Competition: The Guest

I have 5 pairs of tickets to give away for the premiere screening of "The Guest". To win the tickets, answer the following question in the comments section. Alternatively leave the answer in the comments (please leave your comments on the competition post only) on the iThink Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/ithinkdubai

Dan Stevens is famous for a character played in a well known TV series. Name the TV series.

Winners have been selected through a randomizer and the names of the winners are as below:
1. Faisal Khatib
2. Prachi Mehta
3. Tenzing Bhutia
4. Shekhar Mangnani
5. Kristofer Mariano
Winners can collect their passes directly at the cinema. Please carry a valid ID.

Please note that the U.A.E. rating for the movie is 18.

Movie Synopsis:

From the director of “YOU’RE NEXT” and featuring a standout, brilliant performance from Dan Stevens (“Downton Abbey”), comes “THE GUEST”: a tense, action-packed and unpredictable film like everything and nothing you’ve ever seen before. Empire Magazine called it “a demented action-horror hybrid of sci-fi conspiracy thriller and gore-fest,” and Vanity Fair said, “THE GUEST is big, it’s bold, it’s badass, full of flavor Hollywood wishes it could pour over its vanilla blockbusters.” 

Screening details are as follows:

Date - 8th October, 2014

Time - 9 p.m.

Place - Cinemacity, Arabian Center, Al Mizhar

The Guest is set to release in U.A.E. and the Middle East on 9th October, 2014.

Movie Details:

UAE Rating: 18

Running time: 99 min.

Genre: Thriller/Action

Director: Adam Wingard

Writer: Simon Barrett 

Stars: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe

Trailer link: The Guest Trailer on YouTube

Movie Review: The Guest

I have always had a personal liking towards action thrillers as compared to other movies. The reason for this maybe that such movies are usually gripping and intense. Due to the intensity, it is possible that not enough stress is placed on the story and the performances of individuals. However when we talk about The Guest, it would not be wrong to say that the movie is driven by some brilliant performances.

The Guest is directed by Adam Wingard and stars Dan Stevens as the main lead character. For those who are fans of the TV series Downton Abbey, would know Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley. Dan plays the role of a soldier named David in the movie. He ends up at the doorstep of the Peterson family claiming to be a friend of a deceased son of the family. 

Source: First Row Filmed Entertainment

The other main characters from the movie are members of the Peterson family itself. Maika Monroe plays Anna Peterson (the sister of the deceased soldier), Brendan Meyer plays Luke Peterson (the brother), Sheila Kelley plays Laura Peterson (the Mother) and Leland Orser plays Spencer Peterson (the Father). Each character is different from the other and they blend in well with the storyline.

Dan Stevens in a shot from the movie (Source: First Row Filmed Entertainment)

David slowly settles into the family but some accidental deaths in the neighborhood somehow link to his presence and raise concerns about his identity. The story of the movie is decent and might not be over the top but the performances of a few individuals is worth mentioning. Dan Stevens is as cool as a cucumber in his role and is by far the standout performance. Leland Orser and Maika Monroe contribute to the movie through their good performances while Lance Reddick plays a small cameo in the movie.

Maika Monroe and Lance Reddick in a shot from the movie (Source: First Row Filmed Entertainment)

There are a few light moments in the movie, that have been executed brilliantly while the intense moments go with the flow and are pretty smooth. The action scenes are not over the top and it is good to see some regular action with guns and knives. The only concern is that there isn't too much focus on a background story and everything seems to unfold as the story progresses. Adding more depth to the story would have surely helped in character development.

The movie is a quick watch with the runtime of under 100 minutes. The movie is surely worth a watch, especially for the performance of Dan Stevens. The movie is set to release in U.A.E. and the Middle East on October 9.

Rating:    7.5/10
Runtime: 99 minutes
Trailer:    http://youtu.be/y0E2Qh6wLS4