Attack the Block

ATTACK THE BLOCK (2011) - May 25, 2011
A really well made and flat-out awesome film about a gang of teenagers in south London who find themselves beseiged by killer aliens.  Exceptionally well made by first-timer Joe Cornish, whose stylish and effective direction has instantly made him one of those directors whose future films I will be interested in by default.  There are so many great set-pieces here, including a scene in which the kids must outrun a bunch of aliens to get to an apartment building, and an absolutely dazzling extended use of slow-mo (Zack Snyder take note: THIS is how you use slow motion).  Thomas Townend's widescreen cinematography was another stand-out -- the whole film takes place at night and looks quite good; there are definitely shades of John Carpenter here.  Cornish also does a really great job of developing the characters and making us care about them, and the film is pretty funny in parts.  Yeah, I quite liked it. ****