Tag: 2019

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Movie Review

Them That Follow (2019) Movie Review

Them That Follow – Movie Review

Explore the intense world of 'Them That Follow' as a pastor's daughter in Appalachia holds a secret that could have devastating consequences.

ABC Film Challenge – Horror – O (Olivia Colman)

Director: Britt Poulton, Dan Madison Savage

Writer: Britt Poulton, Dan Madison Savage (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Set deep in the wilds of Appalachia, where believers handle death-dealing snakes to prove themselves before God, a pastor’s daughter holds a secret that threatens to tear apart her community.

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Them That Follow starts as we meet a small community in Appalachia. Lemuel (Goggins) leads the religious following, which has strict followers. Hope (Colman) has raised her son Augie (Mann) in the area as he falls in love with the pastor’s daughter Mara (Englert) which could create a problem for the community.

As their love risks everything, they witness a much darker side to the community. One which puts their lives in danger as they look to be redeemed of their sins.

Verdict on Them That Follow

Them That Follow is a horror mystery following a community which starts to get torn apart. It follows the youngest members breaking traditions and causing a domino effect, as the elders look to maintain their traditions.

This is a mood horror that relies on the uncertainty of the world around. It proves that communities can create a hostal environment to keep everyone following their rules and maintain control. However, it doesn’t seem to have as many horror elements as you would expect and ends up leaving very little to follow other than personal dramas.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Them That Follow is filled with too much drama rather than any horror.

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Movie Review

The Courier (2019) Movie Review

The Courier – Movie Review

Get the scoop on 'The Courier' movie with Olga Kurylenko and Gary Oldman. Find out about the plot and runtime of this gripping thriller.

ABC Film Challenge – Thriller – Z (Zackary Alder)

Director: Zackary Adler

Writer: Zackary Adler, James Edward Barker, Andy Conway, Nicky Tate (Screenplay)

Writer: Zackary Adler, James Edward Barker, Andrew Prendergast (Story)

Cast

Plot: A courier in London discovers that one of the packages she’s transporting is a bomb.

Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Courier starts when notorious crime lord Ezekiel Mannings (Oldman) faces a murder charge. He is placed under house arrest and the one witness Nick (Shah) can send him away for life. However, he isn’t going down without a fight and arranges a Courier (Kurylenko) to deliver a parcel to deal with his problem.

Ezekiel isn’t prepared for the Courier to fight back; now she is the only person to protect the witness. They become trapped in a building parking lot as she looks to find the best way out.

Verdict on The Courier

The Courier is an action thriller following a crime lord sending out a group of killers to eliminate a witness. However, he discovers an unlikely person fighting back to protect the witness who could expose his murderous ways.

This movie places us in a contained environment where one person must fight against a gang of threats. It uses the location well because the different items in the parking lot are used for both offensive and defensive situations. The core of the story is simple enough and effectively uses the idea that each fight becomes a bigger threat as the desperation from the gangster takes over. It is an easy-to-watch late-night action movie, that gets the story complete in a tight runtime.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts –The Courier is a great late-night action movie.

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Movie Review

Trick or Treat (2019) Movie Review

Trick or Treat – ABC Film Challenge – Thriller – T -Trick or Treat – Movie Review

Trick or Treat – ABC Film Challenge – Thriller – T -Trick or Treat - Movie Review

Director: Edward Boase

Writer: Geraint Anderson (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Greg Kielty’s life is turned upside down when his estranged brother Dan turns up, claiming to have drunkenly run someone over. But has Dan just murdered a gangster’s son? Or maybe there’s an even more sinister explanation.

Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Trick or Treat starts when Greg (Craig Kelly) finds his difficult life becoming more challenge. He has been struggling for work, while his wife work and he takes on baby duties. However, an unexpected visit from his brother Dan (Dean Lennox Kelly) changes his night.

Dan claims to have been in an accident and needs Greg’s help. This sees him returning to a former criminal underworld life, where Greg gets some harsh realities on life. Even though, not everything is what it seems.

Verdict on Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat is a thriller following a man who gets an unexpected visit from his estranged brother. However, it takes him back into a criminal world that he has long left behind. As they spend the night trying to escape this life, things start to spiral out of control.

This is a movie that goes in a strange direction which you wouldn’t expect. It takes us through a series of events that involved twists and turns you don’t see coming. However, the mean spirited nature of everything going on, leads to things getting out of control. This is a movie that would have an easy comparison to another movie that takes a twisted birthday party down this direction. Although, it never hits the same shock value.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Trick or Treat is a tense, twisted-filled thriller.

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Movie Review

Abduction (2019) Movie Review

Abduction – ABC Film Challenge – Thriller – Q (Quinn) – Abduction – Movie Review

Abduction

Director: Ernie Barbarash

Writer: Mike MacLean (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Quinn steps out of a park fountain in Vietnam with no recollection of who he is or where he came from. As he wanders through the city, piecing together clues to his past, he is relentlessly pursued by mysteriously dangerous figures.

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Abduction starts when Quinn (Adkins) tries to rescue his kidnapped daughter. However, his attempts are halted by a force he has never faced before. He is sent through a portal back to Vietnam. Elsewhere, mob boss right-hand man Conner (On) finds himself experiencing a similar event, while a rival gang looks to send a message.

When the two learn they are fighting the same enemy, they must put their differences aside. However, they must figure out how to defeat dimensional beings kidnapping humans without any trace.

Verdict on Abduction

Abduction is an action horror thriller following two men who find themselves taken to another dimension. However, they lose loved ones and race against time to figure out where they have been taken to. It leads them down a dangerous path and one they would never have been prepared for.

This is a movie that gets to show off the action skills of Scott Adkins and Andy Oh. While they shine in their side of the movie, it is the story that also interests. The idea that we are seeing dimensional beings kidnapping and not being controlled is great. While we could have gone even deeper into the world, it still presents a scary situation.  This is above the typical late-night movies with a more interesting concept in place.

Final Thoughts –Abduction is a great concept above the typical late-night action treat.

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Movie Review

The Parts You Lose (2019) Movie Review

The Parts You Lose – ABC Film Challenge – Thriller – A (Aaron Paul) – The Parts You Lose – Movie Review

The Parts You Lose – ABC Film Challenge – Thriller – A (Aaron Paul) – The Parts You Lose - Movie Review

Director: Christopher Cantwell

Writer: Darren Lemke (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Aaron Paul (Need for Speed)
  • Scoot McNairy (Monsters)
  • Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Birds of Prey)
  • Danny Murphy
  • David Lawrence Brown (X-Men)

Plot: A young boy in a small North Dakota town befriends a potentially dangerous fugitive.

Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Parts You Lose starts when a young deaf boy Wesley (Murphy) finds it difficult to get through his daily life. His mother Gail (Winstead) offers him support, while his father Ronnie (McNairy) is less forgiving. Wesley finds himself bullied at school and incredibly isolated in his everyday life.

When the escaped criminal (Paul) hides out in the family barn. He gives Wesley an unlikely friend in life, as he is taught to stick up for himself. However, the police a searching the area for him and Wesley finds himself facing a reality he new only a friend could be taken away from him.

Verdict on The Parts You Lose

The Parts You Lose is a crime thriller following a lonely bullied boy who befriends a criminal on the run. He is hiding in the family barn and passes on to him important life lessons he doesn’t get from his own family. However, the friendship is always in danger as the police are starting to track him down.

This is a moving drama and the bond created between the criminal and Wesley is easy to understand. The lessons being taught will help the boy as he goes through daily struggles in life. There could have been more focus on the family troubles and seeing the school do more to protect the boy. However, that will change because of the events between the two. Aaron Paul is great in the leading role in the movie and youngster Danny Murphy shines in his role too.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts –The Parts You Lose is a moving drama about a complicated friendship.

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Movie Review

Tales From the Lodge (2019) Movie Review

Tales From the Lodge – ABC Film Challenge – Set in England – T – Tales From the Lodge – Movie Review

Tales From the Lodge

Director: Abigail Blackmore

Writer: Abigail Blackmore (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Friends gather at a lodge to commemorate a friend, who drowned in a lake nearby 3 years ago. They tell each other scary stories and suddenly find themselves in one.

Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Tales From the Lodge starts when five friends, Joe (Crook), Paul (Demri-Burns), Martha (Fraser), Emma (Thompson) and Russell (Vegas) are joined by Paul’s girlfriend Miki (Wenham) for a trip away. They have come together to pay their last respects to their friend who passed away 3 years ago at the same lake.

The friends start sharing scary stories with each other, in the typical not as-scary as they could be. However, after they tell their own stories, they find themselves trapped in their lodge, with an unknown man lurking outside.

Verdict on Tales From the Lodge

Tales From the Lodge is a horror comedy following a group of friends that meet up to say goodbye to a friend who passed away a few years before. They have been through typical life problems and get to tell their own scary stories. All before learning they are in one of their own.

This is a fun movie that gets to poke fun at the meeting and tell scary stories concept. It gets to put a spin on them, showing us how they must battle to survive an unknown threat. The comedy is strong as we see how the characters play into the typical outcomes in horror. We have a very British cast that all work very well throughout the movie.

Final Thoughts – Tales From the Lodge is a fun horror comedy.

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Movie Review

The Runaways (2019) Movie Review

The Runaways – ABC Film Challenge – Based in England – R – The Runaways – Movie Review

Runaways

Director: Richard Heap

Writer: Richard Heap (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: After their home life is turned upside down, three children and the family’s donkeys escape across the backbone of Northern England, confronting both the harsh landscapes and what it means to be siblings.

Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Runaways starts when Angie (Windsor), Ben (Connah) and Polly (Shackleton) get the shock of their young lives. Their father Reith (Addy) passes away in his sleep, just after their Uncle Blythe (Boardman) has been released from prison.

When Blythe looks to collect his debts, Angie takes her siblings on across the North of England. It sees them searching for their mother, in hopes of not being put into the social system. Along the way, Angie must guide the younger siblings in making decisions she is too young to make.

Verdict on The Runaways

The Runaways is a family drama following three siblings that must deal with the sudden death of their father. They don’t want to find themselves going through the social system, so go in search of their mother. This takes them across Northern England, on an adventure they never planned for.

The Runaways is a drama showing the unity between siblings. It shows us the journey they must make that helps them grow up quickly. No matter how difficult the journey is, they are left with no other choice. This gets to show us how being born into a criminal life can take everything out of the children. The movie is an excellent story about a family needing to get across the country. We get three wonderful young performances led by Molly Windsor.

Final Thoughts –The Runaways is a brilliant coming-of-age story for three siblings.

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Movie Review

Lynn + Lucy (2019) Movie Review

Lynn + Lucy – Movie Review

Read a movie review of Lynn + Lucy, a compelling film about the intense friendship between two women and how it evolves over time.

ABC Film Challenge – Set in the UK – N (Nichola Burley)

Director: Fyzal Boulifa

Writer: Fyzal Boulifa (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Lynn and Lucy are lifelong best friends, their relationship as intense as any romance. Neither has ventured far from where they grew up. Lynn, who married her first boyfriend and whose daughter is fast growing up, is delighted when the charismatic, volatile Lucy has her first baby boy. Lucy, however, does not react to being a mother as Lynn expects.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Lynn + Lucy starts as we meet best friends Lynn (Scrimshaw) and Lucy (Burley). Lynn married her high school sweetheart Paul (Grant), and they have a daughter. Meanwhile, Lucy (Burley) has just had her first son with her boyfriend. They have always remained close through life, but an unexpected event doubts their friendship.

Their friendship dangles by a thread and Lynn must decide what to believe after rumours start spiralling out of control. Can the friendship survive, or will the truth consume them both?

Verdict on Lynn + Lucy

Lynn + Lucy is a drama following two lifelong friends who face a difficult spell in their lives. It follows them becoming distant after a tragic event that puts plenty of questions up in the air.

This movie takes us through the world of lifelong friendships that could get ruined in a moment. It has raw emotions and puts one in a difficult position as rumours take over the local town. The performances are fantastic and shows how people are not everything they seem.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Lynn + Lucy is a wonderful drama about small town rumours.

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Movie Review

Busby (2019) Movie Review

Busby – ABC Film Challenge – Based in England – B – Busby – Movie Review

Busby Poster

Director: Joe Pearlman

Plot: From the producers of ‘Class of 92’, Busby combines previously unseen archive footage with interviews with those who knew the man best.

Runtime: 1 Hour 42 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict on Busby

Busby is a documentary looking at Sir Matt Busby’s impact on Manchester United. We see how he instantly changed a manager’s perception, creating the tracksuit manager. This put him on the training pitch with the players, as he searched for the next generation of stars. The success he achieved was amazing and saw Manchester United challenge Europe, going against what the FA wanted them to.

However, the amazing journey of success also has a tragic side to it. In what was one of the biggest disasters in a sports team’s history. The Munich air crash saw most of the squad killed in a plane crash. However, Sir Matt Busby rebuilt once again, regaining Manchester United’s glory and becoming one of the most successful managers of all time.

The documentary explores the amazing career that could be one of the greatest of all time. It showed the impact he made on the club both once he was there and how the club changed once he left.

Final Thoughts – Busby is essential viewing for anyone who loves sports history.