WAR MACHINE [2017]

Director David Michôd takes some broad satirical jabs at the American military in the darkly comical War Machine.
Loosely based on the real life events of the firing of General Stanley A. McChrystal, Brad Pitt turns in a strong performance as a celebrated general who, while serving in Afghanistan, is put under the microscope by a Rolling Stone journalist.
It's not too subtle and takes the piss out of proud America and it's military with a heavy hammer.  It takes turns being funny, scary and sad but never seems to find a solid footing to make the impact it intends to.  Fortunately it's aided by an excellent cast, some making strong impressions with only a few minutes of screen-time.   It's a case of "tell me something I don't already know" but at least it's got some great honest moments to make some of it memorable.

3 excellent reasons not to switch seats out of 5

CARNAGE PARK [2016]

In his ode to 70's survival horror films, director Mickey Keating attempts to emulate Quentin Tarantino's vibe in Carnage Park.
Ashley Bell is great as a woman who starts her shitty day as a hostage to a couple of bumbling bank robbers which leads to her being hunted down by a crazed ex-sniper in the middle of the California desert.
It starts out as your standard Tarantino rip-off, minus the snappy dialogue, with a crime gone horribly wrong but slowly transforms into a pretty disorienting horrific thriller that reeks of The Hills Have Eyes and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Originality or unique characters is not it's strong suit but suspense and unsettling atmosphere is where it excels.

3 warped vinyl out of 5