Tag: 2013

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Movie Review

Septic Man (2013) Movie Review

Septic Man – Movie Review

Septic Man captivates with impressive special effects, but its confusing story detracts from the overall experience and clarity.

First Reaction – Septic Man is carried by the exceptional special effects, despite the confusing story.

Director: Jesse Thomas Cook

Writer: Tony Burgess (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A sewage worker gets trapped inside a septic tank during a water contamination crisis and undergoes a hideous transformation.

Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Septic Man starts when a water contamination crisis sees a small town evacuated. Jack (Brown) reluctantly agrees to stay and help with the cleanup. However, he gets trapped in a septic tank and gets contaminated himself.

Jack discovers a mysterious Giant (Maillet) has secrets in the tank as he searches for a way out. However, the contamination is transforming him, and the infection spreads, letting him see how bad the water has become.

Verdict on Septic Man

Recap

The movie follows the aftermath of a water contamination, which leads to the town being evacuated. S sewage worker agrees to stay behind and try to help with the cleanup. However, he becomes trapped and transforms as the contamination spreads.

Best Parts

This is a special effects masterpiece, as we see the transformation slowly taking over. The movie does an excellent job of showing a small town cover up happening too late. Meanwhile, the psychological side of the movie comes through strong too as Jack tries to figure out a way to escape.

Worst Parts

The bigger story is not as interesting, with a killer holding people captive. It confuses more than anything any and leaves us wondering what could be happening, rather than showing the signs of what is happening.

Final Thoughts –Septic Man has a series is brilliant special effects.

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Movie Review

Jet Stream (2013) Movie Review

Jet Stream – Movie Review

Get ready for a wild ride with Jet Stream - a thrilling disaster movie that explores the mystery of powerful winds in the upper atmosphere.

ABC Film Challenge – Disaster Movies – J

Director: Jeffery Scott Lando

Writer: Jeffery Scott Lando (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A TV weatherman tries to prove his theory that a series of unexplained catastrophes are the result of powerful winds found in the upper atmosphere coming down to ground level.

Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Jet Stream starts when a government experiment spirals out of control. TV weatherman Steve ‘Sunny’ Simpson (Chokachi) has been tracking the weather phenomenon. His research discovers something terrifying and grabs the attention of lead scientist Daniel (Hillier).

Steve and Daniel must put their differences aside to solve the problem caused. However, the damage has been done and the military’s latest weapon has caused a domino effect on the weather systems.

Verdict on Jet Stream

Jet Stream is a sci-fi action thriller that follows a government experiment that affects the weather system. A TV weatherman is recruited to deal with the problem, as it was part of his original design, and they face a race to save the world.

When it comes to government-created disasters, this follows the typical concept of them wanting to turn something good into a weapon. It presents the secretive side of the idea but doesn’t show any of the destruction created. This is part of the problem with movies like this, they believe the story is good enough to escape the action side of the movie. By failing to show the destruction, we don’t see its bigger impact on the world. It feels like a typical style of movie we see a lot and fails to give us enough to work with.

Where to Watch

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Final Thoughts –Jet Stream is a typical low-budget disaster movie.

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Movie Review

Stalled (2013) Movie Review

Stalled – ABC Film Challenge – Comedy – S – Stalled – Movie Review

Stalled

Director: Christian James

Writer: Dan Palmer (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A janitor gets trapped in a women’s restroom and encounters an all-out attack by a horde of zombies.

Runtime: 1 Hour 26 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Stalled starts when janitor W.C. (Palmer) prepares to clean the women’s toilet after a Christmas party. When he finds himself hiding in a stall when a couple of women turn up. He isn’t prepared for what happens next as he deals with a horde of zombies entering the room.

W.C is trapped in a stall with a woman in the stall a couple down. They must figure out how to escape the situation using the limited resources they have. What follows is a series of comical events to survive the zombie horde.

Verdict on Stalled

Stalled is a horror comedy following a janitor who finds himself trapped in a toilet stall when a zombie outbreak happens. He can’t just escape and must figure out the best way to get out. However, it isn’t going to be as easy as he had hoped.

This is a low-budget effective horror comedy, using confined space to bring us a new vision of a zombie movie. It gets the laughs when it needs to and has extremely good make-up effects. Dan Palmer does a great job at carrying most of the movie with his comic timing. While the environment uses different materials to help in the fight back against the zombies.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts –Stalled is a silly but enjoyable horror comedy.

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Movie Review

Anchorman 2 The Legend Continues (2013) Movie Review

Anchorman 2 The Legend Continues – Movie Review

Discover the comedy masterpiece Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Get the scoop on the star-studded cast and the hilarious plot.

ABC Film Challenge – Comedy – A

Director: Adam McKay (The Big Short)

Writer: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: With the 1970s behind him, Ron Burgundy, San Diego’s former top-rated newsreader, returns to take New York City’s first twenty-four-hour news channel by storm.

Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Anchorman 2 The Legend Continues starts when Veronica (Applegate) gets the long-awaited promotion. However, Ron (Ferrell) is fired because of his errors, leading to the collapse of his career. As Ron tries to rebuild his career, he gets a new opportunity from Freddie Shapp (Baker). This leads to Ron putting the band back together, Brian (Rudd), Brick (Carell) and Champ (Koechner).

However, Ron’s attempt to return to the big time, sees him clashing with the new owner. It leads to him continuing his shallow mind and rubbing people the wrong way.

Verdict on Anchorman 2 The Legend Continues

Anchorman 2 The Legend Continues is a comedy sequel to the popular first movie. It follows Ron Burgundy needing to rebuild his career, but he is still a self-centred egotistic figure. However, the audience loves him no matter what happens behind the scenes.

This movie continues to bring the comedy which some people find funny. However, if you don’t like this humour, you will find this movie dull. It uses the same cycle that was uninteresting in the first movie and failed to get enough laughs. Even with the endless number of cameos, it doesn’t do enough to make it stand out.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Anchorman 2 The Legend Continues lacks the laughs and feels recycled.

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Movie Review

The Suspect (2013) Movie Review

The Suspect – Movie Review

Read a captivating movie review of 'The Suspect' and discover the unexpected twists and turns in this action-packed thriller.

ABC Film Challenge – Action – S

Director: Stuart Connelly

Writer: Stuart Connelly (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Two African American social scientists pose as bank robbers in an effort to understand the racial dynamics of small-town law enforcement. However, their experiment takes an unplanned, deadly turn.

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Suspect starts when a black man (Phifer) is being interrogated by Sheriff Dixon (Sadler). He is the prime suspect in a bank robbery, but both men stay one step ahead. Meanwhile, we see the suspect has a partner (Brown) and they have put together a social experiment.

When we return to the Sheriff Dixon investigation, we learn how things have started to go wrong. It becomes a bigger challenge to prove who was telling the truth and what could have gone wrong.

Verdict on The Suspect

The Suspect is an action thriller following a couple of professors who conduct a risky experiment. It follows them arranging a bank robbery and studying the police response dealing with Black suspects. However, things spiral out of control, when things don’t go to plan.

This movie looks to tackle racial profiling in a social experiment. It uses a simple idea of a bank robbery and mistaken arrest. However, things get out of hand when the partners see things getting out of their control. This is a clever idea, even if it does rely on more twists than it needs to. It poses an interesting question and leaves you wondering how police treat any suspects.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – The Suspect is an interesting twist on a crime story.

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Movie Review

Company of Heroes (2013) Movie Review

Company of Heroes – Movie Review

Company of Heroes is a military action film about soldiers uniting to stop Hitler's super bomb during World War II.

First Reaction – Company of Heroes is an easy to watch military action film.

Watch Company of Heroes Here.

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ABC Film Challenge – Action – C

Director: Don Michael Paul

Writer: David Reed (Screenplay)

Writer: Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo (Story)

Cast

Plot: American soldiers lost behind enemy lines during World War II make a horrific discovery: Hitler has a super bomb in development. Against all odds, they set out to find the scientist in charge of the program who is looking to defect.

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Company of Heroes starts when an American military unit led by Dean Ranson (Sizemore) leads a new mission. Their mission is to stop Hitler’s troops from releasing a super bomb. They must team up with soldiers from other nations, including Brent Willoughby (Jones) and Ivan Puzharski (Diatchenko).

The makeshift team of soldiers must fight the Germans and gain control of the bomb. However, the Germans have planned for any threats and have the odds over the soldiers.

Verdict on Company of Heroes

Recap

The movie follows a group of soldiers from different countries on a mission to prevent the Germans from releasing a super bomb. They must put their differences aside and learn about each other’s strengths to prevent the Germans from gaining control of the war.

Best Parts

The military unit bonding is entertaining and seeing the different cultures coming together shows what war can do to people. When it comes to military combat, everything is what you would expect without doing too much wrong.

Worst Parts

There is a forced romantic angle which comes from nowhere and doesn’t fit the tone of the movie.

Final Thoughts –Company of Heroes is a simple late-night action movie.

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Movie Review

The Borneo Incident (2013) Movie Review

The Borneo Incident – Movie Review

The Borneo Incident is a low-budget horror featuring five friends stranded in the jungle, facing wildlife and tribal dangers.

First Reaction – The Borneo Incident is a typical low budget horror.

Watch The Borneo Incident on Tubi

Director: Michael Helfman

Writer: Michael Helfman (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Michael Helfman
  • Henry Golding (Last Christmas)
  • Robert Gilliland
  • Fay Hokulani
  • Mitch Ross

Plot: Five friends travel from New York to Malaysian Borneo to explore one’s Iban tribal roots. Crossing into Indonesia, their guide disappears, leaving them stranded in the jungle facing crocodiles and warring tribes.

Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Borneo Incident starts when five friends, Mike (Helfman), Henry (Golding), Rob (Gilliland), Fay (Hokulani), and Mitch (Ross), travel from New York to Malaysia. They are helping Henry reconnect with his distant family and enjoy the local area. However, once they head into the jungle, things take a dramatic turn.

Verdict on The Borneo Incident

Recap

The movie follows five friends who head to Malaysia, only to find themselves fighting to survive in the jungle. They must escape the wildlife and the tribes hunting anyone in their local area.

Best Parts

This is low budget and brings a raw feel to everything happening in the movie. The problem is that is the only strong thing about the movie.

Worst Parts

This follows most of the frustrations of found footage-styled movies. It has too much time doing very little travelling around and wham bam it is over. There is nothing memorable about the movie and I think the only reason people will check it out is because of Henry Golding.

Final Thoughts –The Borneo Incident is a basic horror without enough going on.

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Movie Review

Roadside (2013) Movie Review

Roadside – Movie Review

Discover the intense thriller 'Roadside' - A couple fights for survival when held hostage on a desolate mountain road in this gripping horror movie.

ABC Film Challenge – Horror – E (Eric England)

Director: Eric England

Writer: Eric England (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Dan Summers and his pregnant wife, Mindy, fight for their lives when they are held hostage in their car by an unseen gunman on the side of a desolate mountain road.

Runtime: 1 Hour 21 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Roadside starts when Dan (Marrero) and Mindy (Stegeman) travel across the country. However, when they get shot at by a mysterious gunman, they get stuck on the side of the road. Dan tries to learn what the gunman wants, in a confrontation between the pair.

However, the gunman has the advantage and keeps one step ahead of the game with what he wants Dan to do. It ends up sending Dan down a path he doesn’t want to talk about, which could ruin his life.

Verdict on Roadside

Roadside is a mystery horror following a couple who get captured on the side of the road by a psychotic gunman. They must confront him if they are to escape. However, he isn’t going to let them go without them playing his twisted games.

This movie has a nice idea by stranding the leading couple. We have seen this type of movie before, where a gunman holds people in a singular location. This side of the story is done well. However, things don’t seem to go very far, and it doesn’t seem to reveal enough for what the bigger picture is. In the end, the tension is slow and doesn’t seem to get going to the leaves you would expect.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Roadside struggles to bring enough tension to the table.

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Movie Review

Can’t Come Out to Play (2013) Movie Review

Can’t Come Out to Play – ABC Film Challenge – Horror – C – Can’t Come Out to Play – Movie Review 

Can’t Come Out to Play – ABC Film Challenge – Horror – C – Can’t Come Out to Play - Movie Review

Director: John McNaughton

Writer: Stephen Lancellotti (Screenplay)

Cast

 

Plot: A couple who keeps their sick son in a secluded environment find their controlled lives challenged by a young girl who moves in next door.  

Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review 

Story: Can’t Come Out to Play starts when Andy (Tahan) is involved in a sporting accident. It has left him stuck in home not the same as he was before. His parents Katherine (Morton) and Richard (Shannon) are trying their best to help him, but he is starting to get lonely.

Meanwhile, Maryann (Calis) moves in with her grandparents, (Fonda) and (Lyles). She sees Andy in the home next door and starts to make friends. However, Katherine doesn’t want Andy to make any new friends and tries to stop the two from getting to know each other. There is a reason for this, one that Maryann learns first hand being much more disturbing.  

Verdict on Can’t Come Out to Play

Can’t Come Out to Play is a horror thriller following a young boy struggling with a mysterious illness. When he starts to make friends with a neighbour, his parents have a very different reaction to their new friendship.

This is a movie that takes a while to get going, with a large part of the first half of the movie focusing more on the friendship growing. However, once the bigger picture is revealed, we go down a disturbing path we weren’t ready for. It creates a massive mystery about the bigger problems going on and turns what felt like a standard horror into one that leaves you shocked. 

Final Thoughts – Can’t Come Out to Play is a horror that leaves you shocked.