blame it on the apostrophe!!



This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Feb 9 2017, 01:56 PM

The Disappointments Room (2016)

What a... disappointment!

Okay, again, I am getting ahead of myself.

Director D.J. Caruso, did this.

Who is he you may ask.

He is also the director of these movies

Taking Lives (2004)
Disturbia (2007)
Eagle Eye (2008)

Pretty decent, right?

We than have Kate Beckinsale headlining this.

You know the chick in a tight leather outfits for the movie Underworld, where she hunts down and kill werewolves because she is a vampire. Remember? oh, she was also quite popular in a chick flick call Serendipity (2001) (Not to be confused with Josh Wheeldon's Serenity (2005)).

And here in lays the first issue. You expect her to kick ass, and she does not...

Then you have Wentworth Miller writing this. Yes, the same Wentworth Miller who was in Prison Break (TV Series). I understand in L.A. everyone who has a job, imagine themselves in another job, and it got ridiculous here.

The final offence... Vince Filippone. It is my opinion that he did a butcher job here... The edit of the film made absolutely NO SENSE!!

And and, I don't even know why Lucas Till (new Macgyver) is in this movie... I suppose everyone needs to pay rent...

Okay, the premise of the movie is sound.

I am afraid the delivery.... leaves much to be desired...

My Two Sen.

Actually, Don't Knock Twice was actually decent.

Rings (2017)

Well, most horror movie buff would know about The Ring (both the Japanese and American version)

I remember the original Japanese version was really well receive and it was made on a shoe string budget.

It's Hollywood counterpart was made with a bigger budget and star Naomi Wyatts!!

I don't think I actually watched the orginal Japanese version.

That was the period where LD was almost extinct and VCD were all the rage and I was not impressed with the technology and DVD was not quite there yet.

Hence, never got to watch it....

I did watched the american version and I watched it at the cinemas.

Well, it was an experience, because if memory serves, the audience got into the movie and the silence was palpable. The audiences at the cinema were sold about the movie lock stock and barrel!!!

Of course, then the last scene (TV) happens and I knew about it and still it gave me goose pimples!!!

Fast forward 15 years and how does the latest version compare?

This movie is both a continuation and reboot of the "franchise".

Story-wise, I think they did a good job, both recognizing it's predecessors and also bring the story forward.

Issue lays with the execution, the pandered to the younger audience was too much.

They should have made the movie as best they can for the movie's sake and not for a demographic.

What do I mean?

Both leads are not "known" but casting Johnny Galecki (who will always be Leonard Hofstadter to me) as a hard-ass university lecturer is an obvious move to target a certain group of audience.

Trying to make the movie "hip" for a certain demography, again hurt the movie.

Which is a shame because the story is actually decent.

Why do I say that, they actually had more story about why Samara is Samara (Eg. additional information about her origins, which does explain some things)

So... Nice try Sony/Columbia/Paramount And United International Pictures? But not dice

My Two Sen

Dark Universe (Universal Monsters)

Dark Universe is a shared universe of action-adventure horror films that includes rebooted versions of Universal Monsters film series. It is being developed and distributed by Universal Pictures, with the installments currently in various stages of development.

In October 2013, Roberto Orci spoke to IGN, hinting that both The Mummy and Van Helsing reboots will have a shared universe. New developments were made in July 2014, when Universal announced that they had tapped Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan to develop all classic movie monsters, which include Frankenstein's monster, Count Dracula, The Wolf Man, Gill-man, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Mummy. In December 2014, Universal hired Jay Basu to write an undisclosed film for the shared universe. Universal's chairman, in a November interview, stated that the new films would be more action-adventure based rather than horror, and would be set in a present-day setting in order to "reimagine and reintroduce them to a contemporary audience." In August 2015, Alex Kurtzman announced the new film series will be a mix of horror and other fictional genres.

In May 2017, the film series' title, logo (made by Weta Digital) and theme (composed by Danny Elfman) were announced. Bride of Frankenstein will be the next film in the series, directed by Bill Condon and scheduled for release on February 14, 2019.

(Excerpt from Wikipedia)

That was the original intend.

ANd have to add, they have back paddled and state that Dracula Untold is outside the Dark Universe...

Get Out (2017)

What a wonderful, original and great "horror" movie!

Modest budget (USD 5,000,000).

Great story.

And brilliant, BRILLIANT cast.

I cannot believe that Jordan Peele (Yes, from the Key and Peele comedic series) not only wrote this, he also directed it!!

Is this conclusive evidence that there is a correlation between comedic timing and horror!!?!

If you like horror, watch this, if you like original movies, watch this.

Just watch this.

My highest recommendation.

My Two Sen.

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: May 31 2017, 10:37 PM

Pretty good

It started slow

And when the plot thickens...

Okay. To each their own

The Mummy (2017)

Trying to get a unified universe together is not easy...

Just ask DC...

Took them a couple of try, until get got it right (Wonder Women 2017).

Here, Universal is trying their hands at a unified universe "franchise" based on their monster properties.

Technically speaking, this is their "second" try (Dracula Untold 2014, was supposed to be part of this universe, and have since been aborted).

Here is where the confusion for me starts...

Initially, Roberto Orci was supposed to direct, and Tom Cruise is coming on as both lead and Producer.

Alex Kurtzman was supposed to be writer.

Then the musical chair started... Roberto Orci is now a producer, Alex Kurtzman direct (I understand they have a fall out. They are long time collaborator with J.J. Abrams) and Tom Cruise is only the lead...

Putting that aside, with Tom Cruise involved, the stunts in this movie is MIND BOGGLING good.

The plane scene, the car through the woods scene....

Now, if a good movie is only based on stunts work and action scene, this movie will go on and make an obscene amount of movie and bonafide hit!!!

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

The story people, THE STORY!!!

That said this is, they are six writers involved in this. That's right, six!!! Is this a case of too many cooks?.... I don't know. This story is not very good.

For this movie to work, the main villain, Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) has to come acrossed as.... relentless. It is just not there...

Powers not well defined.

So... in short, great stunts, fantastic production quality, not much substance because of the weak story...

As always,

My Two Sen

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Jun 10 2017, 07:10 PM

Can anyone here verify, was this shown here in Malaysia? The Blackcoats's Daughter (FEBRUARY) (2017).

Cannot remember it being shown here...

Horror movies for 2017 Part Deux

July 2017

Wish Upon (2017)
Certificate PG-13 90 min - Fantasy|Horror|Thriller

A teenage girl discovers a box that carries magic powers and a deadly price for using them.
Director: John R. Leonetti
Stars: Sherilyn Fenn, Joey King, Elisabeth Röhm, Ryan Phillippe

August 2017

The Dark Tower (2017)
Action|Adventure|Fantasy|Horror|Sci-Fi|Western

The Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, roams an Old West-like landscape where "the world has moved on" in pursuit of the man in black. Also searching for the fabled Dark Tower, in the hopes that reaching it will preserve his dying world.
Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Stars: Katheryn Winnick, Matthew McConaughey, Idris Elba, Abbey Lee

Annabelle: Creation (2017)
Certificate R 109 min - Horror|Mystery|Thriller

Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker's possessed creation, Annabelle.
Director: David F. Sandberg
Stars: Stephanie Sigman, Anthony LaPaglia, Miranda Otto, Alicia Vela-Bailey

Polaroid (2017)
Horror

A teenage loner named, Brad, stumbles upon a vintage Polaroid camera that houses a terrible secret: anyone who has their picture taken by it will suffer a violent and tragic death.
Director: Lars Klevberg
Stars: Madelaine Petsch, Kathryn Prescott, Javier Botet, Katie Stevens

September 2017

It (2017)
Certificate R Drama|Horror

In Derry, Maine, seven friends come face-to-face with a shape shifter, who takes the form of an evil clown who targets children.
Director: Andrés Muschietti
Stars: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis

Friend Request (2016)
Certificate R 92 min - Horror|Thriller

When a college student unfriends a mysterious girl online, she finds herself fighting a demonic presence that wants to make her lonely by killing her closest friends.
Director: Simon Verhoeven
Stars: Alycia Debnam-Carey, William Moseley, Connor Paolo, Brit Morgan

Flatliners (2017)
Drama|Horror|Sci-Fi|Thriller

Medical students experiment on "near death" experiences that involve past tragedies until the dark consequences begin to jeopardize their lives.
Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Stars: Nina Dobrev, Kiersey Clemons, Ellen Page, James Norton

October 2017

Mother! (2017)
Drama|Horror|Mystery|Thriller

Centers on a couple whose relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer


Insidious: Chapter 4 (2018)
Horror|Mystery|Thriller

Plot unknown. The fourth installment of the 'Insidious' franchise.
Director: Adam Robitel
Stars: Javier Botet, Josh Stewart, Kirk Acevedo, Caitlin Gerard


Jigsaw (2017)
Certificate R Horror|Thriller

Bodies are turning up around the city, each having met a uniquely gruesome demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one man: John Kramer. But how can this be? The man known as Jigsaw has been dead for over a decade.
Directors: Michael Spierig | Peter Spierig
Stars: Laura Vandervoort, Tobin Bell, Matt Passmore, Callum Keith Rennie


Cloverfield Movie (2017)
Horror|Mystery|Sci-Fi|Thriller

A shocking discovery forces a team of astronauts aboard a space station to fight for survival while their reality has been altered.
Director: Julius Onah
Stars: Elizabeth Debicki, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Brühl, Chris O'Dowd

November 2017

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
109 min - Drama|Horror|Mystery|Thriller

A teenager's attempts to bring a brilliant surgeon into his dysfunctional family take an unexpected turn.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Alicia Silverstone, Colin Farrell, Raffey Cassidy

December 2017

He's Out There (2017)
Horror

On vacation at a remote lake house, a mother and her two young daughters must fight for survival after falling into a terrifying and bizarre nightmare conceived by a psychopath.
Director: Dennis Iliadis
Stars: Yvonne Strahovski, Justin Bruening, Abigail Pniowsky, Anna Pniowsky

(Excerpt from imdb)

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Jul 2 2017, 11:44 PM

Apart from Insidious: Chapter 4 (2017) nothing is screaming watch me watch me...

Er... good for you?

You friend cukup sedih, when hear you say that....

Warlock (1989)

This movie stayed with me.

You have to understand that it is unique in a sense, is your usual B movie (script wise) and have to add that Julian Sands (Warlock), Richard E. Grant (Giles Redferne) and director Steve Miner sold the movie!

You would be correct if you assume that this movie is about witchcraft.

Synopsis from imdb

In Boston of 1691, a warlock is sentenced to death, but escapes magically into the future (our present), followed doggedly by the witch hunter. There he is searching for the three parts of the Devil's Bible, trailed by the witch hunter and the woman whose house he landed in. They must stop him, as the book contains the true name of God, which he can use to un-create the world. Written by Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>

It is interesting to see the two characters out of time, in 1989?... (Opposite of Star Trek and Voyage Home)

Also how effective "Old wives tales" are against a powerful warlock

What I like best in this is the "dark comedy"

Case in point


See, dark comedy....

I don't know Julian Sand, but he weirdness is just right for the Warlock role.

TO counter-balance Julian, Richard E. Grant's Redferne "practical" witch-hunter so good to watch.

If you like a slightly off beat horror, witc the zaniest of the 1980s, give this a go

My Two Sen

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Aug 5 2017, 11:00 AM

The Sleep Curse (2017)

This is a.... surprise.

Interestingly, it is trying to be both "scientifically" and "spiritually" correct and the script writer actually did a decent work!

Another really interesting thing is, this was filmed in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, and Singapore.

And the "eeriness" carries thru (have you tried walk in a dark night at the older part of Penang and Melaka recently!?)

Anthony Chau-Sang Wong as usual, did a great delivery of his role (he was both father and son)

And again the story is really strong.

I am usually NOT a fan of gore.... and have to add they did this so well, that i know the gore bits are come on soon, and I try to look away and I cannot, because my curiosity takes hold of me and I cannot help but look.

This is DEFINITELY one of the most... explicit Asian movie I have ever seen. And i thought I had seen it all.

Very surprisingly good good gore/horror!

It certainly surpasses the category 3 Shaw Horror from the early 80s.

Not necessary for everyone.

And if you are a gore fan

This is RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY.

My Two Sen.

It (2017)

Time, how fleeting are thy....

This Stephen King novel, was publish in 1986.

I read it during 1989, because a friend recommended it.

I don't remember liking it (due to Stephen King's writing style) and was mildly amused by the 1990 miniseries because John-Boy (Richard Thomas) from The Waltons was in it.

Again, I was not overwhelmed with "OMG I luv this so much."

Just watched this earlier, and I am tickled pink!!

Why?

For those who is "used to" my reviews, I do tend to "go on and on" about nonsensical reminiscence. I apologise, if I am reverting to my normal style of writing.

The reason why I am tickled pink in, in the book, the story (when the kids were young) took place in the 50s (about the same time as Stand by Me)

In this iteration (this movie), the cleverly moved forward the timeline of the kid to the 80s?

Again, Why?

I have a feeling, they (script writers) sneakily, brought it to the 80s, because alot of people would remember reading IT during the 80s. So they can relate very substantially, because they live it.

Smart S.O.B.s..... (pardon my french)

All the 80s references, were NOT lost to me, and as I had indicated, it added to my viewing pleasure.

Production Designer Claude Paré did a fantastic job (bringing back the 80s). Same goes to Set Decoration, Rosalie Board.

And of course Costume designer, Janie Bryant.

Script, was great. (I did not appreciate the books going back and forth between the adults and children)

Cast, strong (poor Georgie.....)

And, I totally agree with the R rating. Kids, please do not watch this until you can handle it.

Great Movie and the fact it is horror, heaven....

My Two Sen

If you are a horror/Stephen King fan, you will enjoy it.

This is a very faithful adaptation of the book

This runs rings around the Dark Towers movie, that's for sure.

Happy Death Day (2017)

After the debacle, called Wednesday (25th Oct), my faith in movies, were shaken (not stirred)...

Two HUGE budget movies, BOMBED (for me).

Some time opened up yesterday... And I found myself looking thru the movie ads...

There was a dilemma, watch something close by, or goto far far away One Utama for Bladerunner.... decisions... decisions...

So, at the end, the laziness in me, got the better of me, and I went to watch... this!

And I do not regret it.

This movie is produced by Blumhouse.

It cost 4.8 million to make.

And from an entertainment point of view, ran rings around Geostorm and Thor: Ragnorak....

You do the math...

Story, although borrowed heavily from many sources, the writers were able to make it their own.

They even blatantly state the movies they are paying homage to!!

The twist in the end although again not original, did throw me into a loop for a sec.

To quote Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)


It conforms to this, for sure.

Casting (no big names) is actually quite good!

And when the main baddie is reviled, it is actually surprising to me!

I have faith, once again, in the media called movie!

My Two Sen



This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Oct 28 2017, 02:36 PM