Month: April 2020

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Action – R – Risen (2016)

Director: Kevin Reynolds

Writer: Kevin Reynolds, Paul Aiello (Screenplay)

Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth, Cliff Curtis, Maria Botto, Luis Callejo, Antonio Gil, Richard Atwill

Plot: In 33 AD, a Roman Tribune in Judea is tasked to find the missing body of Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead.


Tagline – Witness the manhunt that changed the course of human history

Runtime: 1 Hour 47 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Religious 101

Story: Risen starts as a Roman Tribune Solider Clavius (Fiennes) must take a younger soldier under his wing in Lucius (Felton) are killing the men of religious Christianity for the rules Pilate (Firth) with the latest crucifixion being Yeshua (Curtis).

When the body goes missing over the night, Clavius and Lucius are tasked with location the rest of the disciples demanding answers or facing death, was this the miracle believed or is it just the Christians fighting back against the Romans.

Thoughts on Risen

Characters – Clavius is the right hand man to Pilate, he oversees the crucifixions and the deposing of the bodies, when one of the biggest threats to the Roman army is killed, the body is placed in a secret tomb, but vanishes, leading Clavius to use all his skills to discover where the body is for Pilate or face punishment himself, this faithless man can now see the unexplainable for himself. Lucius is the young soldier assigned to work under Clavius, he has learnt a lot and must face a difficult decision when it comes to which side he will fight for. Pilate is the ruthless General for the Romans, he wants all the Christians killed including Yeshua, which is one murder that change the shape of history. Yeshua is the leader of the Christians, he has been killed for his people, but it is his body that vanishes and appears to help certain disciples find their way.

Performances – Joseph Fiennes is strong in the leading role, he doesn’t show enough of the ruthlessness that he could from the early meeting of his character though, Tom Felton doesn’t reach the full potential of his character which does seem like it never gets the screen time required. The film does suffer from lack of screen time from certain performers as we get caught up too much in introducing too many figures at once.

Story – The story here follows the events after the crucifixion of Jesus (yes we use a different name here) and his body vanishing, with the search for his body from the Romans and the disciples knowing this would happen, we see one man whose whole world gets turned upside down by his experience. This is meant to be another view point for the Jesus story following how the Romans dealt with the surprise disappearance and how one man went from having no faith to seeing the miracle happening and how he was involved in helping his once enemy. It isn’t the most engaging story and just doesn’t reach any level of intensity.

Action/Adventure/Mystery – The action is mostly chases or sneaking away from the enemy, the adventure does take us across the land in search for safety, with the mystery going on in the film being focused around just what happened to the body.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show us just how the landscape could have been used to the advantage of the people trying to escape from the land.


Scene of the Movie – The discovery by Clavius.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It doesn’t seem to have much risk about what is going on.

Final Thoughts – This is a simple movie that does deal with the basic of the rising of Jesus from another point of view, it tries to add some realism behind it, without being anything that fresh.

Overall: Basic religious film.

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Movie Review

We Summon the Darkness (2019) Movie Review

Director: Marc Meyers

Writer: Alan Trezza (Screenplay)

Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Maddie Hasson, Johnny Knoxville, Keean Johnson, Logan Miller, Amy Forsyth, Allison McAtee

Plot: Three best friends embark on a road trip to a heavy-metal show, where they bond with three aspiring musicians and head off to one of the girls’ country home for an after-party.


Tagline – Be careful what you pray for.

Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Twist Filled Horror

Story: We Summon the Darkness starts as we follow three friends Alexis (Daddario), Val (Hasson) and Bev (Forsyth) as they are on a road trip to watch a concert, this does seem them clash with three musicians Mark (Johnson), Kovacs (Miller) and Ivan (Swift), with the banter easing things between them and an after party seeing the drinks continue.

The night takes a turn when the satanic killers are revealed and the battle to survive is thrown into the mix with the victims looking to survive.

Thoughts on We Summon the Darkness

Characters – Alexis is the leader of the girls, she knows that Val can be flaky and wants to help Bev be part of the group, when things get out of hand, she takes control, showing that she is the sensible one of the group. Val is Alexis best friend, she enjoys more drinks than the rest, she has the wildest stories of the group. Pastor John is wildly considered the man that is arrange the satanic cult killings, he is seen as a cult leader. Mark is one of the band that attends the after party, he keeps himself looking like a mystery, while showing a more sensitive side.

Performances – Alexandra Daddario in the leading role is entertaining to watch through the film, showing everything her character needs. Maddie Hasson is entertaining to watch through the film, while Johnny Knoxville doesn’t get enough screen time for a character that feels important. The rest of the cast all work well through the film, keeping us guessing on their characters actions.

Story – The story follows three women and three men that attend a party after a concert which takes a twist when a satanic cult reveal themselves putting the two sides fighting to survive. This story does play along the lines of waiting for the reveal and keeping us guessing, though it does seem clear who the villains will be. Where this does stay stronger is by showing us how planned everything is, which adds moments of humour as well as showing the villains thinking on their feet. This is fun to watch once things get going and see just how things will unfold.

Horror – The horror side of this film is more about the tongue-in-cheek style of what we would imagine the normal going, it is on the lines of what Scream did for a slasher film.

Settings – The film is mostly set in one location, the house for the party, it shows us how one side is using it to defend themselves, while the other is using it for the plan.

Special Effects – The effects in the film are used for the basics of injuries, with most working well, but one fire sequence not looking as strong as the rest.


Scene of the Movie – Wake Up.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It goes for one too many twists.

Final Thoughts – This is a horror film that is goes against nearly everything you would know, only to get caught up in the middle of trying to pull off one too many twists for its own good, even if it is an entertaining watch.

Overall: Entertaining Horror

Signature Entertainment & FrightFest Presents presents We Summon The Darkness on Digital HD April 20th and DVD 11th May

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Action – Q – The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)

Director: Peter Winther

Writer: David N Titcher (Screenplay)

Starring: Noah Wyle, Sonya Walger, Bob Newhart, Kyle MacLachlan, Kelly Hu, David Dayan Fisher, Jane Curtin

 

Plot: A bookworm becomes the librarian. Same night a magical spear gets stolen and he’s off to get some real life experience around the globe on his quest for the spear – starting with being thrown off a plane over Amazonas by his cute helper.


Tagline – Intelligence can only get you so far when you have to save the world.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Fun Adventure

 

Story: The Librarian: Quest for the Spear starts as 30-year-old student Flynn Carsen (Wyle) gets pushed out of his latest course, needing to find himself a job to move on with his life and get some life experience. Flynn lands on his feet quickly when he gets selected by Judson (Newhart) and Charlene (Curtin) to become the next Librarian, the keeper of the secrets from the history of man.

After the Library is broken into and part of the Spear of Destiny is stolen by former librarian Edward Wilde (MacLachlan), Flynn is set on his first quest to returning the missing pieces from around the world, join by Nicole Noone (Walger) in an adventure that Flynn could never have imagined in the Amazon rainforest.

 

Thoughts on The Librarian: Quest for the Spear

 

Characters – Flynn has spent his whole adult life being a student always looking for another degree he can achieve, he get forced out of classes to find his own job, which sees him selected as the new Librarian, a role he likes the sound off until it means he must go on quest which will see him facing life or death situations. He is a wealth of knowledge, but struggles with everyday life. Nicole Noone is the lady sent to help Flynn on his quest, she is the muscles and true adventurer of the pair, letting him use his brain, while she uses her knowledge of combat to keep them both alive. Judson is the man that selects Flynn to be the next librarian, he has seen people come before and is used to the new reactions from the people. Edward Wilde is the former librarian that has joined the serpent crew in search for a new power to terrorise the world.

Performances – Noah Wyle in the leading role is fun to watch, he just about balances the ideas of being smart and awkwardly funny. Sonya Walger does work in the strong adventuring partner of Flynn, she gets go against plenty of the stereotypes of the adventure female character. Bob Newhart does everything he needs to in the mentor figure role, while Kyle MacLachlan seems to enjoy the villainous role without being anything we haven’t seen before.

Story – The story here follows a man that would rather learn that get on with life that gets thrown into a new job role as a librarian, a keeper of secrets from history, he gets to go on his first adventure against the former librarian to discover what he was always meant to be doing for a living. This is the first adventure, so it plays out like an origin to the mysterious Librarian world Flynn goes into, the adventure does have plenty of puzzle that need to be solved, only they do seem very easy to solve, but this is just the first adventure, which makes it easy to watch without challenging us as an audience.

Action/Adventure/Comedy – The action in the film is simple combat, which even watch Bob Newhart beat people up will get you laughing, the adventure does take Flynn away from his comfort zone on an adventure around the world.

Settings – The film takes Flynn from the big city where he has lived his whole life in, he does get to go to the Amazon and Himalayas which are covered in history.


Scene of the Movie – We need to leave the plane now.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The puzzles do seem slightly easy.

Final Thoughts – This is an easy to watch adventure film, it does keep everything simple and gives us an easy way to enter this world.

 

Overall: Easy start for the franchise.

Rating

 

 

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Movie Review

The Art of Self-Defense (2019) Movie Review

Director: Riley Stearns

Writer: Riley Stearns (Screenplay)

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, Steve Terada, David Zellner, Phillip Andre Botello

Plot: After being attacked on the street, a young man enlists at a local dojo, led by a charismatic and mysterious sensei, in an effort to learn how to defend himself from future threats.

Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Very Dark Comedy

Story: The Art of Self-Defence starts when shy man Casey (Eisenberg) gets brutally attack on a trip to the local shop, he takes time to recover, looking for a solution on what could help him if this was to happen again, first looking at buying a gun, before learning about karate.

Casey starts to learn under Sensei (Nivola), which see him learn a new discipline, only this comes at a cost for him, with his career being ignored as he continues to try and improve in the art of self-defence, which will lead him to go to levels he never understood karate would offer.

Thoughts on The Art of Self-Defence

Characters – Casey is a shy man that has always let people walk all over him, he ends up getting attacked, left for dead. He becomes more terrified about life, turning to different forms of self-defence, which sees him take up karate, making this his whole life, until he is pushed to new limits about what happened. Sensei runs the dojo and lets Casey join his classes, he sees potential in him and understands that he can get the best out of his pupil, even if he does have much darker motivations in how he gets the students involved. Anna is the only woman in the class, she is the best student but is always looked down on by the Sensei who doesn’t believe a woman is good enough to compete with the men, she is devoted to the dojo.

Performances – Jesse Eisenberg is great in the leading role, easily being one of his best performances in years, Alessandro Nivola is cold through the film, which makes him so interesting to watch. Imogen Poots fills the supporting role well through the film, showing the silent battle her character has always been through.

Story – The story here follows a shy man that gets attacked and turns to karate in hope of being able to stand up for himself more in the future, only to learn a truth about the Sensei. This does show how one person will need to learn to stand up for themselves and find a new outlet, one that will take over his life, showing how obsession will become unhealthy. The story is constructed to give us a surprise in how everything unfolds, while also making a point that each scene is worth the investment.

Comedy/Crime – The comedy is truly dark in how everything unfolds, it works wonders for the film as it also reflects the criminal nature of the dojo.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show us how Casey only has a couple of locations he attends in life, showing how empty he can find his life.


Scene of the Movie – Fight to the death.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Who looked after Casey’s dog when he was in hospital?

Final Thoughts – This is a truly dark comedy that delivers on every note he plans, each scene has meaning, which will get the pay off through the film.

Overall: Clever Dark Comedy.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Action – P – Paparazzi (2004)

Director: Paul Abascal

Writer: Forry Smith (Screenplay)

Starring: Cole Hauser, Robin Tunney, Dennis Farina, Daniel Baldwin, Tom Hollander, Kevin Gage, Tom Sizemore

 

Plot: A rising Hollywood actor decides to take personal revenge against a group of four persistent photographers to make them pay for almost causing a personal tragedy involving his wife and son.


Tagline – It’s time to settle the score.

Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Flashy Action Flick

 

Story: Paparazzi starts when rising star Bo Laramie (Hauser) has his break out action film, seeing him become an overnight sensation in Hollywood. This new fame brings more cameras on his life, with vultures known as the paparazzi, while most respect his privacy, one group led by Rex Harper (Sizemore) push the boundaries, trying to take photos of his family, Abby (Tunney) and son Zach.

When the vultures push Bo into a car chase, his family is injured in a car crash, turning Bo to the police trying to get them away from his family. The rivalry between Bo and Rex starts putting Bo’s new career in danger, forcing him to make his own plans to end the paparazzi following them.

 

Thoughts on Paparazzi

 

Characters – Bo Laramie is a rising star in Hollywood, he is about to have his first hit making him an overnight sensation, the talk of the town. He is also a family man off the screen, finding it difficult for him to balance the celebrity lifestyle and personal on. He gets targeted by the paparazzi, who want to bring him down, trying to hurt his family, he will do what needs to be done to keep his family safe against the paparazzi. Abby is the wife of Bo, she is a teacher and isn’t prepared for the gossip magazines that are showing the life of her family. Rex Harper is the leader of the paparazzi ring, he knows how the push the buttons of Bo to gather more stories and starts targeting him after he learns that he has triggered him.

Performances – Cola Hauser does give us a strong performance in the leading role, he look like a typical movie star which was needed for this role. Robin Tunney is the concerned wife, she does everything needed without doing too much difficult. Tom Sizemore does make for great pick for a seedy paparazzi reporter, you believe he is trying to make the life hard for Bo. Dennis Farina as the detective plays right into his wheelhouse as a former police officer.

Story – The story follows a rising Hollywood star who becomes the target for the paparazzi who try to make his life a living hell, until they injury his family forcing him into his own revenge against them. This does fall into the revenge thriller which gets played along with a celebrity dealing with somebody trying to risk his family for a couple of photos in a magazine. The idea the celebrity is getting followed around by the paparazzi isn’t new, we do get cameos from actors that have had issues in the past too. This plays out just like you would imagine and will make you care about the characters motives being against the vulture like paparazzies.

Action/Crime – The action in the film is restrained because we can’t have anything over the top, it is mostly small fights and chases. The crime side of the film shows just how the life of the actor is being affected by the criminal actions of the paparazzi.

Settings – The film is set in LA which is the place where you would see the most type of paparazzi behaviour like this.


Scene of the Movie – Rex learns his fate.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The police would surely be able to offer more than they give Bo in this film.

Final Thoughts – This is a great look at how the paparazzi look to try and control the celebrities with photos and just how they will look to get revenge for risking their family.

 

Overall: Great action thriller.

Rating

 

 

Categories
Movie Review

American Graffiti (1973) Movie Review

Director: George Lucas

Writer: George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck (Screenplay)

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips

Plot: A couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.

Runtime: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Fun 70’s Comedy

Story: American Graffiti starts in the final day of summer vacation, Curt (Dreyfuss), Steve (Howard), John (Le Mat) and Terry (Smith) are all about to start the next stage of their lives, so before they do they want to spend one last night on the strip of their own town.

Over the night Curt must decide whether he wants to follow through with his college plans, Steve is caught up trying to keep his relationship with Laurie (Williams) together or call it quits before the move, John is facing the reality he isn’t ready to face the future without his friend and Terry is trying to find his cool after getting to look after Steve’s car, trying his luck with the ladies after years of rejection.

Thoughts on American Graffiti

Characters – Curt has always enjoyed his time on the strip, he knows everybody and is one of the most popular guys around, he was due to head of the college, but hasn’t made his mind up yet, despite it needing to be read for his next day, he ends up trying to spend his time chasing a mysterious woman around town all night. Steve has always planned his life out, he is going off to college and he is ready to make his relationship more open while they are separated, here he gets to learn about his relationship even if his best friend might not be joining him in college. John is the friend that has always been known for his ability with cars, he has a reputation around town with the police following him around and now he is starting to see the future where his friends are doing a lot more than him and gets stuck with a younger girl for the night, where he starts to see a brighter side to his future. Terry has always been the butt of most of the jokes between the friends, now he gets Steve’s car to look after he spends the night trying to find himself a woman and impress her with his lines.

Performances – When we look at the cast, Richard Dreyfuss is great through the film showing us a character that can get plenty of laughs and is quick on his feet. Ron Howard brings the character we know him for is always going to be easy for him to play. Paul Le Mat brings the typical bad boy to life that does show how he bought us a level of sympathy to the character. Charles Martin Smith brings the geeky sounding character out which become one of the most popular characters in these teen comedies for years to come.

Story – The story here follows four friends on the last day of summer before college is due to start, we see how the four have a different adventure on this night, which will help them discover what they want next in their lives. This is a story that shows just how difficult life is when you take the next step, leaving school is one of the first and biggest anybody will take, with the uncertainty being there for everybody involved, part of you will want to stay close to what you already had, while other sides of this will see you wanting to see what is next. This story mixes all of this together through the film with little effort and makes you believe these people could be real, while certain aspects will have dated here, with a new generation, back n the 1970s this would have been the idea of the house party in the 80s or 90s and wild adventure the modern youth would be having.

Comedy – The comedy in this film would be right up there with any teen comedies, it would have gotten more laughs for when it was released, rather than the ones you would expect to see now.

Settings – The film is set in one hang out location known as the strip, this will be the location where we get all the hang outs you would expect for teens in this generation.


Scene of the Movie – Terry’s attempts to get boozes.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The world involved does seem to have dated.

Final Thoughts – This is a wonderful look at teenage life in the 70s it shows us just how close the friendships were, how hard the changes coming were and just what was left for the people in life.

Overall: Beautiful Look at the 70s.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Action – O – Olympus Has Fallen (2013) Movie Review

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Writer: Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt (Screenplay)

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Rick Yune, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Dylan McDermott, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell

Plot: Disgraced Secret Service agent (and former presidential guard) Mike Banning finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to rescue the President from his kidnappers.


Tagline – When our flag falls our nation will rise. 

Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Action-Packed Thriller

Story: Olympus Has Fallen starts after disgraced secret service agent Mike Banning (Butler) has found an office job near the White House after failing to save President Benjamin Asher’s (Eckhart) wife after an accident. With the President holding talks with the South Korean Prime Minister, Washington comes under attack with the President finding safety is the bunker, only to learn known terrorist Kang (Yune) has been planning this attack for a long time.

Mike Banning finds his way into a battered White House to help save the President’s son first before looking to rescue the President with his only communication being from the current leaders of the country, can he save the day from this ruthless terrorist.

Thoughts on Olympus Has Fallen

Characters – Mike Banning was once the President’s closest friend in the secret service, the one his trust, he lost this trust after an accident sees Mike choosing to save the President over his wife (even though that is his job). He is left disgraced, but always ready to protect his country and his president, which he will have to do today, showing off all of his military training to take on the full army of enemies stood in his way. Mike is clearly designed to be like John McClane too, with how he goes about dealing with the enemies. President Benjamin Asher is a much-loved President, he is looking to help South Korea with the problem they are facing from the North only to find himself held captive, he doesn’t want to see his team injured or killed, forcing them to help give away the codes Kang wants, trying to prove America won’t negotiate with terrorists. Kang is the terrorist that has been known to the world by name, never face, until today, he takes over the White House with his men and wants the President to help him withdraw forces in the oceans around South Korea, he isn’t afraid to kill people to get what he wants and will make the President watch too. Speaker Trumbull takes control of the country with the President and Vice-President held captive, he must help make the difficult decisions which could see people killed.

Performances – Gerard Butler is intense as the action hero, we know he is always going to be strong in these type of films and here is no different. Aaron Eckhart as the president is always going to be a good choice because he does have a calming presence which we saw in places during The Dark Knight. Rick Yune as the villain is strong showing his cold side through the film, while Morgan Freeman does lead a strong cast through the table of power.

Story – The story here follows a disgraced secret service agent that will get the chance to redeem his name after the President is taken hostage in the White House by a terrorist. This is a pure action film, it does everything that we saw in the likes of Die Hard, with one man needing to do everything he can to save the hostage, which just so happens to be the President. We don’t get many twists or turns along the way, with everything just being what we need to keep us guessing to what will happen next, because we know Mike isn’t going to be losing along the way. The side of the story which does shine, comes from just how deadly the terrorists are by how many people they are willing to kill.

Action – The action in the film does include large scale destruction with bodies flying everywhere, we do calm this down with a much more scaled down approach within the walls, but this is still showing us how good Butler is at action.

Settings – The film is set in the White House, one of the safest places and hardest to break into, this does help show how dangerous this situation has become because the people being held hostage have the power to destroy the world.

Special Effects – When it comes to the special effects, this could well be the weakest part of the film because we see a clearly CGI attack happening from the outset, which looks like it has dated badly.


Scene of the Movie – The attack might well have CGI issues, but the scale is brilliant.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Seems too easy to pull off.

Final Thoughts – This is a pure fun action movie that easily knows what it is, with it being action packed fun, it is one man verses an army which is all we need at times.

Overall: Big action spectacle.

Categories
Movie Review

It Stains the Sands Red (2016)

Director: Colin Minihan

Writer: Colin Minihan, Stuart Ortiz (Screenplay)

Starring: Brittany Allen, Juan Riedinger, Merwin Mondesir, Kristopher Higgins, Andrew Supanz, Nico David

 

Plot: In the throes of a zombie apocalypse, a troubled woman from Las Vegas with a dark past finds herself stranded in the desert with a lone and ravenous zombie on her tail.


Tagline – If the heat doesn’t kill you, something else will.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Tense Thriller

 

Story: It Stains the Sands Red starts as Molly (Allen) and Nick (Mondesir) are getting out of Las Vegas after a zombie outbreak, breaking down on the side of the road through the desert, the two find themselves being stalked by a single zombie. Nick killed, leaves Molly alone, the problem is she can’t shake the zombie who she nicknames Smalls (Riedinger), who just follows her through the desert.

Continuing her journey Molly learns the hard way that Smalls isn’t the only danger she is facing in the desert. Can she make it to the airport before it is too late.

 

Thoughts on It Stains the Sands Red

 

Characters – Molly is our main character, she is party animal and stripper with a drug addiction using Nick to get out of the chaos that is zombie riddled Las Vegas. She is left along to make her way for the desert in hopes of finding the airport which should offer her safety. The problem is that she is joined by a zombie that follows her like a dog becoming almost like her guardian angel. Smalls is the zombie that is following Molly, he appears from nowhere only to constantly following her through the desert, he starts to listen to instructions to stay with her. Anyone else we meet are only used in small amounts of scenes including Nick the man that was taking Molly to safety and others along the journey.  

Performances – Brittany Allen in the leading role is excellent, she must carry the film with her performance and even though her characters starts as an unlikeable character as the film continues her performance makes you care for the character. Juan Riedinger as the zombie is the next closest to any getting screen time and with the help of the make-up department never looks out of place in his role.

Story – The story here is very simple, we follow one woman during a zombie outbreak that finds herself stranded in the middle of the desert with a single zombie following her at a pace that she can easily outpace. The simplistic survival instinct that is shown by Molly from early in the movie. We have a character that must face her own demons that she gets to face in her search for survival, proving that her past can be what she needs to keep her going.

Horror – The horror in this movie focuses on the desperate attempt to survive in a zombie infested world, while we get to look at the idea that zombies are not the only threat within this new chaos.

Settings – The film keeps us in the desert for the most part, it shows us just how desperate Molly is to survive in this world that one of the most dangerous places in the world could be her only hope.

Special Effects – The effects are practical for the most part, we don’t get many and they are used for a mix of the zombies and the kills.


Scene of the Movie – The locked room.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The people Molly meets hits a checklist for zombie movies.

Final Thoughts – This is a good twist on the zombie genre, following the solo woman that must get survive with her lone follower a zombie.

 

Overall: Standout zombie movie.

Rating

 

 

Categories
Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Action – N – Valhalla Rising (2009) Movie Review

This is under N because of the director Nicolas Winding Refn.

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Writer: Nicolas Winding Refn, Roy Jacobsen (Screenplay)

Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Alexander Morton, Stewart Porter, Maarten Stevenson, Matthew Zajac, Gordon Brown, Gary McCormack

Plot: Forced for some time to be a fighting slave, a pagan warrior escapes his captors with a boy and joins a group of Crusaders on their quest to the Holy Land.

Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: What Was This?

Story: Valhalla Rising starts as One Eye (Mikkelsen) is forced into fights to prove his owner has the strongest fighter, waiting for his chance to escape, he does joined by The Boy (Stevenson) the two go in search for something more, when they join Kare (Lewis) as a Crusader heading to the Holy Land.

As the journey continues, One Eye slowly sees the Crusaders start to lose their own minds, believing they are doing God’s will, with their blind following, while One Eye proves just how dangerous he is.

Thoughts on Valhalla Rising

Characters – One Eye is a slave in early mankind, he is forced into fights, where he always kills the enemies, after he escapes, he becomes a warrior that leads people in a direction they aren’t ready to go down. He doesn’t say a word. Kare, Gorm and Eirik are Christian Vikings from the Crusades looking for the Holy Land, they each believe there is something different in the message sent to them with One Eye, which sees them lose control between themselves.

Performances – Mads Mikkelsen is the highlight of the film here, he keeps his character looking mysterious, while also being deadly. The rest of the cast might handle the dialogue which fills in a lot of the story, they don’t do much else in the film.

Story – The story follows a slave kept for fighting that breaks free going on his own adventure leading a group of Crusaders into the depths of a place they haven’t been to before. This is a story that doesn’t seem to get very deep, with most of the story being travelling and see how blind the Crusaders would be in their beliefs and see one man break free and becoming a leader, the ending will leave you scratching your head though.

Action/Fantasy – The action in the film follows the fight sequences that One Eye goes through, though a lot of action is being held back from what could happen, with the fantasy side of the film showing us just how the world doesn’t seem as real as the characters believe it is.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show the new discoveries that the character go on along their journey.

Special Effects – The effects are used for the brutality of the fights, which show us just what is going on in the fights.


Scene of the Movie – One Eye’s first fight.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – There is a lot of walking.

Final Thoughts – This isn’t the most engaging film you will see, it seems to have plenty of walking and symbolism around the early era of the Crusades.

Overall: Something or Nothing.