty sparse in set up and location, then, but this is not just anexcuse for some terror. Williams goes a bit more deeper with histhemes, daring to delve into the psyche of Britain's unruly youths,neatly observing cultural class division and the ever widening gapbetween the generations. It's darkly humorous at times too, thebleakness of which has a cheek about it as the story runs its(collision) course. Where Cherry Tree Lane differs from other film's of its ilk is that theviolence is mostly done off camera, mercifully so during one extremepassage. The power of suggestion really comes to the fore as we hearbut don't see. This lack of on camera violence will disappoint thosewho need it in their horror diet. So be advised gore seekers, this isunlikely to be the film for you. Williams also faces the problem oftrying to avoid comparisons with the afore mentioned other film's, thelikes of Funny Games and The Strangers. It can be said that the homeinvasion format is most likely now looking a bit tired, to that endWilliams' British take is likely to only resonate with the self awareBritish public. But it is challenging and confrontational. The endingis a little too abrupt, and perhaps inevitably-implausibility creepsin. But for the most part this is unnerving stuff, a chilling taleexecuted with a realism that's not found in more glossy productions:with the final shot astutely serving to keep us agitated. 8/10