Tag Archives: 2021

Apr 19 2021

Fear of Rain (2021) Movie Review

Fear of Rain – Rear Window with Schizophrenia

Director: Castille Landon

Writer: Castille Landon (Screenplay)

Starring: Katherine Hiegl, Harry Connick Jr, Madison Iseman, Israel Broussard, Eugenie Bondurant

Plot: A girl living with schizophrenia struggles with terrifying hallucinations as she begins to suspect her neighbor has kidnapped a child. The only person who believes her is Caleb -a boy she isn’t even sure exists.


Tagline – Some voices you can’t outrun

Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Fear of Rain starts as we get to learn how bad Rain’s (Iseman) schizophrenia is, with her parents Michelle (Heigl) and John (Connick Jr) doing everything they can to help her, pushing her into getting back into her medication to hopefully get back to a more normal life.

As Rain looks to get back to normal life with school, she finds herself as an outsider, before new guy Caleb (Broussard) offers her friendship. Rain does start to question the neighbour, believing her she has been keeping a child hostage in her home, but is this just Rain’s mind playing tricks on her again.

Thoughts on Fear of Rain

Characters & Performances – Rain is the teenager that is suffering from schizophrenia with her latest attack landing her in hospital, needing to get back on her medication. With her family’s support she is trying to get back to her life, with school, which leaves her as an outsider and the new neighbour giving her a reason to be suspicious of a new kidnapping and even her new friend Caleb potentially not being real. Rain is trying to hold everything together, not letting her support network be there for her in her time of need. Madison Iseman is great in this leading role, we have seen her take on horror before, which she handles well, with the mental illness side coming off strong throughout the film. Michelle and John are Rain’s parents that are trying to support Rain through her difficult decisions going forward with her life, they will support her, but know they are there for the difficult times. Caleb is the boy Rain meets in the high school, he is the one person that will talk to her, being new to town and offering her the friendship she needs in her life. He might become the perfect friend, but wondering whether he is real not, is the most difficult part for Rain. Israel Broussard does make for the good friend role, bringing the ray of light into the world for Rain.

Story – The story here follows a teenage girl that has been suffering from schizophrenia with her latest bout being one that leaves her in hospital, that returns home to try and have a normal life, only for her own hallucinations to lead her down the path of suspecting her neighbour of being a child abductor. This is a story that balances the superior Rear Window, with the ideas that a mental illness could leave the suspicious one believing something is happening when nobody else would believe so. We are left to see how most of the story revolves around how Rain is questioning each moment of her own life, which will keep us guessing about what is or isn’t real, away from just being the suspect abduction case. The one side of the story which feels poorly written, is how the high school students don’t try to help Rain, basically letting the bully take control of her, not welcoming her back with open arms.

Themes – Fear of Rain is a horror mystery that will give us the balance of what Rear Window or Disturbia did, with the mystery about a neighbour doing something wrong, with the schizophrenia being put into the world that could leave everything inside the head of the character.

Signature Entertainment presents Fear of Rain on Digital Platforms 26th April

Fear of Rain is a modern day spin on Rear Window, that has nice tension, but does look for more twists than needed.

Apr 17 2021

Alien Conquest (2021) Movie Review

Director: Mario N Bonassin

Writer: Joe Roche (Screenplay)

Starring: Emily Killian, Anthony Jensen, Tom Sizemore, Michael DeVorzon, Emma Nasfell, DeAngelo Davis, Paulina Nguyen

Plot: Sibling astronomers discover Martians are threatening to attack Earth, but no one believes them-until Martians land and nearly destroy all of New York City.

Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Alien Conquest starts when sibling astronomers Allison (Killian) and Henry (Jensen) discover a strange object in Earth atmosphere, before General Reed (Sizemore) arrives to use their observatory to see what is coming.

When the aliens arrive they start trying to eliminate the human population, with Allison and Henry on their own separate journeys looking to pass on the advice they need to defeat the alien invaders.

Thoughts on Alien Conquest

Thoughts – Alien Conquest is the latest Asylum movie which is using the big budget idea giving it the limited resources which will leave the film feeling completely short. This time an alien invasion along the line of War of the Worlds (Which is the UK title of the film) mixed with the modern technology ideas of being able to see the attack coming. It follows a pair of siblings that look to solve the problem, while the military just fight, this will lead them on their own journeys which will go to and from the same location, never really getting very far other than walking around the countryside. We don’t get much fresh to the approach or with how the destruction goes on, leading to this being more left to the imagination than the bigger action moments. The performances don’t help the film, where even the cameo like performance from Tom Sizemore doesn’t add anything to the overreacting going on through the film.

Final Thoughts – Alien Conquest is the typical low budget sci-fi movie that lacks the mega destruction you would imagine.

Apr 15 2021

Forget Everything and Run (2021) Movie Review

Forget Everything and Run – Typical Survival Movie

Director: Geoff Reisner, Jason Tobias

Writer: Geoff Reisner, Jason Tobias (Screenplay)

Starring: Marci Miller, Jason Tobias, Danny Ruiz, Cece Kelly, Susan Moore Harmon, Justin Dray

Plot: When a terrifying pathogen is released, one family will fight to save their children against a band of marauders, hellbent on revenge.

Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Forget Everything and Run starts as we meet the Allister family, Josephine (Miller), Ethan (Tobias), Josh (Ruiz) and Mia (Kelly) who are in the middle of a pathogen outbreak with people acting infected, as the family is left to figure out how toe survive in the wilderness.

As the family is looking to get through the most difficult time, they find themselves coming under attack from another couple Desiree (Harmon) and Lincoln (Dray) as they look to open their eyes to the bigger problems of the world.

Thoughts on Forget Everything and Run

Characters & Performances – When it comes to the characters, we get the Allister family, mother, Josephine that is willing to do anything to keep her family safe, in need of making a difficult decision when it comes, Ethan the father is the softer touch, but he actions have often led to more troubles along the way. Josh and Mia are the children that have been taught how to live in this world, but aren’t ready for what it offers them. We have seen these characters done many times before without this version making any side of impact in being original. The performances from the four are all strong without reaching the heights of the same kind of dynamic we saw in ‘A Quiet Place’. Desiree and Lincoln are the typical threat figures, offering a conversation as to why they might be different in this world.

Story – The story here follows a family that are looking to survive in a world after a pathogen has wiped out many of the population, with them turning into blood hunger monsters or other people desperate to survive in this world, as the family finds themselves going head to head with another one just looking to survive. The idea that we are being placed into a world where infected people have taken over and people have found a new safety area is something we have seen before, it is something that always works. The conversations about surviving do add an extra dimension, as both sides just want that, which has led to the problems occurring. The weakness here comes from the title of the film ‘Forget Everything and Run’ this isn’t a constantly moving story, it is two main locations, which leaves us feeling flat from what is expected from the title.

Themes – Forget Everything and Run is an infected population story that follows a family trying to remain isolated away from danger, using the weather conditions as a form of defence. As mentioned before, it does sound like we are going to have travelling in the film, but sadly we don’t, it is more planning for what could come next.

Signature Entertainment presents Forget Everything And Run on Digital Platforms 26th April

Forget Everything and Run is the survival story we have seen before, with potential of deeper meaning behind the outbreak.

Apr 8 2021

Portal (2021) Movie Review

Portal – Great World Building

Director: Jeff Desom, Saman Kesh, Dugan O’Neal

Writer: Jeff Desom, Saman Kesh, Dugan O’Neal, Ed Hobbs, Chris White (Screenplay)

Starring: Lina Esco, Josh Peck, Wilson Bethal, Rory Anne Dahl, Julianna Collins, Jordan Rock

Plot: Without warning, millions of mysterious alien “doors” suddenly appear around the globe. In a rush to determine the reason for their arrival, mankind must work together to understand the purpose of these cosmic anomalies. Bizarre incidences occurring around the sentient doors leads humanity to question their own existence and an altered reality as they attempt to enter them.

Runtime: 1 Hour 21 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Portal starts when the world has been overcome by over a million of his objects known as doors, with the world looking to learn about them after loved ones start going missing. Becky (Esco) and Vince (Peck) are leading the investigation into one of these doors.

Once inside the door they discover a world that can’t be explained, one that transforms through each doorway, that is looking to consume them as they search for an answer.

Thoughts on Portal

Thoughts – Portal is a film broken up into three chapters, with three different sets of characters, at different stages of the appearances of the doors. First, we get the first appearance, without knowing much the students try to figure out what is happening, while this is a nice introduction to what could happen if this appears suddenly. Second, we follow the government trying to learn more about what could be inside the doors, seeing a couple of scientists enter a world they can’t explain. Third, we find a researcher that kept the door a secret, so he could study it. All three stories give us a unique way of approaching it, but it would be fair to say, we would have liked to see more about what is happening in each of the chapters, they could have all been expanded to develop more about the characters involved, as well as the work they are looking to explore. We could have plenty more to work with, as this world is only just touch upon, which could see plenty more going on, with more mysteries we don’t learn more about.

 

Signature Entertainment presents Portal on Digital Platforms and DVD 19th April

Portal is an interesting idea that feels like we could have had even more from the world created.

Apr 7 2021

Me You Madness (2021) Movie Review

Me You Madness – Completely Self-Aware

Director: Louise Linton

Writer: Louise Linton (Screenplay)

Starring: Louse Linton, Ed Westwick, Shuya Chang, Jimmy Dinh, Tyler Barnes, Gwen Van Dam

Plot: A young thief cases an architectural dream house in Malibu, not realizing it is the home of an eccentric female serial killer.

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Me You Madness starts as we meet eccentric hedge fund manager Catherine Black (Linton)who lives a lavish lifestyle where she buys everything she wants and with her high intelligence, she is always ahead of the game. When Catherine looks to rent out a room in her home, Tyler (Westwick) visits to scope the place out for his thieving ways.

After a wild night together, Catherine find herself bored of Tyler, wanting to show her darker serial killer ways, only to find Tyler causing more problems of Catherine’s carefully planned life.

Thoughts on Me You Madness

Characters & Performances – Catherine is an eccentric hedge fund manager who has a life of luxury and a darker side, she is a serial killer, she finds her life turned upside down by Tyler a man she was just looking to prey on but finds herself drawn too in a battle of wits. Catherine often has monologues into the camera about her choices, which gives the character a self-aware approach. Louise Linton does take the writing and directing roles for the film too, which will give her character even more confidence in this world created. Tyler Jones is a petty thief that looks to view homes before robbing them with Catherine being the latest target, he finds himself falling for her, while also biting off more than he can chew when he learns the truth. Ed Westwick does a good job in this film being the dumber of the too in character, being aware of what he is meant to bring to this character.

Story – The story here follows a rich successful woman who has everything in her life planned out perfectly including finding time to kill people, when she meets a petty thief the two have a bright chemistry that will see them clash and looks to battle each other in a game of wits, where they will need to decide what they want in life. This is a film that is fully self-aware of what is going on, Catherine’s character knows exactly what she is, similar in how Patrick Bateman was in American Psycho. This is the fun part of the film, even if being told each and every mindset can seem like it is being repeated too often in the film. When it comes to the back-and-forth side of the film, it does give both sides the reason to be winning the battles.

Themes – Me You Madness is a comedy that will bring us the extremes of how the rich will live, flashing their wealth in the eyes everyone around them, believing they can control every situation too. The luxury home is the main setting, which always feels like we are about to find yet another room.

 

Me You Madness is the American Psycho styled movie that doesn’t have the same flair, but is showing us just how the rich consume the poor.

Me You Madness will be available on Digital Download from 19th April