Daily Archives: May 31, 2021

May 31 2021

Caveat (2020) Movie Review

Caveat – Isolated Effective Horror

Director: Damian Mc Carthy

Writer: Damian Mc Carthy (Screenplay)

Starring: Ben Caplan, Conor Dwane, Jonathan French, Leila Skyes

Plot: A lone drifter suffering from partial memory loss accepts a job to look after a psychologically troubled woman in an abandoned house on an isolated island.

Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Caveat starts when Isaac (French) reluctantly accepts a job from his landlord Barret (Caplan) to watch over his niece Olga (Skyes) on a remote home on an island, while she is dealing with her own psychological problems.

As Isaac prepares for the job, he learns he must wear a chain harness around the home and as he looks to put the missing pieces of his own life together, he starts to learn the truth about what happened on the island.

Thoughts on Caveat

Characters & Performances – Isaac is the man hired to watch over the house, he has lost his memory and is left feeling uncomfortable with the idea the house is on an island and that he must be harnessed. He must navigate the house when he starts to learn what has happened there. Jonathan French does do a great job in the leading role, feeding us with a character that is always on edge through the film. Olga is the niece that has psychological problems because of what has happened in her past can spend one moment like any other woman, but then be stuck in a catatonic state the next. Olga does fill in gaps from the past, which she will reveal slowly through the film. Leila Sykes does bring us a disturbing character that you just know has something not right about her.

Story – The story here follows a man who takes a role watching over a house with a psychological disturbed young woman in, only for the rules to make the experience turn into a slow uncomfortable experience for the man, as the truth about the house is revealed. This is a real slow burning story that is more about what has happened before, slowly getting revealed to bring extra twists into the actions of the characters. It is done in an effective way that show how to balance the line between not giving us much and not given us enough, grabbing the attention to see where the story will go next.

Themes – Caveat is an atmospheric horror that slowly builds up the tension through the film, while we might spend a lot of time in darkness, which is one of the weaknesses in the film, the isolated location and trapped figure add to the movie.

 

Caveat is a great tension filled horror experience.

May 31 2021

Flashback (2020) Movie Review

Flashback – Overly Confusing

 

Director: Christopher MacBride

Writer: Christopher MacBride (Screenplay)

Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Maika Monroe, Amanda Brugel, Hannah Gross, Keir Gilchrist, Emory Cohen, Sima Fisher

Plot: After a chance encounter with a man forgotten from his youth, Fred literally and metaphorically journeys into his past.

Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Flashback starts when Fredrick (O’Brien) has a chance encounter with a stranger from his past, one he can’t remember, which will send him on a journey through his past to try and figure out who the man is and what happened in his past.

Here Fred remembers his high school life with Cindy (Monroe) and how he was pushed into trying a new drug doing the rounds, Mercury. With this his starts to remember the terrifying past he left behind.

Thoughts on Flashback

Thoughts – Flashback is a sci-fi film that shows a young man that starts to look back on his life, only to learn not everything has gone in the plan or order he remembers, leading him down a path of uncertainty. This story is very confusing, the story has loads of time jumps, which is part of the mindset Fred is going through, but it makes things even more confusing for the audience. It does becomes too much to try and keep up with, leading to a film that will leave you scratching your head and looking to try and cure the headache it has given you. The acting isn’t bad though, Dlyan O’Brien once again takes a role which is maturing him as an actor, only he does look too old for the high school moments. This is an attempt to make an edgier sci-fi film that does look to have a deeper message about everything going on in life, which must be praised, it just doesn’t get executed to the heights we would imagine.

Vertigo Releasing presents Flashback on digital platforms 4 June 2021

 

Flashback is an overly confusing sci-fi film that jumps way too much.

May 31 2021

Werewolves Within – Release News

Signature Entertainment presents Werewolves Within on Digital Platforms and DVD from 19th July

Synopsis: Werewolves Within is a witty whodunnit horror directed by Josh Ruben (Scare Me) from a screenplay by Mishna Wolff, based on the video game of the same name. The film takes place in the small US town of Beaverfield, where a snowstorm has trapped a group of residents inside a local inn. Forest ranger Fin (Sam Richardson, Veep) and postal worker Cecily (Milana Vayntrub, Marvel’s New Warriors) seek to maintain peace among the residents and uncover the truth behind a mysterious and dangerous creature.  The fun new film boasts a hilarious comedic ensemble cast also including Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), Sarah Burns (Big Little Lies) and Harvey Guillen (What We Do In The Shadows TV). Produced by Ubisoft Film and Television (Assassin’s Creed). The Hollywood Reporter recently described the film as a “hidden gem: John Carpenter meets Clue”.