SYNOPSIS: In “Cold Storage,” a new sci fi comedy starring Joe Keery, and now playing in theatres, an infectious, constantly mutating fungus threatens to end the world unless two storage company nightshift workers and a bioterror expert can combine forces and come to the rescue.
CAST: Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery, Sosie Bacon, Vanessa Redgrave, Lesley Manville, Liam Neeson. Directed by Jonny Campbell.
REVIEW: A throwback to the gross ‘n gory sci-fi and horror popcorn films of 80s and 90s, “Cold Storage” features practical effects, plenty of humor and an exploding eyeball or two.
“Stranger Things” star Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell play Travis and Naomi, nightshift workers at a self-storage company that sits on the site of a decommissioned US military base. Decades before, a deadly, constantly mutating organism, capable of destroying all life on the planet in the grimmest and goriest of ways, was sealed in the facility’s sublevel.
As Travis and Naomi go about their mundane jobs, rising temperatures in the building’s basement allow the rapidly mutating microorganism to grow and escape its underground prison. What began as a sleepy overnight shift soon turns into an outbreak situation that could endanger the entire planet.
With the help of grizzled bioterror expert Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson) Travis and Naomi try and save all of humanity. “You two may have started the night as minimum wage guards,” says Quinn, “but you’re a green light team now.”
Adapted from David Koepp’s (the screenwriter of “Jurassic Park,” “The Lost World,” “War of the Worlds” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”) 2019 sci-fi thriller of the same name, “Cold Storage” is a mix of comedy and gory exploding humans.
Practical special effects, done with very little CGI, bring a nice, nostalgic vibe to the film’s action. Exploding deer and fungus infected human effects are over-the-top and have a cool, retro handmade look that brings back memories of the visceral thrills of movies like “Re-Animator” and “Dead Alive.”
The script is laced with humor, but I wouldn’t call this a comedy. It’s more a sci fi horror with a few laughs, many of which some from Keery’s comic timing.
“Cold Storage” is a bit of b-movie fun that doesn’t take itself seriously, so neither should we.
The grisly events in “Barbarian,” a new house rental horror film now playing in theatres, are a better advertisement for staying in a hotel than anything the Canadian Hotel & Lodging Association could have dreamed up.
The story begins with Tess (Georgina Campbell) pulling up in front of an Airbnb in the rundown neighborhood of Brightmoor in Detroit. Turns out, the only house on the block without broken windows or a kicked-in front door, is doubled booked, and Keith (Bill Skarsgård), is already settled in. She booked on Airbnb, he booked on another site, wires were crossed, but instead of sending her out in the rain to find another place to stay, he invites her in. You take the bed, he says, I’ll sleep on the coach. She reluctantly agrees, won over by his charm and seemingly good-guy vibes.
After lights out, strange things happen. At first, it’s creepy but explainable, like creaky old doors that open and close by themselves, but, the next day, when she goes to the basement to retrieve some supplies, the house reveals a dark secret.
Cut to Los Angeles, present day, and the worst moment of self-involved television star AJ Gilbride’s (Justin Long) life. Accused of sexual impropriety by a co-star, he’s fired from his show and is the subject of an exposé in the Hollywood Reporter. His career in tatters and his bank account running dry, he decides to sell off assets, including an Airbnb property he owns in Brightmoor, Detroit. “I’m not here on vacation,” he tells his lawyer as he lands in Michigan. “I’m here for some liquidity.”
As the story of Tess and AJ collide, “Barbarian” takes one last left turn, this time to Detroit, circa the Reagan years, with the origin story of the innocent looking house’s evil.
“Barbarian” is an audacious thriller with a heaping handful of solid scares. Director Zach Cregger zigs and zags, trusting the audience to hang on for the wild ride. It’s worth the trip. The tense atmosphere of Tess and Keith’s story gives way to AJ’s MeToo cautionary tale and the sinister origin story before throwing it all into the hopper to create a genre-busting final third act. Nothing is off the table as the movie tackles the worst of human nature, narcissism, murder and even incest. It’s a heady mix that should have you moving toward the edge of your seat.
“Barbarian” is one of the rare, recent horror movies that truly keeps the viewer off balance throughout. It’s never clear where the story is going, and that off-the-hook storytelling keeps the creepy story compelling. It’s a roller coaster in which only one thing is clear: Never rent an Airbnb built over a catacomb.
SYNOPSIS: In “Cold Storage,” a new sci fi comedy starring Joe Keery, and now playing in theatres, an infectious, constantly mutating fungus threatens to end the world unless two storage company nightshift workers and a bioterror expert can combine forces and come to the rescue.
