08.22.14

My quick rating 5,9/10. Movie review: Definitely an experience for true movie fans. The films premise is quite simple:Take a group of elite soldiers to secure a "package" (in this case a woman who is the last fertile woman on the planet) and bring her to be extracted off the planet. Ok, maybe not as simple as it sounds. The ensuing squad get shuffled into a labyrinth of tunnels and underground passageways attempting to avoid the forces that want to stop them. But the horror element kicks in, as now they are trapped underground with "something" that would like nothing more than to have them ALL for lunch. The action is not intense, nor do I believe is it meant to be. This film like no other in recent memory has the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in tiny spaces, each seemingly smaller then the last. Crawling through tunnel after tunnel to avoid the creature is the main focus (please don't whine about it being slow, the creature just as the humans have to move in the same tiny space, which will lead to it being slow moving). This movie shines, as I mentioned, to true horror movie fans. Not for gore, not for intense action scenes (ala Aliens, I'll get back to that) but for that terrifying feeling of being trapped. The camera work is top notch in making you feel there (to the point that thank whatever g-d you will that this movie was not made in 3-d). Often you almost "feel" like you, too, are stuck in that tunnel, or pipe, etc. This claustrophobic feeling is heightened by the brilliant use of lighting. At no point did I see anything but the flashlights the people were using. So it was what you would see in real life, if it is dark behind a character, you see dark. I found that to be the most interesting part of how the movie was shot and edited. The movie does somewhat plod through scenes and you may get a bit uncomfortable with the pace (or maybe just breathing heavy since you are trapped as well) but to appreciate it for the movie, which I am sure was on a shoestring budget, is well worth it. As my readers know, there will not be spoilers, but there will be a gripe about this, the creature bears striking resemblance to that of Alien, spider like body with the elongated head oozing of, well, whatever they ooze. This is a minor distraction as the point is the escape, and the endurance to do so, the creature just needs to be seen to wrap this one up. Kudos for going out on a limb and giving us something the same that we have seen, but taking one aspect (isolation) and bringing it to a whole new level. I look forward to what the future holds for this director and crew(specifically TANK). Definitely check it out.

09.05.14

Movie review : It's nice to sit back and watch a movie that intends to scare and make you think without trying to give a gorefest. As you all know, I love me some brutal violence, but it isn't always necessary. This movies focus is on a mirror that basically encompasses and possesses those that gaze into it. When a family is entranced by the mirror, and the parents are killed (i'll leave it at that to not spoil to much) the kids who witness the deaths are now the focal point of discovering what really happened. The daughter, who is now 23, purchases the mirror to finally find out the truth, back in the house that they grew up in. Karen Gillian does an admirable job acting as a completely obsessed young adult(at parts she was just as creepy as the supernatural parts). Kaylie (Gillian) picks up her younger brother(played by Brenton Thwaites) who recently was released from a mental institution (you will see why) to unravel the mystery. Through various tests, and evidence collections, the two embark on proving the mirror holds the evil/spirit that caused the deaths of their parents among countless others before. The movie uses flashbacks to when they were children to explain how they survived the first encounter. The seamless transitions of these do well to further the story and keep you captivated with the plot. The slight amounts of blood are used in a way that more makes you cringe then be grossed out. I have to give the editors props for keeping these transitions coherent (slightly unbelievable at times, but it is a movie) and help keep things moving until the end. All and all, a very welcome addition to the genre. Worth the watch.

08.27.14

My quick rating 1,7/10. Movie review : Sometimes just the title of a movie alone should clue you in to how bad it is going to be. In this case, it allured me in to see just how bad it would be. Yes, I am a glutton for bad movie punishment. Yes, occasionally B-budget flicks will amuse, gore out, might have a shining star in the making but guess what, this movie has none of these things. Simple plot, stop in the wrong town and run across a lunatic family that kills and eats people. OK, lots of room to make this good, right? Well, it isn't. The acting in this movie is possibly some of the worst around, almost like they were trying to act poorly. If this were true, then this group deserves the award. Mix that into a stupid story with potential to be silly, or gross and you come up with nothing? That isn't the only drawback though. I am unsure if the film makers allowed their 3 year old children to do the sound and video editing, but it is almost laughable at how bad it was. Clear echoes from multiple mics being used in scenes, cuts to the completely wrong sound effect for what was occurring. At times, it sounded like a different person was speaking then the character (in a dubbed movie type way). I really can't stress enough how poor this was and up until the end when a funny line was said that made me laugh (the highlight of the movie, btw) was "A female dog" Not a spoiler at all, just the phrase earned this movie out of 1 stardom. Yes, I am a positive person and find the good as best as I can. Don't be so kind and abuse your senses with this one, at all.

08.01.14

***SPOILER REVIEW**** (as typed out to Bec in messenger verbatim)

guy pisses off some motorcyclist, dude follows him, keys his car, beats him up in a bathroom, guy makes it home, motorcycle guy shows up, breaks in, ties the guy up, and the chick, rapes her in front of him, kills the neighbor and neighbors wife with a chainsaw for ringing the doorbell, the couple get out, kill the motorcycle guy, the end. then in memory of some dude is shown on screen (must've been killed by someone for road rage). movie done. not gruesome, not explcit (the rape) not good acting, no good chases, nothing. I suppose if this is really how it happened MAYBE it could be deemed frightening, but that is a big stretch.

My quick rating 1,5/10 IMDB 4.4

07.30.14

Movie review: Settling in to this film, I expected to see Hunger Games again. Set in a near-future Chicago, what we see is another take on the dystopian society. The central plot here is that growing up in this walled in world, everyone must fit into one of five classes. But of course, the question here is what if you don't fit into the nicely packaged definition of a single class, then you must be Divergent, or in this movie, a danger to the perfect society. When our main character, Tris (played very well by Shailene Woodley)finds out she is Divergent she

must hide this secret and discover the reasons why it is such a secret and why society fears Divergents. I'll leave all of that for you to watch unfold in the various physical and psychological training exercises that are portrayed on screen. In a nutshell, the world painted is similar to that of Equilibrium but with much less action. This is not a bad thing, since this allows the cinematographer to reveal a very wonderfully crafted view of this world. The pacing of

this movie moves along nicely as we plod through Tris trying to fit in as a part of the Dauntless clan. Friendships are made, lost, and so on as expected. Even more so is the romantic involvement with the mysterious Four (or 4) played by Theo James (which I believe over acted his part entirely too much). So the mystery of why the government wants to kill all Divergents must be unraveled and this leads to the majority of the story. I was happy with just sitting back and enjoying the view during many of the scenes that were almost breathtaking. Not reading the book, I hope that the movie did well to portray the story but I also know it is a trilogy so they couldn't go from start to finish all at once. Stand alone I believe the movie was quite well made and under-appreciated, swept under the rug by the highly successful Hunger Games series. You will be hard pressed not to see the similarities between them. I am looking forward to seeing what else this world has in store for us and would recommend that moviegoers join me to find out. Will you see silly acted parts, and scenes that are just there to draw you in with nice landscapes and perfectly choreographed music, YES. But why would anyone complain about something like that? I know I wouldn't. Enjoy this film, you won't regret the time you spent on it.