Plot: What do you trust when you’re life is on the line?
Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on The Cancer Conflict
The Cancer Conflict is a documentary that follows two cancer patients that search for solutions outside the normal medical treatment. Surinder Paul looks to go down the non-hospital treatment refusing the operation to remove the tumour. Grant finds himself questioning the medical advice, after learning of treatments from other countries.
This documentary shows us how difficult a cancer diagnosis can be for patients and doctors. The doctors are given the best scientific solution, while the patient can look outside the box for their own solutions. Ones that go against medical advice, but they can’t be forced to follow them.
The documentary does an excellent job of showing the problems faced by everyone involved. It tackles the serious moments well and shows that outside of the treatment the support system is just as important.
Final Thoughts –The Cancer Conflict is a very important documentary.
Plot: West Point cadet Edgar Allan Poe and four other cadets on a training exercise in upstate New York are drawn by a gruesome discovery into a forgotten community.
Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Raven’s Hollow starts when Edgar Allan Poe’s (Moseley) cadets stumble upon a dying man. His dying words were about Raven, a forgotten community that Edgar’s men head to. After reaching the community, they are given a cold welcome from Elizabeth Ingram (Dickie) and Dr Garrett (Hayman).
This only intensifies the mystery and after one of Edgar’s men goes missing, they search for answers. Edgar learns of the gruesome behaviour happening in the area and faces a rush against time to save the men.
Verdict on Raven’s Hollow
Characters
Edgar Allan Poe is a West Point Cadet, he is with other cadets who stumble across a dying man. This sees Edgar leading the cadets to a small community, where he discovers not everything is what it seems. He must learn about the community before standing a chance to fight back against whatever is lurking in the community.
Charlotte is a young woman that has a way to attract men into this community. She quickly draws the eye of Edgar despite her mother trying to hold her from the world.
Elizabeth is Charlotte’s mother, she doesn’t like strangers in their community, giving the cadets the cold shoulder. She reluctantly lets them into the community, despite having her own secrets about how she protects her daughter.
Along the way, we get to see the fellow cadets and other members of the community that have encounters with the creature.
Performances
William Moseley in the leading role is great, being the man that must figure out what is going on. He shows the uncertainty going on and his inexperience as a cadet. Melanie Zanetti and Katie Dickie lead the supporting cast, with Dickie bringing her typical creepy character that could be on either side of the fence.
Story
The follows a group of younger cadets who stumble upon a mysterious community where people are disappearing from. As they try to solve the mystery, they find themselves dealing with an unknown threat.
This is a story that feels like it could be working hand in hand with ‘Sleepy Hollow’. It has a mystery in a gothic environment that is used to create horror in the story. Which gives us plenty of mystery to see how things are unfolding. There is a dive into myths and legends and is designed to feel like the origin of one of Edgar Allan Poe’s biggest stories.
Themes
Raven’s Hollow is a gothic horror that uses the myths of a community to create unease around a small community. When we get to see what is going on, it is very disturbing as well as a wonderfully original creation. The remote community showed how different communities could believe in different things, leading to unknown consequences.
Where to Watch: Raven’s Hollow is available on Shudder.
Final Thoughts – Raven’s Hollow is a nice throwback gothic horror.
Plot: An imprisoned drug kingpin offers a huge cash reward to anyone that can break him out of police custody, and only the L.A.P.D.’s Special Weapons and Tactics team can prevent it.
Runtime: 1 Hour 57 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: S.W.A.T. starts as Jim (Farrell) and his partner Gamble (Renner) see their operation go wrong, seeing the pair facing punishment. Jim accepts his new position, while Gamble rejects it. 6-months-later Sgt Dan ‘Hondo’ Harrelson (Jackson) returns to the unit, giving him a chance to put together a new S.W.A.T team. Hondo selects Jim, Deke (Cool J), McCabe (Charles), Boxer (Holt) and Sanchez (Rodriguez). As the new team goes through their training. A drug kingpin Alex Montel (Martinez) puts up a cash reward for anyone who can get him out of police custody.
Verdict onS.W.A.T.
S.W.A.T. is an action thriller that follows a freshly put together S.W.A.T. team. They face the odds when a kingpin puts a reward of helping him escape LA. The team puts their training in order to overcome an expert in the field.
This is a fun action thriller that feels like an introduction to a new series of characters we could re-visit in the future. (Sadly, we don’t). the action is simple enough, even if we don’t get enough S.W.A.T. material going on.
The cast is staked, which is great to see, with Samuel L Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez and LL Cool J. An early role from Jeremy Renner in a villainous role works well too.
Final Thoughts – S.W.A.T. is an entertaining action thriller in a world we could easily return too.
