Tag: 2018

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Movie Review

State Like Sleep (2018) Movie Review

State Like Sleep – Movie Review

Get a glimpse into 'State Like Sleep' directed by Meredith Danluck. A poignant movie exploring the aftermath of a celebrity husband's suicide and the complexities of family dynamics.

Director: Meredith Danluck (The Ride)

Writer: Meredith Danluck (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A woman grapples with the consequences of her celebrity husband’s double life after he commits suicide.

Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: State Like Sleep starts when Katherine (Waterston) learns about her celebrity husband Stefan (Huisman) commited suicide. She is left broken, as you would expect and her mother Elaine (Place) suffers a stroke, making her life even more complicated.

However, as Katherine looks back at her marriage, she saw the early signs of things falling apart. She knew how difficult a private life with a celebrity became and the double life her husband lived. All the while she enters this life to learn what drove him to become who he became.

Verdict on State Like Sleep

State Like Sleep is a drama following a grieving widow trying to understand the private life her late husband had. It follows her into a world she never expected to enter, learning what he turned to in an attempt to escape the celebrity spotlight.

This is a movie that uses the difficulties of dealing with grief and living in the shadow of a celebrity. It explores a life you never knew someone close to you might be living. We get an unexpected journey that leaves us filled with surprises. However, it gets caught up with too many moments of mystery, without it being a big mystery.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – State Like Sleep is an interesting journey through grief.

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Movie Review

Operation Ragnarök (2018) Movie Review

Operation Ragnarök – Movie Review

Discover the thrilling Swedish movie Operation Ragnarök. See how the town residents must survive a viral outbreak and the terrifying creatures it unleashes.

ABC Film Challenge – World Cinema – Operation Ragnarok

Director: Fredrik Hiller (Beowulf)

Writer: Fredrik Hiller (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A town in the south of Sweden is isolated after a viral outbreak. The Swedes and immigrants still inside must band together to survive the onslaught.

Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Operation Ragnarök starts when an incident on a military submarine unleashes a terrifying creature on a small Swedish town. It sees the residents infected with something that fills them with rage, attacking the non-infected. The military puts a quarantine on the town, as they look to contain the incident.

Meanwhile, Nils (Malmsjo) must find a safe route out of town, as he is joined by other survivors. They must face a series of threats as the military presence struggles to maintain control of the situation.

Verdict on Operation Ragnarök

Operation Ragnarök is an action horror following a group of survivors who are attempting to find safety after an infection spread in their town. It turns people into ravenous creatures and the military is trying to cover up the situation.

This movie brings a mixture of zombie ideas to the infected weaponised society. While it isn’t a pure zombie movie, it shows that biowarfare can create bigger problems. It is nonstop with the action and does pose a bigger question of military involvement in containment breaches. However, the effects are not the best, relying on the noises being made over the actual visual of the infected. All while there is a deeper message about accepting everyone in a town, no matter what their background.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts –Operation Ragnarök is a solid chaotic action horror movie.

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Movie Review

Trial by Fire (2018) Movie Review

Trial by Fire – Movie Review

Cameron Todd Willingham's tragic story in Trial by Fire. See Emily Meade, Laura Dern, Jack O'Connell and Chris Coy in this movie.

Director: Edward Zwick (Glory)

Writer: Geoffrey Fletcher (Screenplay)

Writer: David Grann (Article)

Cast

Plot: The tragic and controversial story of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was sentenced to death in Texas for killing his three children even after scientific evidence and expert testimony bolstered his claims of innocence.

Runtime: 2 Hours 7 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Trial by Fire starts when Todd (O’Connell) sees his children killed in a house fire. The investigation shows evidence of arson and Todd is the only one around and has a reputation for violence, he becomes the prime suspect. His trial is quick, and he is sentenced to the death penalty.

Todd maintains his innocence and decides to use his time to find a new lawyer. He eventually gets in contact with Elizabeth (Dern) as one last attempt to get a new trial and prove his innocence.

Verdict on Trial by Fire

Trial by Fire is a drama thriller following a man facing the death penalty for murdering his children. While the case looks like he was behind it, the lack of a fair trial leads to a last-minute attempt to clear his name. However, everyone involved in the case believes he was guilty and the race against time is taking its toll.

This is a thriller based on the real story of a man battling to prove his innocence. It shows how easily a courtroom can be swayed into believing a story and not everyone involved in the case does the right thing. The performances are strong throughout the movie, as we see just how far the case spun out of control and the years of battle for the truth. Even if the story is more about how the death penalty is seen without support.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Trial by Fire is a thriller showing a harsh reality.

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Movie Review

Profile (2018) Movie Review

Profile – Movie Review

Profile: British journalist Amy (Kane) infiltrates the Islamic State propaganda channels - a movie review of RT 1hr 46min.

Director: Timur Bekmambetov

Writer: Britt Poulton, Timur Bekmambetov, Olga Kharina (Screenplay)

Writer: Anna Érelle (Book)

Cast

Plot: An undercover British journalist infiltrates the online propaganda channels of the so-called Islamic State, only to be sucked in by her recruiter.

Runtime: 1 Hour 46 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Profile starts when journalist Amy (Kane) takes on her latest story. She must make a fake profile, where she draws the attention of Bilel (Latif). Amy is joined by her Chief Editor Vick (Adams) and tech support to give her enough of a story.

However, Amy starts getting closer to Bilel and believing more of his stories. Her friends and family try to pull her out of the trance she has become caught up in by her recruiter, putting her life in danger.

Verdict on Profile

Profile is a mystery thriller following a journalist who goes undercover to learn about the recruitment process by the Islamic State. However, the more she gets involved in the story, the easier she finds herself drawn to the cause. It ends up putting the life she had at risk for something she never knew about.

This is based on the real article written by French journalist Anna Érelle’s ‘In the Skin of a Jihadist’. It shows the dangers people face by getting involved with the Islamic State and how easily young women are manipulated into joining. This does an amazing job at showing how easily drawn to it people can become. All while taking a professional woman and seeing her life turned upside down. It is filled with tension, as you are never sure which side of the story Amy will fall under.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts –Profile is a tense thriller highlighting the dangers of underground recruitment.

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Movie Review

An Elephant’s Journey (2018) Movie Review

An Elephant’s Journey – Movie Review

Elephant's Journey

Director: Mark Drury Taylor

Writer: David Moss, Mark Drury Taylor (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Flora is a circus elephant who can no longer perform her tricks. The night before she’s scheduled to be euthanized, the circus owner’s 14-year-old daughter, Dawn, sneaks Flora from the circus. All that stands between them and the safety of the elephant preserve is two hundred kilometres of woods, one raging river, two elephant hunters and the fear of not making it.

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: An Elephant’s Journey starts when a teenager Dawn (Ortega) looks to get her circus elephant Flora to a preserve. Her father Henry (Arquette) has been doing everything he can to help rehome Flora, without any success.

As Dawn travels with Flora, she meets teenage thief Sebastian (Martinez) leading to the three making the journey. However, the journey isn’t going to be easy as hunters are looking to collect on the bounty. To make matters worse, Flora becomes a news sensation.

Verdict on An Elephant’s Journey

An Elephant’s Journey is an adventure family movie following a teenage girl trying to find a new home for her circus elephant. It follows her on a journey that sees her needing to overcome problems. While her father searches for her and hunters looking for a bounty.

This is a fun family film that takes us on a heartwarming journey. It also gets to highlight the lack of options for animal owners looking to do the right thing for their pets. We get to learn life lessons while dealing with threats faced for the first time. A young Jenna Ortega shines in this role, with David Arquette bringing us the concerned parent.

Final Thoughts – An Elephant’s Journey is an enjoyable family film.

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Movie Review

Riot (2018) Movie Review

Riot – Movie Review

Riot

Director: Jeffrey Walker

Writer: Greg Waters, Carrie Anderson (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A group of people are stuck in a fight against the law who has paused the decision to decriminalize homosexuality. They decide to protest against the authority and bring in a change.

Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Riot starts in the late 1970s in Australia homosexual relationships are still illegal. However, Lance Gowland (Herriman) joins forces with other homosexuals to challenge the law. Marg McMann (Box), Jim Walker (Samuel) and Robyn Plaister (De Gouw) are among the others in the group.

This leads to the first series of protests against the people who refuse to let them have their own lives. However, the battle becomes difficult as they find themselves dealing with attacks to keep them down.

Verdict on Riot

Riot is a drama following a group of homosexuals who lead a campaign to make gay marriage legal in Australia. They face discrimination while they push for the winning vote. However, they must overcome other things to achieve what needs to change.

This is a drama that shows the importance of people fighting for the chance had. It shows how much they had to overcome to fight for something that should always have been equal. The challenges are the same as many other countries. This does hold it back from being anything different than any of the others we have seen before. We get strong performances from everyone involved.

Final Thoughts –Riot shows an important change that came to Australia.

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Movie Review

Danger One (2018) Movie Review

Danger One – ABC Film Challenge – Action – O (One) – Danger One – Movie Review

Danger One – ABC Film Challenge – Action – O (One) – Danger One - Movie Review

Director: Tom Oesch

Writer: Steffan Schlachtenhaufen (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: While transporting a dying man to the hospital, two paramedics find a million dollars in cash sewn into his clothing. When the man dies, they decide to keep it, setting them on a path for a hellish night of violence and mayhem.

Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Danger One starts when paramedics Dean (Scott) and Eric (Jurdi) transport their latest injured person. It sees them discovering a pile of money in the body that they choose to keep. However, Agent Beckwith (O’Neill) has been searching for the money.

Meanwhile, criminal fixer Craddock (O’Hare) is also looking for the money. Now, the paramedics are searching for a way out of the situation, while keeping the money. Can they get through the night before getting caught or not?

Verdict on Danger One

Danger One is an action comedy following two paramedics who stumble upon life-changing money on a victim. However, once they decide to keep the money, they find themselves targeted by a host of different people.

This is a wacky action comedy that follows the paramedics who see their lives turned upside down by money. It follows a series of events leading to the problems they are facing, with each one becoming more difficult to escape from. This gets to show the fine line between following the law and getting what you think you have earned. It has crazy moments that all help the story unfold.

Final Thoughts – Danger One is a wacky action comedy.

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Movie Review

Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost (2018) Movie Review

Scooby-Doo! And the Gourmet Ghost – Movie Review 

the Gourmet Ghost

Director: Doug Murphy

Writer: Tim Sheridan (Screenplay)

Writer: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera (Characters)

Cast (Voice Talents)

 

Plot: Your favorite teen sleuths go on an unforgettable adventure to New England, where they investigate the haunting of a historic colonial inn that’s been turned into a state-of-the-art, culinary resort.  

Runtime: 1 Hour 17 Minutes  

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review 

Story: Scooby-Doo! And the Gourmet Ghost starts when Scooby-Doo and the gang head to Bobby Flay’s new culinary resort. They get to experience the resort at its grand opening, however, a Red Ghost has come to cause problems.

The gang must put on their mystery-solving hats to figure out who is behind the Red Ghost. They find the main suspects to be the other guests at the resort. Meanwhile, Scooby and Shaggy enjoy the leftover food from the best chefs in the world.  

Verdict on Scooby-Doo! And the Gourmet Ghost

Scooby-Doo! And the Gourmet Ghost is the latest adventure of Mystery Inc. The gang finds themselves surrounded by celebrity chefs at a culinary resort haunted by a Red Ghost. They must solve the mystery before the resort is ruined.

When it comes to Scooby-Doo movies we know what we are going to get most of the time. This is similar to most of the previous movies. However, it does dive head-first into the food obsession of Scooby and Shaggy by bringing a host of celebrity chefs to the story. It has the laughs you would expect and by the end, you will have had a good time watching this one. 

Final Thoughts – Scooby-Doo! And the Gourmet Ghost is an enjoyable addition to the franchise.

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Movie Review

The Parting Glass (2018) Movie Review

Parting Glass

Director: Stephen Moyer

Writer: Denis O’Hare (Screenplay)

Starring: Denis O’Hare, Anna Paquin, Cynthia Nixon, Melissa Leo, Ed Asner, Rhys Ifans

Plot: A family dealing with their sister’s death travel across country to collect her belongings and piece together their memories of the woman they lost.

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Parting Glass starts here follows a family Tommy (Asner) and children Danny (O’Hare), Mare (Nixon), Al (Leo) and son-in-law Karl (Ifans) going on trip across country to help clear up Karl’s wife Colleen (Paquin) apartment after her death.

The journey will see them needing to go through their memories, remembering the good times and understanding what might have caused the incident leading to the death of Colleen.

Thoughts on The Parting Glass

Thoughts – The Parting Glass is a drama that will show how the family will come together to deal with grief of losing a loved one, getting to walk down memory lane, while addressing what caused the death. This will show the flaws they have between each other and shows how they are all trying to get through the difficult situation together, even with Karl being more of an outsider to the sibling bond between the remaining siblings. It will show that certain things can be said in the heat of the moment, as the grief takes over. The performances in the film are wonderful, with the natural chemistry created between the characters. The film does have the ability to go from a happy memory to the extreme pain with the snap of the fingers, which will show the natural struggle people can through.

Final Thoughts – The Parting Glass is a great drama about family coming together to deal with grief.