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Movie Review

Creepy (2016)

The Unsolved Mystery: Creepy Tale of Missing Family

The Unsolved Mystery: Creepy Tale of Missing Family

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Writer: Chihiro Ikeda, Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Screenplay) Yutaka Maekawa (Novel)

Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Yuko Takeuchi, Toru Baba, Ryoko Fujino, Masahiro Higashide, Teruyuki Kagawa

 

Plot: Takakura is a former detective. He receives a request from his ex-colleague, Nogami, to examine a missing family case that occurred 6 years earlier. Takakura follows Saki’s memory. She is the only surviving family member from the case. Meanwhile, Takakura and his wife Yasuko recently moved into a new home. Their neighbor, Nishino, has a sick wife and a young teen daughter. One day, the daughter, Mio, tells him that the man is not her father and she doesn’t know him at all.


Tagline – That man isn’t my father, he is total stranger.

Runtime: 2 Hours 10 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Creepy by Name, Disturbing by Nature

 

Story: Creepy starts when former detective Takakura (Nishijima) is starting a new life with his wife Yasuko (Takeuchi). Where he is working as a professor of criminal psychology at the local college. His former partner Nogami (Higashide) comes to Takakura in hopes he can help with a mysterious missing case. Where a family vanished leaving only their daughter Saki (Kawaguchi) behind, while Yasuko finds out the neighbours aren’t as friendly as she had hoped with Nishino (Kagawa) coming off creepy.

As the case that Takakra is working on starts taking an interesting yet disturbing twist. Nishino continues to start acting creepier and creepier, which only becomes odder when the girl living there claims she isn’t his daughter.

Thoughts on Creepy 

Characters – Takakura was a police detective who saw his career take a tragic spin when he fails to save a victim from a serial killer. He needs a change he becomes a professor of criminal psychology, moves his family away from the big city to start fresh. His skills are still wanted when his former partner comes to him for help to solve a mysterious disappearance of a family. Which will only bring him back into a shocking discovery.

Yasuko is Takakura’s wife, she is happy to start a new life and looking forward to meeting the new neighbours and the next step of their lie together. Nishino is the socially awkward neighbour, that doesn’t seem to be able to hold a conversation without getting creepy about it. He keeps his life secret, only opening up on the smallest details when it seems to work for him. Nogmai is the former partner of Takakura, who asks him for help with the latest case doesn’t seem to offer any answers, which will opening up the old version of Takakura who proves himself to be brilliant detective.

Performances – Hidetoshi Nishijima is wonderful in the leading role, which sees him caught between a new life or the old one he was successful in. Teruyuki Kagawa is truly disturbing in his role which will make you feel uncomfortable whenever he is on screen. Yuko Takeuchi is great to watch in her role which sees her caught in the middle of everything going on.

Story

The story here follows a former detective that starts teaching, only to find himself drawn back into a case which might have a connection closer to home for him. This is a story that does take a little bit of time to get going because we do get a clear path we are heading down, but start following two different stories that will connect. The story does become very dark though which is intense to watch to see just what the serial killer has been up to and his plan for people. It only gets upped when Takakura is left knowing the truth and being left helpless to take the killer down at times.

Horror/Mystery – The horror in this film comes form seeing just what the serial killer has been doing with a new unique way of covering up the bodies in his path. While the mystery comes from seeing how a former case could become difficult to solve.

Settings – The film shows us how serial killers could operate in any neighbourhood, showing us just how they can get away for so long.


Scene of the Movie – Bag time.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It does take slightly too long to get going.

Final Thoughts – This is one of the most creepy disturbing serial killer films you will ever see, just seeing how a cat-n-mouse battle takes over.

 

Overall: Intense thriller.

 

 

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Movie Review

Crown and Anchor (2019)

Crown and Anchor: How Childhood Trauma Affects the Future

Crown and Anchor: How Childhood Trauma Affects the Future

Director: Andrew Rowe

Writer: Andrew Rowe, Michael Rowe, Matt Wells (Screenplay)

Starring: Michael Rowe, Matt Wells, Natalie Brown, Robert Joy, Stephen McHattie, Ben Cotton, Jonathan Watton

 

Plot: A raw look at the effects of childhood trauma through the eyes of two estranged cousins.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Tension Filled

 

Story: Crown and Anchor starts when police officer James (Rowe) returns home for his mother’s funeral, with his estranged drug abusing criminal cousin Danny (Wells) having already dealt with the formalities. James isn’t happy and stays away from most of the family apart from Doug (Joy) who informs him of a drug problem in the town.

James decides that he wants to look to end the problem in the town, getting Danny out of the problem he has found himself in and finally facing the childhood trauma they both went through.

 

Thoughts on Crown and Anchor

 

Characters – James is a police officer with a violent side, he keeps his isolated working out listening to aggressive metal music when off duty, he did suffer a trauma as a child and with his mother’s passing things have only gotten worse for him, returning home he wants to fix the drug problem in his hometown which will see him clashing with his cousin. Danny is the druggie criminal who has just lost his job, he has turned to crime for money to support his family, only to learn this has started to cause more problems with the security of money coming into the family, along with James he suffered a childhood trauma which is why he has reacted the way his has too. The rest of the characters we met are family who have their own stories about the cousins and the crime boss who wants to stay in power, with plenty of threats through the film.

Performances – Michael Rowe and Matt Wells are both our main performers, they are both intense with their roles from either side of the law, we get to see the emotional impact that both have with what has happened to them in the past. The supporting cast all work for this film without getting tested to the levels of the leads.

Story – The story here follows two relatives that suffered a childhood trauma and have gone in completely different directions in their lives, while still battling the demons that they are suffering through from their past. This story does try to show how reluctant men are to talk about their emotional traumas they have suffered in life, turning to different vices to help them, be it drink, drugs or violence, we get to see how they can become distant because of their action. One of the weaker sides of the story comes from the pacing, which does make the opening part of the film feel like it is dragging along and it is getting into the truth which is what we want to learn the most about in the film.

Crime – The crime side of the film follows the two cousins that have gone either side of the law, using their positions to commit crimes, with the police officer going across the line, while the criminal falling deeper into the criminal world he has been drawn towards.

Settings – The film is set in one city which has seen a drug problem start to take over, one man wants to stop this to save his family, it shows us just how different worlds can be created for these people to be living in.


Scene of the Movie – Lucky shot.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Slow starting.

Final Thoughts – This is a slow paced film that does want to tackle a couple of serious issues going on in the world, we have strong leading performance to keep everything going strong through the film.

 

Overall: Nice drama even if it has a slow start.

 

 

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Movie Review

Jarhead 3 The Siege (2016) Movie Review

Jarhead 3: The Siege – Defend the US Embassy in the Middle East

Jarhead 3: The Siege - Defend the US Embassy in the Middle East

Director: William Kaufman

Writer: Chad Law, Michael D Weiss (Screenplay)

Starring: Charlie Weber, Scott Adkins, Tom Ainsley, Erik Valdez, Dante Basco, Sasha Jackson, Dennis Haysbert

 

Plot: A group of Marines must protect a US Embassy in the Middle East when it suddenly comes under attack from enemy forces.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Basic Siege Movie

 

Story: Jarhead 3: The Siege starts as new recruit Evan Albright (Weber) who has just gotten a role working in the US Embassy in the Middle East, welcomed by Hansen (Ainsley) and under the orders from Gunny Raines (Adkins) with the job to protect the Ambassador Cahill (Hogan). With Evan going through the lesson of how to operate in the embassy we are ready to begin.

Evan notices somebody outside the normal outside the embassy, which soon sees him learning the lessons of the protocol. The marines find the embassy under siege and must use all their training to keep the Ambassador alive against countless enemies.

 

Thoughts on Jarhead 3: The Siege

 

Characters – Evan is the newest marine bought into the embassy, he does fill in the gaps for the protocol that must be followed by the team, learn to work with the rest of the unit and is the first to suspect something is going on around the embassy and ends up being the one leading the fight back. Gunny Raines is the leader of the marines, you play by his rules or face the consequences. Major Lincoln is the one leading the rescue attempt, bringing the back-up required to hopefully help the stranded marines, spends most of the film in a helicopter racing to the scene. Olivia Winston is the computer operative at the embassy, she like Evan has bigger dreams when it comes to rising up through the military rankings.

Performances – Charlie Weber does take the leading role here where we follow his character entering the world, he works as a soldier never setting the world alight, which can be same for the whole cast sees Scott Adkins, Sasha Jackson and Dennis Haysbert.

Story – The story here follows a newly recruit marine in an US embassy that must deal with a siege from the locals on the building meaning he will join the marines to show off their skills to defend the embassy. This is one of the simplest stories you will ever see, we follow Evan as he and we learn the lay of the land, the siege is everything you would expect too, following the usual ideas of needing to have safety and out live the numbers that are trying to kill you. It does feel like the story is safe rather than challenging.

Action/War – The action plays into the war side of the film, we get plenty of military manoeuvres to see bullets flying around.

Settings – The settings in the film show us the embassy and how the marines operate within it, we see how this makes the positions difficult to defend.


Scene of the Movie – The escape.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is too by the books.

Final Thoughts – This is an easy to follow military action film, it doesn’t do anything wrong, only it just seems to be by the book and overly safe.

 

Overall: Safe Military Film.

 

 

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Movie Review

The Captor (2019)

Uncovering The Captor: Robert Budreau’s Thrilling Bank Heist Film

Uncovering The Captor: Robert Budreau's Thrilling Bank Heist Film

Director: Robert Budreau

Writer: Robert Budreau (Screenplay)

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Noomi Rapace, Mark Strong, Christopher Heyerdahl, Bea Santos, Mark Rendall, Ian Matthews

 

Plot: Based on the absurd but true 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis in Stockholm that was documented in the New Yorker as the origins of the ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.


Tagline – Based on an Absurd but True Story

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Hawke is a Blast

 

Story: The Captor starts when American Kaj Hansson (Hawke) walks into a bank taking hostages in bank clerks Bianca Lind (Rapace) and Klara Mardh (Santos), he wants Gunnar Sorensson (Strong) released from prison along with his outlandish demands that Chief Mattsson (Heyerdahl) must try to put together.

As the hostage situation continue we start to see the truth unravel and see how Bianca starts to respect Kaj even feeling like she is part of the heist herself, can they make it out of the heist as the origin of the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ is born here.

 

Thoughts on The Captor

Characters – Kaj Hansson is the American that has walked into the bank, he doesn’t really have a plan, he knows what he wants though, he wants to be fair to his hostages, never actually wanting to hurt anybody, just to make sure the police see him as a threat. He starts to make friends with the hostages too. Bianca Lind is the bank clerk that has her own family and finds herself being held hostage, she becomes the stronger of the two women, she starts to become attracted to Kaj believing he isn’t a bad guy, this is her story. Gunnar Sorensson is the man that Kaj wants released from prison, he is one of the most famous bank robbers in the country and he sees the mistakes that Kaj is making, while having a deal with the Chief. Chief Mattsson is the man trying to end the situation, he is trying to stay one step ahead of Kaj to get everyone out alive.

Performances – Ethan Hawke is a delight to watch in this film, he plays the over the top which sums up what the character needs to be through this film. Noomi Rapace plays her role well giving us a character which is both interested and scared through the film. Mark Strong is the supporting acting for a generation, he brings his complex character to life with ease once again. Christopher Heyerdahl is strong through the film showing a determined, though calm man through the film.

Story – The story here follows a bank heist which led to the first case of Stockholm Syndrome, where the hostage falls in love with the hostage taker, we see how this hostage situation unfolds with the outlandish demands as the woman starts to fall for him. When it comes to bank heist movies, we have seen plenty, they usually revolve around the criminals and the police trying to stay ahead of each other, with this one we do have that, but we have the added dynamic of seeing how the hostages and takers start to bond when they see that everything can be kept under control, remember this is set in 1973 so the technology isn’t going to be a game changer in how everything is solved. Seeing both sides get to the talking can go through moments of slow story telling, but it isn’t long until Kaj goes a little bit crazy demanding our attention once again. With a subplot involving Gunnar’s position in the situation, we get to see how Kaj really doesn’t know what he is doing making it easier to help the hostages take sympathy with him. It was nice to have just normal police that aren’t looking to solve a personal problem with this case, which is so often the case in these stories.

Comedy/Crime – The comedy in the film comes from everything Kaj seems to do, from his outfit with wig, cowboy hat and American swagger, to how he overreacts to everything that is going on, the crime is loosely based on a real incident, with the names changed, it is a hostage situation, but you never feel like there is a threat.

Settings – Most of the film is set within the walls of the bank, it is a simple and well craft set that shows us just how the people have been thrown together in this situation.


Scene of the Movie – Kaj shares a pear.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – We don’t feel like there is a threat in the film.

Final Thoughts – This is a different way to tell a heist movie, it does show us how hostages can fall in love with their captors and overtime even support them, we get the routine hostage talks and end up right where we need to for the story to flow with ease.

 

Overall: Nice spin on the heist genre.

 

 

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Movie Review

Fighting Beat (2007) Movie Review

A Muay Thai Masterclass With Fighting beat

A Muay Thai Masterclass With Fighting beat

Director: Piti Jaturaphat

Starring: David Bueno, Peerawat Herabat, Nattanun Jantarawetch, Andrew Koji, Nahatai Lekbumrung, Lex Luther, Than Thanakorn

 

Plot: A group of young Muay Thai experts led by David are forced to use their deadly training to protect themselves when the local extortionist threatens to kill their mentors daughter if he doesn’t give up his bar.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 18 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Muay Thai 101

 

Story: Fighting Beat starts as we meet Khem (Thanakorn) who lives in the area of Phi Phi Island, by day he with Aey (Herabat) work as guides for divers in the beautiful waters, by night the city comes to life as Khem entertains the fans in the local bar and fighting spots.

The happy little world is put to the test when David (Buneo) and his gang arrive in town wanting to uses their Muay Thai skills to intimidate the locals as they want to take over the bar, it is up o Khem to improve his skills to fight back and defend his own little part of paradise.

 

Thoughts on Fighting Beat

Characters – Khem was raised by a monk after his father was murdered, he has studied Muay Thai, living a life which sees him guide tourists to the best diving spots and entertain crowds in a local bar with his fighting skills, even if the results are fixed for the tourists to win. He will lead his friends in the fight back to stay in control of their local bar after a new gang tries to take over it, he must fight for everything he has in his life. David leads the attack on the bar which will see him turn to people who have a past that would be more of a threat in a fight. We have two sides in this fight, we have Khem’s friends that enjoy the life they live that will band together to fight back and David’s gang that will defend themselves with everything they have to put down the locals who are the only ones that fight back.

Performances – Than Thanakorn is in the leading role which like most of the talent in this film sees to be trained in Muay Thai, everyone involved gets their moment to show their skills and the chemistry between the friends feels natural too.

Story – The story is very simple it follows a group of locals that will fight to keep the local bar in the locals hands after a gang forces the owner into giving it up. We do get to see how one character, Khem does get to face the demons of his past in the defending the bar, only that is the biggest strain to take away from the two main gangs fighting. We are invested in the story by seeing how the locals do seem to be living in a paradise like world, where their friendship is what gives them added strength too.

Action – The action is what we are here for, we get plenty of fighting sequences, which are entertaining, though you can see just how choreographed the sequences are.

Settings – The film is set in the Phi Phil island which shows just how much of a paradise this location is.


Scene of the Movie – Final fight.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain fights feel overly hesitant.

Final Thoughts – This is a simple and enjoyable Muay Thai fighting action movie, it has an easy to follow story and will keep the martial arts fans happy.

 

Overall: Simple and Enjoyable.

 

 

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Movie Review

Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)

Curse of the Golden Flower – 10th Century China: An Epic Tale

Curse of the Golden Flower – 10th Century China: An Epic Tale

Director: Yimou Zhang

Writer: Zhihong Bian, Nan Wu, Yimou Zhang (Screenplay) Yu Cao (Play)

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Li Gong, Jay Chou, Ye Liu, Dahong Ni

 

Plot: During China’s Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.


Tagline – Unspeakable secrets are hidden within the Forbidden City.

Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Visually Beautiful

 

Story: Curse of the Golden Flower starts in China, Later Tang Dynasty, 10th Century. On the eve of the Chong Yang Festival, golden flowers fill the Imperial Palace. The Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) returns unexpectedly with his second son, Prince Jai (Jay Chou). His pretext is to celebrate the holiday with his family, but given the chilled relations between the Emperor and the ailing Empress (Gong Li), this seems disingenuous.

For many years, the Empress and Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), her stepson, have had an illicit liaison. Feeling trapped, Prince Wan dreams of escaping the palace with his secret love Chan (Li Man), the Imperial Doctor’s daughter. Meanwhile, Prince Jai, the faithful son, grows worried over the Empress’s health and her obsession with golden chrysanthemums. Could she be headed down an ominous path?

The Emperor harbors equally clandestine plans; the Imperial Doctor (Ni Dahong) is the only one privy to his machinations. When the Emperor senses a looming threat, he relocates the doctor’s family from the Palace to a remote area. While they are en route, mysterious assassins attack them. Chan and her mother, Jiang Shi (Chen Jin) are forced back to the palace.

Their return sets off a tumultuous sequence of dark surprises. Amid the glamour and grandeur of the festival, ugly secrets are revealed. As the Imperial Family continues its elaborate charade in a palatial setting, thousands of golden armored warriors charge the palace. Who is behind this brutal rebellion? Where do Prince Jai’s loyalties lie? Between love and desire, is there a final winner? Against a moonlit night, thousands of chrysanthemum blossoms are trampled as blood spills across the Imperial Palace.

Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia (2006)

 

 

Thoughts on Curse of the Golden Flower

Final Thoughts – I am going to be honest, I couldn’t get into this movie at all, I found it hard to follow the story and description above is just copied of the IMDB. What I did like the visuals, the sets are fantastic, colourful and so easy on the eye, you just want to make screen savers out of them. The costumes a beautiful, authentic and stunning too. The performances from the cast are good throughout too, and the action sequences and romantic moments all check off the boxes well, it is only the story I didn’t like really, which is the main thing you need to be able to follow.

 

Overall: Visual treat on the eyes

 

 

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Movie Review

Cliffhanger (1993)

Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger: Hang on for an Epic Ride

Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger: Hang on for an Epic Ride

Director: Renny Harlin

Writer: Michael France, Sylvester Stallone (Screenplay) John Long (Premise)

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner, Rex Linn, Caroline Goodall, Leon, Craig Fairbrass

 

Plot: A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.


Tagline – Hang on!

Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Great Fun 90s Action Film

 

Story: Cliffhanger starts when Gabe Walker (Stallone) returns to the Rocky Mountains 8 months after a tragic event which saw his best friend Hal (Rooker) lose a girlfriend through a rescue attempt gone wrong. Gabe and Hal must put their differences aside when a distress call from a botch mid-air flight crash lands on the mountains.

Qualen (Lithgow) leads the criminals as they force Hal and Gabe to guide them to their loot, which takes them across the mountains with the only rescue team being led by Jessie (Turner) that can help them survive.

 

Thoughts on Cliffhanger

 

Characters – Gabe is known as being the best climbing around, he works on the rescues and can reach spots others wouldn’t event try to get too. After an accident he has walked away from this world, but his return is just in time as he needs to navigate the mountains to say ahead of the criminals searching for their money, picking them off one by one.

Qualen is the leader of the criminals, he has a plan which would make him rich and money is the only thing that matters to him. Hal is the old friend of Gabe’s, he blames him for the accident and ends up becoming the reluctant guide for the criminals, using his knowledge to slow them down. Jessie is the final member of the search and rescue team who is working with Gabe to get ahead of the criminals, only her position makes for an extra problem for Gabe. The rest of the criminals fill in the generic roles, the British henchman, the pilot, the lover and the one with pride in a kill.

Performances – Sylvester Stallone was the prime example of one of the best action stars in the early 90s, this movie shows why because his one-liner deliver is on point and the physical side of the performance showed he was read for the role. John Lithgow as a villain is one of the easiest choice we see, he shines in this role which will make you just hate him. Michael Rooker in the good guy with a grudge role does work well too with Janine Turner filling out the main cast doing the best she can with her own character.

Story – The story here is simple, two rescue mountain rangers are tricked into helping a group of criminals that have seen their heist go wrong and need to locate their money. This is as simple as it sounds, we never try to over complicate anything going on in this film, it is good guys versus bad guys on a mountain which adds to the peril, we have a small sub story about Gabe and Hal needing to put an accident behind them, which does work as they  must work together instead of just fighting or blaming each other. While we can work out how this will happen and we do get plenty of one-liners this all works for a 90s action film.

Action/Adventure – The action in the film is strong, we focus on different fight, explosions and just difficulties of being that high up in the middle of a battle for survival, which does play into the adventure elements as this takes the characters on an unlikely journey to try and collect money.

Settings – The film keeps the whole film on the mountain range, it shows just how difficult it would be to just escape and how knowing the lay of land the climbers have the advantage.


Scene of the Movie – Final fight.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Just how capable the villains are to do all the mountaineering.

Final Thoughts – This is a typical fun 90s action film, it will entertain the audience and gives us plenty of one-liners to laugh at.

 

Overall: 90s action through and through.

 

 

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Movie Review

Carga (2018)

Discover Carga: The Ugly Reality of Human Trafficking

Discover Carga: The Ugly Reality of Human Trafficking

Director: Bruno Gascon

Writer: Bruno Gascon (Screenplay)

Starring: Michalina Olszanska, Vitor Norte, Rita Blanco, Sara Sampaio, Miguel Borges, Dmitry Bogomolov

 

Plot: A lorry, a road and an unpredictable destiny, all intersecting in a human trafficking network. Caught up in this web, Viktoriya has only one chance: fight to survive.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Unsettling & Disturbing

 

Story: Carga starts as Viktoriya (Olszanska) trying to leave the Soviet Union, sees herself taken across the borders. Only to be handed off to human traffickers, they execute the men, keeping the women. Antonio (Norte) getting tired of his part in the operation, faces a difficult decision with Viktor (Bogomolov) blackmailing him into staying in, following his every wish.

As Viktoriya sees the reality of the world she is living in now. She knows she must fight to survive, as Viktor will kill anybody who tries to escape or lets him down, can she make it out?

 

 

Thoughts on Carga

Characters – Viktoriya is the latest victim of the human trafficking group, she is taken, forced into the sex trade. She faces little hope of getting out before it is too late. Viktoriya never gives up hope of getting out of this world, even if it takes her time to wait for her chance of rescue. Viktor is the ruthless leader of the operation. He will kill anybody who lets him down, tries to escape or isn’t required from the selection of people he is given. Antonio is the man that transports the people across the borders. He is filled with regret for what he is doing, which only makes him feel the guilt for the fate the victims are facing.

Performances – Michalina Olszanska is brilliant in this film, strangely playing two roles, with the lead be the victim. While the second role being one of the traffickers. Both roles are very different which does show the range she has to offer. Dmitry Bogomolov is disturbing, like we need him to be, his role is the one that will grab your attention the most. Vitor Norte does show just how difficult his characters decision is, just how much guilt he is feeling.

Story

The story here takes us into the world of human trafficking, following one of the latest victims as she looks to escape. A transporter filled with guilt being forced to remain in the game and the boss running the operation that doesn’t always go to plan for him. The story plays on the reality that this is happening. Shows the bleak future the girls will face if taken into this world and just how deadly it can be for the people working in it.

It has moments that are clearly unsettling which will disturb even the strongest minds. While also showing us just how easy it could be to be placed into this world. the story doesn’t hold back, but doesn’t dwell on any of the sexual side of the film. We don’t need to see this and the film doesn’t force us through it.

Settings – The film takes us to the realistic settings that show how the girls will be taken to isolated locations. To be put into practise before being sent to the open world to make the money the boss wants.


Scene of the Movie – The car boot.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – We tend to not spend enough time with Viktoriya in the early part of the film.

Final Thoughts – This is a shocking and disturbing movie that shows us just how the human trafficking world operates.

 

Overall: Shocking, eye opening film.

 

 

Categories
Movie Review

Cam (2018)

The Mystery Of Cam Girls: Lola’s Story Explained

The Mystery Of Cam Girls: Lola's Story Explained

Director: Daniel Goldhaber

Writer: Isa Mazzei (Screenplay) Daniel Goldhaber, Isa Mazzei, Isabelle Link-Levy (Story)

Starring: Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, Devin Druid, Imani Hakim, Michael Dempsey

 

Plot: Alice, an ambitious camgirl, wakes up one day to discover she’s been replaced on her show with an exact replica of herself.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Strong Mystery

 

Story: Cam starts as camera girl Alice going by the name Lola (Brewer) is trying to improve her ranking among the cam girls by pulling off bigger stunts for her audience. Alice’s desire to get a hiring ranking is starting to consumer her and once her hits the top 50 her life takes a dramatic twist.

Somebody takes over Alice’s account while continuing top post videos in her name and the girl looks exactly like Alice. Alice wants to get back into her account getting nowhere in the process and soon her life starts falling apart showing how identity theft can ruin somebody’s life.

 

Thoughts on Cam

 

Characters – Alice is a cam girl who is trying to get her reputation online higher, she will try anything to get higher until her identity gets stolen, leaving her helpless to defend herself from the person who has stolen the identity and continues to us her in videos. Tinker is one of the highest tippers, he does help Alice with her own promotional up the ranks, even though he gets slightly too close to her. Lynne is the mother of Alice who is left disappointed by the fact her daughter has turned to this line of work, while Jordan is the younger brother is left a shamed once his friends learn what she has been up to.

Performances – Madeline Brewer in he leading role fully commits to this role, we see how her consumption will drive her action in this film, grabbing our attention and making us want to know what will happen to her. With Madeline in every scene, it doesn’t give the rest of the cast that much to do other than to react to what Alice is doing.

Story – The story does follow a camera girl who has her identity stolen and somebody is still using her on camera, leading to Alice to investigate and learn the truth to regain her identity. Now this does bring a new way to deal with stolen identity because the person hasn’t stolen anything material or using her money, they have just taken her position in the rankings for the girls. Away from this you could say there would be easy answers to getting help, but we didn’t and we don’t seem to get a proper answer to what happened, which is disappointing.

Horror/Mystery – The horror in this film comes from having your identity stolen, it shows how helpless a victim can be. The mystery revolves around just what is going on and by the end it feels like we are missing the true answer.

Settings – The film creates everything to leave us in an everyday town, showing us how the person can be doing basic shopping and living the camera girl life in private.

Special Effects – The effects are used simply which fit everything that happens through the film, with the final moments being a wonderful use of makeup.


Scene of the Movie – Face to face.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Using suicide shows.

Final Thoughts – This is a good horror mystery that has all the potential in the world only for it to come slightly short when it comes to giving answers.

 

Overall: Horror that does most of the things right.