The Fades (2011)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The benefit of late reviews is one is usually damn well aware of writing them for oneself.When Germany met the 'Fades' it came in the guise of 'young adult' on our oh so stylishly independent, self-declared cultural channel.While I could summarize it as the most unskilled plagiarism of 'Wraith - The Oblivion' which I had witnessed in my lifetime, I decided to laugh my beep off instead.Narcissism and Junkie-Glory. A seriously disturbed teenager saving the country at minimum, and the world on a regular. Of course while having cheap sex and babbling ignorant bull-dung all the way! It was splendid. One of the British-R-All-Gay-Scum smear-jobs unleashed. But that isn't true.'Life on Mars' was one of the series, which proved that British hard work can easily outmatch the disinterested money-dumping attempted in the US version of it.Of course an extra-bonus was the fact that drug-wrecks are automatically strong-willed occult experts. While not one ever has the will to go through cold-withdrawal, or into a therapy, they all have the will to outmatch the greatest of masters, and protagonist usually boss God around, too.Given that modern lobotomy is usually performed by allowing unwanted loudmouth's to smoke poisoned dope we get something which 'Trainspotting' simply couldn't provide. The damaged and twisted explanations from someone who belongs to the gutter-born and ill-educated. As sign of state's failure concerning the modern youth that is actually social criticism where it is really true.Contextually the Fades was a limited budget production. By that it had to simplify a lot, and take shortcuts, eventually even cuts on the quality. It did succeed in telling a low quality tale to those who never found better originals, and to be honest: Reviewing the crappy failures is often much more fun than writing about a deserving 10 star movie all others could recognize as brilliant, too. ;-)

Now I will agree with those other reviewers it did take a few episodes to lay in the groundwork of the show, but believe you me, it is all well worth the wait. Though its not to say that there aren't great points in the eps 1-3, but when episode 4 hits the ground running its when all the juicy bits of preamble come together to form a smorgasborg of tasty horrific goodness or evilness or... well you get the point.Everything from here on out has this stark savage urgency, it twists and turns on the head of a nail. I cannot deny this his quickly become one of my favourite new shows, its so unpredictable and I had goosebumps thru all of ep. 4, which is not a feat easily achieved with me.If you like a good mix of horror with a smattering of apocalyptic wonderland this is clearly the show for you.

Well I have to say I loved it...and for the exact reason that there is more of a story to be told instead of holes in a story being filled up and/or hidden behind millions of dollars of CGI and other SPECIAL effects. While yes I will agree that perhaps the first episode was a bit slow at first but then I have found that to be true with some really good books as well as movies. For me..there were just enough effects to make this series special and I hope they keep it going by doing a second season. I'm an American living in the Netherlands and I watch a lot of British T.V. as well as Dutch and in the last few years having the opportunity to watch more movies and shows made in the U.K. I think many of what comes out of the U.K. is fresh and down to earth...no matter what the genre. The American market proves it yearly with all the programs that they copy for British television and import it to America and make it nothing like the original.

Surreal (yet almost believable) - get the kids off to bed because they'll be freaked in no uncertain measure! Your six year old will be certain there's a monster in the dark places. I'm not the kind for listing actors names or plot synopsis - my reviews are just an emotional impression based on whether I'm hooked or not (which makes the 'ten line mandatory rule'of IMDb a bit frustrating at times)- I'll leave the name dropping to the geeks that love that kind of thing. What I can say is the story is absorbing, cashing in on the apocalyptic view of the world that we all seem to have at the moment, yet not cashing in as it's intelligent, witty and philosophical in its approach; (morons won't get the 'message's', but will enjoy the action, freak factor and the odd naked teenager.....well almost naked). There isn't one dud or wooden performance in here, a solid script backed up by solid acting that makes you beg for more of the story; a real 'I can't wait!' kind of effect (on me anyway), clever underplayed directing (the best kind in my view as it's more 'real', yet it's not Dogme). Do I have my mandatory ten lines yet, let's see? YUP