Day: January 23, 2023

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Movie Review

Alive (2022) Movie Review

Alive – Movie Review

Alive Movie Poster

Director: David Marantz

Writer: David Marantz (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Helen navigates a ravaged world with her boyfriend Kevin and her little brother Barney. Desperate to find help after Barney’s infection slowly turns him into a zombie, they come upon a house where lives Dan, a man harboring a heavy secret.

Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Alive starts as a virus spreads across England, turning people into infected zombies. Helen (Hillman), Kevin (Pritchard) and Barney are searching for an island that could give refuge. They stumble across Dan (Sheffield) a lone survivor with his own secrets.

When the group go in search of supplies, they end up clashing with Father Albert (Matthews) and his followers. They need to battle to survive as they search for their chance of rescue.

Verdict on Alive

Alive is a horror thriller following a group of survivors during a zombie apocalypse. They have a plan but after clashing with a group of survivors with other plans, they must learn whom to trust during the life and death times in life.

With an opening sequence that produces the pure chaos involved with a potential zombie outbreak. Showing how slowly people plan for it, believing smaller rescue centres would be the answer. This does turn into a battle for survival between the two sides. Showing how a zombie outbreak could bring the worst out in people. This also leans towards the potential of twisted ideas of what would be considered safety for humanity, a theory that is often thrown at the zombie subgenre. The environment is used well, having one home off the map, with the school offering supplies and troubles.

Final Thoughts – Alive is an entertaining zombie movie.

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ABC Film Challenge

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Catch-Up 2022 – W – Where the Crawdads Sing – Movie Rob’s Selection.

Where the Crawdads Sing

“Listen. I know you have a world of reasons to hate these people…” – Tom MIlton

Number of Times Seen – 1 (23 Jan 2023)

Brief Synopsis – A young girl who grew up in the marshes of the deep south is accused of murder and must find a way to prove her innocence.

My Take on it – This is a film that I’ve been curious to see ever since I first heard about it.

It is based on a best selling novel and there has recently come to light much controversy about the author, but that doesn’t diminish the story at all.

The movie does a nice job of developing the characters and story, but I have no doubt that the novel does an even better job describing things due to the advantages of that medium.

The story moves along well, but the way that things jump back and forth between time frames get a bit confusing along the way.

The cast is fine and that helps keep things intriguing to watch unfold.

I enjoyed the way that they portray some of the characters and that shows that even in small backwater towns, there are those who are willing to stand up and help those in need.

Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Taylor Swift insisted on writing the song “Carolina” for the film, only after she learned that actress Daisy Edgar-Jones and Reese Witherspoon (as producer) were both involved. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)

Categories
Movie Review

Wickensburg (2022) Movie Review

Wickensburg – ABC Film Challenge – Catch Up 2022 – W – Wickensburg – Movie Review

WIckensburg

Director: Richard Boddington

Writer: Richard Boddington (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A mother and her young son move to a new small town. They soon discover the town harbours a dark secret, and it’s a race against time to save the town.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Wickensburg starts when Celine (Richards) and her son Elliott (Gering) move to a new town. It starts strange in the town, as the two struggle to make friends, except with an outside Willow (White). She makes friends with Elliott and believes she is a witch.

As the two start their own investigation, Celina being a journalist, looks to have her own. The two sides end up working together to investigate a new construction operation in the town, uncovering a bigger cover-up.

Verdict on Wickensburg

Wickensburg is a fantasy horror that follows a new family coming to a mysterious town. They see strange things happening, leading them to investigate and uncover a dark secret. This leads to them racing against time to stop the town from getting worse before it is too late.

The movie does everything by the book. It has a new family in the town, makes friends with an outsider, brings people closer and is a shady business owner. This all comes together for the story, which feels more like an early draft ‘Goosebumps’ story. One that needed a bit more fine-tuning. However, the performances are strong enough to keep us entertained, in what is more of an entry-level fantasy horror.

Final Thoughts – Wickensburg is a safe fantasy horror movie.

Categories
Movie Review

Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat (2022) Movie Review

Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat – Movie Review

Narvik Hitler's First Defeat Movie Poster

Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg

Writer: Christopher Grøndahl (Screenplay)

Writer: Christopher Grøndahl, Erik Skjoldbjærg, Live Bonnevie, Sebastian Torngren Wartin (Story)

Cast

  • Kristine Hartgen
  • Henrik Mestad
  • Stig Henrik Hoff (The Thing)
  • Christoph Bach
  • Carl Martin Eggesbø

Plot: April 1940. The eyes of the world are on Narvik, a small town in northern Norway, source of the iron ore needed for Hiter’s war machinery. Through two months of fierce winter warfare, Hitler is dealt his first defeat.

Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat starts when the small Norwegian town of Narvik comes under attack by the Germans. They take control of the town, wanting the locals to help with the iron ore operation to help in the war. Ingrid Tofte (Hartgen)  is an interpreter between the Mayor and the Germans.

As the Norwegians look for a way out of the town, wanting to keep their civilians safe. They find themselves needing to operate in secret, despite the Germans not using an aggressive approach yet. However, knowing the English are coming, they want to get out of the conflict before innocent lives are taken, leading to their own operation to bring down the Germans.

Verdict on Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat

Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat is a war drama showing the first time Hitler’s Nazis last a battle in World War II. His men came up against a determined Norwegian town and army that wouldn’t give up a war-defining set of equipment without a fight. Showing their bravery, they put in to go around in secret to save their loved ones.

This shows the impossible position Ingrid and her fellow civilians were trapped in the middle of the conflict. The families feared for their lives during the combat. While the soldiers had to wait for their chance to take back their city. This does fall into another tragic story from the war, where people lost their lives. In the combat sequences, we see pure terror from being involved in the battles. Seeing their own town attacked and not knowing what will come next.

Where to Watch: Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat is available on Netflix Now.

Final Thoughts – Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat is a hard-hitting war movie.