Tag: 2018

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Movie Review

Deadsight (2018) Movie Review

Deadsight – Movie Review 

Deadsight

Director: Jesse Thomas Cook

Writer: Liv Collins, Kevin Revie (Screenplay)

Cast

 

Plot: A man with partial blindness and a young pregnant police officer must work together to escape from a deadly virus that has spread across Grey County.  

Runtime: 1 Hour 21 Minutes  

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review 

Story: Deadsight starts when Ben (Seybold) wakes up in an ambulance, he is partially sighted and finds himself abandoned on a road. After stumbling out of the ambulance, he ends up running into pregnant police officer Mara (Collins). The two decided to try and find shelter together as they find themselves dealing with a deadly virus.

As the pair travel the world, they find themselves dealing with problems both human and zombie. All while searching for safety in an ever-increasing dangerous world.  

Verdict on Deadsight

Deadsight is a horror movie following two survivors of a zombie outbreak that must band together to survive. They face a range of threats as they look to make it out alive or at least find safety.

This is a zombie movie that has a nice idea with the two extra problems the survivors must deal with. With one being partially sighted and the other expecting a baby any moment. By using that, we see a different approach to fighting back. However, this does end up falling into the typical style we have seen plenty of times before. Nothing feels that intense and despite a couple of good head explosions, we have a largely forgettable zombie movie. 

Final Thoughts –Deadsight is a standard zombie movie, with few new ideas.

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Movie Review

Billionaire Boys Club (2018) Movie Review

Billionaire Boys Club – Movie Review

Billionaire Boys Club

Director: James Cox

Writer: James Cox, Captain Mauzner (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A group of wealthy boys in Los Angeles during the early 1980s establish a ‘get-rich-quick’ scam that turns deadly.

Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Billionaire Boys Club starts when two young men from different backgrounds, Joe Hunt (Elgort) and Dean Karny (Egerton) look to become rich. They have created a system that would see major returns on investment, or so their clients think.

As the pair sees money rolling in, Joe keeps a level head, while Dean gets into the added luxury. After they deal in Ron Levin (Spacey), they learn they are in over their head.

Verdict on Billionaire Boys Club

Billionaire Boys Club is a drama following a group of young men creating a get-rich-quick scheme. One that sees them rising up the ranks of wealth quickly, however, it becomes deadly.

This is a movie that gets to expose a 1980s scam being made by young men. They do everything they can to con people out of money to live the lifestyle of the rich. This doesn’t bring anything new to the table, taking us into a world where nobody comes off as redeemable. It even becomes confusing to figure out who is narrating the story too, when it seems it should be one, but leans into another.

By the end of the movie, we won’t see any of the star’s best performances. Everyone who should have gone onto bigger things has. While the controversial decision to leave Spacey in the movie ended up costing it millions.

Final Thoughts – Billionaire Boys Club is a mostly forgettable movie.

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Movie Review

Christmas Harmony (2018) Movie Review

Christmas Harmony – Movie Review

Christmas Harmony

Director: Nanea Miyata

Writer: Nanea Miyata (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A successful songwriter returns to her small hometown to rediscover music, family bonds and the magic of the Christmas season.

Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Christmas Harmony starts when Harmony (Jakle) prepares for her singer-star boyfriend Devin’s (Porte) big gig. She is mistreated by him, as she is the talent behind the man, however, his ego controls everything. Harmony’s father Henry (Howard) wants her to return home for Christmas.

When Devin decides to break up with Harmony, she is left broken and decides to go home for Christmas. Once Harmony is home she meets a single father Luke (Mayfield) and finds herself reassessing her life. All leading to a Christmas unlike anything she had planned before.

Verdict on Christmas Harmony

Christmas Harmony is a romantic comedy following a singer-songwriter who sees a break up from her celebrity boyfriend. She moves home for Christmas and starts finding a new meaning for life in the small-town life.

This is the typical Christmas love story movie. It brings someone back to their former home and find a new meaning to their life. This shows that love can come from anywhere in life and Christmas can often play a big factor in when you least expect to find it. There is plenty of cheer in this movie, that keeps a positive message throughout. While being filled with enjoyable Christmas songs.

Final Thoughts – Christmas Harmony is a charming enjoyable festive film.

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Movie Review

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Movie Review

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – ABC Film Challenge – Comic Book Movies – I (Into the Spider-Verse) – Movie Review

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - ABC Film Challenge – Comic Book Movies – I (Into the Spider-Verse) - Movie Review

Director: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

Writer: Phil Lord, Rodney Rothman (Screenplay)

Writer: Phil Lord (Story)

Cast (Voice Talents)

Plot: Teen Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his universe and must join with five spider-powered individuals from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities.

Runtime: 1 Hour 57 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse starts when teenager Miles Morales becomes Spider-Man. He has seen the known Spider-Man killed at the hands of Kingpin while trying to open a portal to other dimensions. Meanwhile, Peter B Parker comes to New York along with other Spider-powered heroes.

Now they must learn to work together to get back to their own dimensions before time runs out. This leads to Miles learning more about what it means to be Spider-Man. However, not everything is as simple as they had hoped.

Verdict on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the first animated Spider-Man movie during the MCU era. It follows a new Spider-Man learning his place in the universe, where he meets other Spider figures from different dimensions. All in a battle to save their own universe from destruction.

This has a unique style and a sense of peril no live-action Spider-Man movie could ever offer. We get to see the different Spider figures, each having their own strengths and weaknesses. There is plenty of heart in this movie that you will never forget. We get left with one of the best superhero movies created with amazing imagination.

Final Thoughts – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a beautiful cinematic experience.

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Movie Review

Redcon-1 (2018) Movie Review

Redcon-1 – ABC Film Challenge – Horror – R – Redcon-1 – Movie Review

Redcon-1

Director: Chee Keong Cheung

Writer: Chee Keong Cheung, Steve Horvath, Mark Strange (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Oris Erhuero (The Cursed Ones)
  • Carlos Gallardo (Planet Terror)
  • Mark Strange (Ip Man 4)
  • Martyn Ford (Fast & Furious 9)
  • Joshua Dickinson (The Mirror)

Plot: After a deadly viral outbreak, an elite squad of special forces soldiers must infiltrate a quarantine zone to rescue a scientist who holds the only cure to save mankind.

Runtime: 1 Hour 58 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Redcon-1 starts when a new deadly virus starts spreading around the country. A special forces team led by Captain Marcus Stanton (Erhuero) must go in search of a scientist that might hold the answers to a cure.

As the rescue mission gets underway, the undead shows a different mentality from what the soldiers are used to. Forcing them to use these skills to eliminate the threat presented to them.

Verdict on Redcon-1

Redcon-1 is an action horror taking us into a different undead outbreak movie. It follows a group of soldiers needing to complete a missing to save a new group of survivors and stop the infection spreading. All this as the military has their own plans for how to make it through the mission.

This is a movie like many we have seen before. It puts more of a focus on the military corruption, much like 28 Days Later did. It is filled with battle sequences and tries to push the boundaries on the undead kills. In the end, it doesn’t bring enough original material to the table, leaving us feeling slightly flat because the movie is also too long for the ideas being put in play.

Final Thoughts –Redcon-1 is a by the book undead outbreak movie.

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Movie Review

The Haunted (2018) Movie Review

The Haunted – ABC Film Challenge – Horror – H – The Haunted – Movie Review

Haunted

Director: David Holroyd

Writer: David Holroyd (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Emily’s arrives for her first night-shift as a care-giver, to an elderly dementia patient. In an isolated house her night turns into a nightmare as she is tormented by a vengeful spirit, and starts to uncover the house’s dark secrets.

Runtime: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Haunted starts when Emily (Stevens) takes a night-shift carer role at a remote house. The elder patient Arthur (Bayly) is believed to be suffering from dementia, with his other carers giving her quick instructions on how to handle everything.

However, as the night unfolds, Emily starts to see shadows around the home. a vengeful spirit is out to guide her through the house’s darkest secrets.

Verdict on The Haunted

The Haunted is a horror thriller that has a young carer needing to tackle a night shift with a new patient. On paper, the job seems boring, but easy until she starts seeing things around the home. She must figure out what is happening before it is too late.

This is a well-set-up horror movie, having the character in a remote location with a night setting. However, it falls into the idea that we are seeing someone dealing with the unexplainable. While this is entertaining, it never feels like she is in any real trouble despite the movie having a much darker meaning behind everything. This ends up feeling like a by-the-book haunting movie, trying so hard to give us a shock factor, not everything ends up making sense.

Final Thoughts – The Haunted is a by-the-book horror movie.

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Movie Review

The Golem (2018) Movie Review

The Golem – ABC Film Challenge – Horror – G – The Golem – Movie Review

Golem

Director: Doran Paz, Yoav Paz

Writer: Ariel Cohen (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Hani Furstenberg
  • Ishai Golan
  • Kirill Cernyakov
  • Brynie Furstenberg
  • Lenny Ravitz

Plot: During an outbreak of a deadly plague in Lithuania, a mystical woman must save her tight-knit Jewish community from a gang of ruffians led by a local landowner, but the entity she conjures to protect them is a far greater evil.

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Golem starts in 1673 Lithuania where a small Jewish community lives a quiet life away from anyone else. Hanna (Hani Furstenberg) is about to get married until a gang of ruffians accuses them of unleashing a plague. They become the targets of their hate, forcing Hanna to dive into the community’s past.

Hanna summons a golem figure to protect them, only to learn she has created an evil far worse than imaginable. It becomes a race against time to stop the creature before her own community pays the price for her creation.

Verdict on The Golem

The Golem is brought to us by Jeruzalem directors and takes us into a myth of Jewish legacy. It follows a Jewish community finding itself believing in a protector in the form of a Golem. They must overcome their own problems with a rival community to survive what they have created.

This is a horror that manages to channel a legend from a religion. Much like how the directing pair did in Jeruzalem, they understand how religious icons can be used for good and evil. This has plenty of bloody moments as the Golem strikes and it isn’t like anything you would have imagined. We are left to see the carnage and how much faith is placed into the figure by the one person that needs it most.

Final Thoughts – The Golem is a nice religious-based horror movie.

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Movie Review

Awaiting Further Instructions (2018) Movie Review

Await Further Instructions – ABC Film Challenge – Horror – A – Await Further Instructions – Movie Review

Await Further Instructions

Director: Johnny Kevorkian

Writer: Gavin Williams (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A family’s Christmas takes a strange turn when they awake to find themselves trapped inside and begin receiving mysterious instructions through the television.

Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Await Further Instructions starts when a family comes together for Christmas. Nick (Gittins) is introducing his new girlfriend Annji (Naik) to them for the first time. Father Tony (Masters) believes he has control over the family, while Nick’s sister Kate and Scott cause a stir.

When the family wake up to find themselves locked in the home, they start taking instructions from the television. As the family starts questioning more, it causes tension between them leading to dangerous consequences.

Verdict on Await Further Instructions

Await Further Instructions is a sci-fi mystery horror that follows a family dealing with an unexpected quarantine. This creates tension between the family as they search for answers and get caught up in the middle of something they simply can’t explain.

The movie creates tension as we saw previously in ‘The Mist’ where it becomes a battle between religion and science. It provides an interesting commentary on life while being brainwashed into following orders. This is a smart contained movie, that leaves plenty of questions, despite it being difficult to see a family fall apart because of it.

Final Thoughts – Await Further Instructions is a smart, interesting, and thought-provoking film.

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Movie Review

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Sequels – H – Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation – Movie Review

Hotel Transylvania 3 Poster

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky

Writer: Genndy Tartakovsky, Michael McCullers (Screenplay)

Cast (Voice Talents)

Plot: Count Dracula and company participate in a cruise for sea-loving monsters. Unaware that their boat is being commandeered by the monster-hating Van Helsing family.

Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation starts as Dracula is starting to feel lonely, his daughter Mavis has started her own family. His friends have also moved on with partners too, they suggest he tries dating again.

The group of monsters decide to take a monster cruise to help Dracula. Who instantly falls in love with the captain Ericka. Unaware of her connections to the man that has been hunting him for centuries.  

Verdict on Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is a family-friendly animation movie. Following up on the previous two movies, seeing the monsters trying to move on with their lives. Dracula wants to be happy after raising his daughter who has her own family. Along with mixing this side of the story, with the endless battles with the Van Helsings.

This will keep the usual harmless fun along the way, getting to have a laugh at the monster’s expensive. Instead of taking everything too seriously, as most monster movies do. The idea that the biggest enemy has come back to eliminate Dracula, is a nice touch. Additionally, it helps continue the idea that family can work together, and ideas can change.

Adam Sandler continues to grow his dark universe better than the studio that failed miserably with ‘The Mummy’ in 2017. This will offer up the laughs needed and makes it a fun experience for the family.

Where to Watch: Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is available to stream through Sky.

Final Thoughts – Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is a fun addition to the franchise.