Tag: #horror

My score: 10/10. Depeche Mode sang, “Enjoy the silence.” But I really don’t think anyone in this film is enjoying it. We are programmed to yell out when hurt, scared, or shocked. What would you do if that spelled your demise? This is the question I kept asking in in “A Quiet Place.” Listen to my 7 min review at the player below:

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A Quiet Place (2018)
PG-13 | 1h 30min | Drama, Horror, Thriller | 6 April 2018 (USA)

A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.
Director: John Krasinski
Writers: Bryan Woods (screenplay by), Scott Beck (screenplay by) | 3 more credits »
Stars: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds

John Krasinski is our director and a great one indeed. This is a film of 90 minutes that I literally wanted to be a lot longer. Trust me, my patience for long movies is characteristically low. In this case, it was done so well, I wanted to know what the characters did after the first credits appeared. That doesn’t mean I am asking for a sequel by the way, far be that from me. The central premise of being hunted by sound is powerful and it works so well. After that, the foreshadowing and character development worked together to make this film amazing. Tip of the hat to Krasinkski, who also plays the dad/husband of this family. I am utterly impressed with his work here.

A lot of times these days in films, directors use the rule of less is more when it comes to their monsters. They only show parts of the monster ad then the audience uses their far more powerful imagination. We are given the “full creature” in many scenes and this really makes the film work. We have an idea what it can do and maybe how it can be destroyed. Needless to say I am very impressed also with the CGI of this film. This is mostly because it serves the story.

I kept thinking in this film I was in “Signs.” It was like the same barbecue with different meat. Signs is more of a metaphysical/religious film whereas this one is just suspense all the way. The ending of both are birds of a feather and both films have amazing writing that makes the film worthy.

The acting is equally astounding. Metacritic has given this film an 85 and I must say I disagree. This film should be closer to 100. Millicent Simmonds (Wonderstruck) steals the show. All cast members deserve awards but her work as the deaf loving daughter broke my heart and I am sure everyone else’s in the theater as well. She was amazing and I await great things from her in the future.

Emily Blunt pays the mother with so much to lose if the creatures hear her. You feel her tedium. Noah Jupe is the brave young brother who knows what to do in the cse of a creature attack. This is labeled horror but it’s a lot about family and sacrifice. It’s suspense above all and though it starts a bit slow, patient audiences will be rewarded. In case you couldn’t tell, I recommend this film and give it a 10/10.

This one came out 2009 but it looks a lot like a 90’s slasher. Jennifer is not who she once was. At times it’s funny at others it’s downright as scary as “I Know What You Did Last Summer” or “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Despite the gore and the scare, the cheese factor is there.

Jennifer’s Body (2009)
R | 1h 42min | Comedy, Horror | 18 September 2009 (USA)

A newly possessed high school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specializes in killing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror?
Director: Karyn Kusama
Writer: Diablo Cody
Stars: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody

This one is fun for watching Amanda Seyfried try and save the day from the evil Jennifer. They used to be friends, which is a part I found a little hard to believe. Jennifer is just too hot and apparently too stupid to pick a friend like that. This one was recommended to me by IMDB and I have to say, it really wasn’t my type. Some may like it for the high school shallow humor and slasher attitude. To me, it seemed like it dodn’t know what it was trying to be and that made it hard to stay focused. Sadly, I had to give it a 4/10.

I hope you like Bob Dylan style singers because you’ll get that pretty much throughout this film. It’s ok, just a smattering of hatred against a certain type of male that beats and takes advantage of women. It’s cool to see Pollyanna McIntosh, she’s the real star here. You might know her from The Walking Dead, she’s the leader of the tribe that’s sort of with Negan then not. It appears she has only women on her team? That one.

The Woman (2011)
R | 1h 41min | Horror | 18 August 2011 (Australia)

When a successful country lawyer captures and attempts to “civilize” the last remaining member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades, he puts the lives of his family in jeopardy.
Director: Lucky McKee
Writers: Jack Ketchum, Lucky McKee | 2 more credits »
Stars: Pollyanna McIntosh, Brandon Gerald Fuller, Lauren Ashley Carter

The woman needs its halfway mark before it really gets believable. Before that it looks like a day gone bad for an otherwise goofy husband and dad. The director Lucky McKee has a unique style in this one. In a way it reminds me of Rob Zombie only the music is more folk and upbeat. It’s a vengeance film about a woman who gets her vengeance. Some will enjoy it, I found tense for tenses sake and not really believable. For example, the stunt his son pulls? Would that happen? I guess that depends on how messed up you take the dad for right? Pretty good but annoying music and not much verisimilitude. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’ve seen a lot of horror movies and this one keeps being recommend to you (as it was to me.) 5/10.

A gut-wrenching horror about a teacher and his “gifted” student. The truth is, this student is a gift any teacher should reject. When teacher tries to make a point to said student by giving him a B+, he opens Pandora’s box and all hell starts to break loose. This clean cut kid is definitely not what he seems. Still, there are signs.

Dismissed (2017)
Not Rated | 1h 27min | Horror, Thriller | 8 October 2017 (USA)

An idealistic, straight-edge teacher is drawn down a horrid rabbit hole by an honors student when he gives him a B+ on a paper.
Director: Benjamin Arfmann
Writer: Brian McAuley
Stars: Kent Osborne, Dylan Sprouse, Rae Gray

The director here is Benjamin Arfmann, this is his first feature film but he has done television and short films. It’s well directed. I especially appreciated the scenes in the Principal’s office with the police. She was for him, then against him. At some point, the whole situation was so out of control. no authority could contain it. Those are the scariest parts.

WE al know Dylan Sprouse from “The Secret Life of Zack and Cody.” He’s taken on a huge acting challenge bu doing this horror film. I hope it pays him back because he’s a good actor and I am a horror fan. He is scary and annoying, almost in a Norman Bates sort of way. I liked the film, it was scary and well paced. I give it a 9/10. It could have been a 10 if it fleshed out the character’s past a bit more to show maybe why he did this stuff.

Slacker, lazy bones, shiftless youth, juvenile delinquents, whatever you can call this type of person I think it exists in every society. But what if this person was the anti-hero of a movie? Could a director pull that off? I’m not saying he does or doesn’t but here you have the premise of this film.

Buzzard (2014)
Not Rated | 1h 37min | Comedy, Drama, Horror | 6 March 2015 (USA)

Paranoia forces small-time scam artist Marty to flee his hometown and hide out in a dangerous Detroit. With nothing but a pocket full of bogus checks, his Power Glove, and a bad temper, the horror metal slacker lashes out.
Director: Joel Potrykus
Writer: Joel Potrykus
Stars: Joshua Burge, Joel Potrykus, Teri Ann Nelson

I like director Joel Potrykus’ stuff. I did a review and a podcast of his “Alchemist Cookbook” film and I really loved that film. If these two films are any indication of what he’s getting at, it appears to be disillusioned people in society out on the fringe trying to get something for nothing. At least that’s the case in Buzzard. He is resigned to what he can achieve through a temp agency. It’s as if he thinks there are no other options for him, or maybe he just doesn’t like those options.

The protagonist fashions a finger knive set like the glove Freddy Krueger wears in “Nightmare on Elm Street. Only this one is made from a Nintendo computer game glove.

We watch him make more and more anti-society and even criminal decisions as he falls deeper into his own consequences.

The glove represents the one in the middle: not middle class and not impoverished but much worse: bored and lazy. He has just enough resources to become a criminal.

This is a very interesting case study of its protagonist. There is a lot of dark humor if you get the sarcasm. I really enjoyed this film and if the material sounds interesting, I recommend it to you. It has a goofy quirkiness about it that detracts a little from the story. It looked a little too low-budget at times. Perhaps expanding the setting would have helped? I really will be watching this director, he is very talented.  7/10.