Plot: These are times when one civilization is replacing another. A new era is about to begin in Central Eurasia. Scythians, the proud warriors, are all but gone. The few of their descendants have become ruthless mercenary assassins, the “waves of Ares.” Lutobor, is a soldier with a difficult task at hand. He becomes involved in internecine conflicts and sets off on a perilous journey to save his family. His guide is a captive Scythian by the name of Weasel. Lutobor and Weasel are enemies. They pray to different gods but must embark on this journey together. They brave the wild steppes, moving toward the last haven of the Scythians, to what seems to be their inevitable demise.
Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on The Last Warrior
The Last Warrior is a fantasy action movie following a lone warrior who has his family taken and leads a quest to get revenge on them. it takes us through a different series of obstacles he must overcome to complete his revenge.
This does feel a lot like ‘The Northman’ and ‘Gladiator’ as Lyutobor goes on his journey. It has massive fight sequences with bigger opponents for the journey. If you want to see plenty of sword-swinging action, this is one worth checking out.
Final Thoughts – The Last Warrior is a big sword-swinging action movie.
ACB Film Challenge – World Cinema – A – Alpha the Right to Kill
Alpha The Right to Kill is a raw exploration into the criminal underworld.
Director: Brillante Mendoza
Writer: Troy Espiritu (Screenplay)
Starring: Allen Dizon, Elijah Filamor, Angela Cortez, Baron Geisler
Plot: Set against the backdrop of the Philippines Government’s crackdown on illegal drugs. A SWAT-led police force launches an operation to arrest Abel, one of the biggest drug lords in Manila. Police Officer Espino and Elijah, a small-time pusher turned informant. Providing the intelligence for the operation. Which quickly escalates into a violent and heavily armed confrontation in the slums between the SWAT and Abel’s gang.
Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Alpha the Right to Kill starts as police officer Espino (Dizon) turns to informant Elijah for help. Espino is investigating one of the biggest drug lords in Manila Abel. The operation looks like it will be set up for the SWAT team to take out, leading to a big shootout.
In the aftermath, Espino and Elijah take Abel’s bag, filled with supplies. The pair look to set up their own operation, showing the corruption within the force. This decision will put their own families lives at risk.
Thoughts onAlpha the Right to Kill
Alpha The Right to Kill is a crime thriller set in Manila. The follows a police officer take advantage of a situation to make money from busting a drug lord. Creating his own operation in the drug infested area. Working with his informant to keep himself clean from any investigation. It will show the cause and effect of getting involved in the criminal world. Pointing out how easily the operation could start in the environment and how low people will go to smuggle product around the city.
There is a backdrop of the police operation. Showing how people were killed in the drugs bust. This will be compelling, only we don’t get enough focus on that side of the story.
The performances are raw, showing the environment different levels of society live in. Espino having a better life, while Elijah is struggling to make ends meet. This will be seen in the settings too, showing the different levels of the drug system make things work. The hidden rooms, the way the drugs are moved, going in ways you wouldn’t have imagined.
Final Thoughts – Alpha the Right to Kill is a raw dive into the drug underworld in Manila.
Plot: With retirement on his mind, a successful Atlanta-based drug dealer sets up one last big job while dealing with trigger-happy colleagues and the police.
Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Superfly starts as we meet Atlanta-based drug dealer Priest (Jackson). He operates with confidence putting people in their place with threats instead of violence. When he continues to want to grow his operation, he clashes with other dealers.
This leads to Priest needing to do anything to stop rival drug dealers from stopping his operation. Stuck in a world where too many members are trigger-happy.
Verdict on Superfly
Superfly is an action crime thriller following a steady calm drug dealer that never gets in trouble with the law. He ends up finding himself having his enemies coming after his empire, leading to him needing to deal with problems.
This movie does follow everything you expect from a drug lord/dealer battle. It sees people from different sides clashing or needing to solve the problems they face. This tries to bring us a character that doesn’t believe in the violent side of the operation, only leading down the same path he tries to escape from. Nothing really feels original here, but it doesn’t do much wrong, being a by-the-book style of movie.
Final Thoughts – Superfly is a by-the-books crime thriller.
Plot: Five years after her husband and daughter are killed in a senseless act of violence, a woman comes back from self-imposed exile to seek revenge against those responsible and the system that let them go free.
Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Peppermint starts when Riley (Garner) sees her husband and daughter gunned down by a ruthless gangster’s crew Diego Garcia (Raba). The trial sees the case thrown out, with Riley escaping into the wind.
5-years-later Detectives Carmichael (Gallager Jr) and Beltran (Ortiz) are called to investigate the murders of the three men accused of killing Riley’s family. Riley has returned to get her own revenge on everyone involved in the killing and failure of justice. Going on a rampage through the city.
Verdict on Peppermint
Peppermint is an action thriller following a grieving woman who becomes a killing machine as she searches for vengeance. It shows how one woman will have everything taken from her and given no support from the legal system. It would be easy to compare this to ‘Law Abiding Citizen’. A person that lost everything and the legal system failed them, deciding to have their own justice.
Jennifer Garner is great in the leading role of the movie, showing her action skills. Something we haven’t seen from her in a while recently. The action in the movie is great, with plenty of fights getting more intense along the way.
Final Thoughts –Peppermint is an entertaining action movie, that never stops the fight.
ABC Film Challenge – Action – B – The Bouncer (2018) Movie Review
Director: Julien Leclercq
Writer: Julien Leclercq (Screenplay)
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sami Bouajila, Sveva Alviti, Sam Louwyck, Kevin Janssens, Kaaris
Plot: A nightclub bouncer in his fifties who’s taken punches, literally and figuratively, struggles to raise his 8-year-old daughter.
Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Bouncer starts as we follow a bouncer Lukas (Van Damme) a single father in his fifties that looks to take a new role for a dangerous man. Which will find himself being put past the typical bouncer duties he was expecting. As he ends up helping complete criminal activities. With his own daughter being used a leverage to get the job done.
Thoughts on The Bouncer
The Bouncer is an action drama going in a different direction than you would expect, being darker than you would imagine. As the cold underworld doesn’t seem like it has an easy out, there are no one-liners, just fights and walking away.
This works in two ways, making it look a lot more interesting in the darker world. It does seem to make a lot of the film, feel a lot more lifeless with what is going on. The action sequences are simply enough. Van Damme is everything you would expect for his role and his more serious side works very well for the film. The supporting cast are solid enough, without getting enough time to shine. This is a simple and easy to watch action film, leaning heavily towards the drama of life problems.
Final Thoughts – The Bouncer is an interesting twist of the typical action movies you would expect Van Damme to be in.
ABC Film Challenge – Action – A – Acts of Violence (2018) Movie Review
Director: Brett Donowho
Writer: Nicolas Aaron Mezzanatto (Screenplay)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Cole Hauser, Shawn Ashmore, Ashton Holmes, Melissa Bolona, Sean Brosnan, Sophia Bush, Mike Epps
Plot: At a bachelorette party in a nightclub, the bride tells 2 guys offering blow to go away. They abduct her. The groom’s 2 big brothers looked after their kid brother as kids and do so now again as veterans, “looking” for her and the 2 guys.
Runtime: 1 Hour 26 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Acts of Violence starts as Detective James Avery (Willis) bust the latest brothel, only too late. The owner Max Livingston (Epps) wanting answers. Meanwhile Roman (Holmes) is celebrating his engagement to Mia (Bolona) with his brother Brandon (Ashmore). While Mia is on her own bachelorette party with Brandon’s wife Jessa (Brouwer).
When Mia is abducted by the gang, Roman joins his brothers Brandon and Deklan (Hauser) as the hunt for her, diving into the underworld for answers, trying to stay away from Avery who doesn’t want them interfering in the case.
Thoughts on Acts of Violence
Acts of Violence is an action thriller that will follow three military brothers teaming up to go up against a human trafficking ring that have abducted one of their fiancées. This story will show how the police will find their hands tied by deals, rules and protocol. This force the vigilante techniques being used by the brothers, who will use all their military training to get what they want.
The strangest part of the whole film is how reckless the abduction is, because they have been so routine. This one only exposes them and more should have been done about that. If you are going in expecting Bruce Willis, he is more of a supporting character, doing everything he needs to in his role. This lets Cole Hauser, Shawn Ashmore and Ashton Holmes deal with the action side of the movie. Mike Epps does have a moment or two as the villain, but we could have seen a few more twisted sides to him. As everything the character is designed for, it the typical bad guy role. This is an action film that does what you would expect, offers little new, but will entertain.
Final Thoughts – Acts of Violence is an easy to watch action movie.
Plot: A feature documentary about child sex trafficking. The film recounts true stories of girls and boys who were commercially sexually exploited in California and are now survivors and courageous leaders fighting for the rights of victims worldwide.
Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on California’s Forgotten Children
California’s Forgotten Children is a documentary following the horrific stories that children had. They were taken and exploited into the sex trade by people who saw money in them. It explores how they battle their way through the system and different criminal environments.
We hear plenty of different stories that will tell a similar story of how they ended up in an even worse position. Each victim has their own story on how much they went through. This also explores the police side of things as they explain how difficult trying to solve the case becomes.
The movie is a difficult movie to watch as each story is filled with horrific stories. It shows how difficult escaping and prosecuting the case can become. However, it does show what is being done to try and change everything and stop this from happening to the next generation of children.
Final Thoughts – California’s Forgotten Children is an important documentary that is hard-hitting.
Plot: A feature-length anthology film. They are known as myths, lore, and folktales. Created to give logic to mankind’s darkest fears, these stories laid the foundation for what we now know as the horror genre.
Runtime: 1 Hour 57 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on The Field Guide to Evil
The Sinful Women of Hollfall – (D. Veronika Franz & Severin Piala).
The Sinful Women of Hollfall follows two young lovers Kathi (Marlene Hauser) and Valerie (Luzia Oppermann) who keep their romance a secret. Kathi from a strict religious family starts believing her life is a sin after her Mother (Birgit Minichmayr) catches them. as the lover’s encounters get more intense, the presence that visits Kathi leaves her wondering about her future. This doesn’t seem to get full started sadly, despite offering up an interesting idea of forbidden romance and religion. 2/5
Palace of Horrors – (D. Ashim Ahluwalia)
Palace of Horror follows explorer Henry James (Henry Throop) going deep into the jungle. This takes him to an Indian palace that has unusual events going on within it. This feels like it only scratched the surface of the nightmare journey. 2/5
Al Karisi –(D. Can Evrenol)
Al Karisi follows Songul (Naz Sayiner) caring for her Mother-in-Law (Sureyya Kucuk). The pair are often alone, with Songul expecting a child. After giving birth, Songul has two people to care for now. The uncomfortable presence has made themselves known in the home. Force Songul in action. This is a much more horrific horror story, one that tests the darker side of the Djinn belief. 4/5
A Nocturnal Breath –(D. Katrin Gebbe)
A Nocturnal Breath follows Xaver (Thomas Schubert) as his sister Anni (Lili Epply) is suffering from an unexpected problem in their remote mountain top cabin. There is an infection spreading on their land, that only Xaver hasn’t been infected with. This is one that is left with too much mystery going on, never given enough away about the story. 2/5
The Melon Heads – (D. Calvin Reeder)
The Melon Heads follows a family Chris (Jilon VanOver), Macie (Saraha Navratil) and Arnold (Kannon Hicks) who are travelling on the woodland roads. Young Arnold makes a friend in the woods, while a passing Hiker warns them about the woods. As Arnold continues to make friends with William, he sees the size of his head and joins him overnight in the woods. Letting the twisted Melon Heads show what they want. Despite not having a tight conclusion of the motivation behind what happened. The final shots are disturbing. 3/5
The Kindler and The Virgin – (D. Agnieszka Smoczynska)
The Kindler and The Virgin follows a Kindler (Andrzej Konopka) who gets a spiritual visit, telling him to consume three hearts. As he dives deeper into this world, he must answer for his sins. This is a slower one again. Not really doing as much as it promises. 2/5
The Cobblers’ Lot –(D. Peter Strickland)
The Cobblers Lot follows two brothers who are madly in love with a princess and find themselves going on journeys to win her hearts. As the two learn the meaning of love, they learn the price they must pay to have it. This is a silent movie, that feels most like it is right out of a book. 2/5
What Ever Happened to Panagas the Pagan? – (D. Yannis Veslemes)
What Ever Happened to Panagas the Pagan? Follows Kalikantzaros The Goblin that sneaks into Panagas’ (Vangelis Mourikis) village over the Christmas celebration. This will see the Goblin captured and thrown into the hole, a place nothing has ever returned from. Getting the Goblin in the hole will bring a different problem for the villagers, one they aren’t prepared for. This does feel like one that offers up the most and could have been even darker than we experienced. 4/5
Final Thoughts –The Field Guide to Horror is a nice set of folklore horrors, but the misses are hard to get through.
Starring: Tara Grammy, Christpher O’Shea, Peter Mackenzie, Maz Jobrani, James Eckhouse, Rita Wilson, Shohreh Aghdashloo
Plot: A young Iranian-American woman goes to great lengths to appease her parents and their need to see her settled down.
Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: A Simple Wedding starts when Iranian American woman Nousha (Grammy) sees her engagement ended by his future husband’s family. Keaving her down, but relieved about the wedding not happening.
Nousha looking to move on with her life meets Alex (O’Shea) leading to sparks flying, but Nousha has one problem, her parents. Who aren’t going to make marrying an American easy, determined to have a wedding in their traditional Persian ways.
Thoughts on A Simple Wedding
A Simple Wedding is a romantic comedy that will show the addition pressure piled on daughters from an Iranian background. When it comes to marriage, traditions and following family expectations.
This will see how the changes in the world will create different expectation in marriage from each culture. While the mix will only end up making things more complicated for both of them. It will show that you need to understand yourself before you can let someone else into your life. The performances will get the laughs along the way. With this movie being focused more on getting the point that times keep changing over, than a romance story that feels completely natural.
