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The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
Insulting to connect to the original
Victor and his daughter Angela live together after Angela's mother died in what seems to be the Haiti earthquake. Angela tries to reconnect with her mother with her friend and like with most exorcist films, hell opens up. Sadly the film doesn't really get lift off at any point, I would argue that the most suspenseful and interesting part of the movie was when the girls were missing. Upon discovery that the girls had been possessed, Victor recruits the help of Regans mother, Regan being the possessed girl from the original Exorcist. Now, this sequel had a tough act to follow however I found there were a lot of slow and unnecessary moments in the movie, the demon wasn't anywhere near as terrifying or disgusting and the final 30 minutes was quite underwhelming offering nothing new and cementing the film into the similar column of a lot of recent exorcism films. I wouldn't be able to watch this again, which is a shame as I was hoping for it to be more similar to the original movie.
Ghostland (2018)
Underrated
I have never heard anyone speak about this movie, and I was pleasantly surprised. Beth and Vera are two sisters live with their mother and at the start of the film are moving into their late aunts home, stereotypically full of horrible dolls and puzzle mirrors. Beth is a young aspiring horror writer and Vera is her typical teenage older sister, who thinks Beth is weird. An incident occurs where 2 people get into the house and attempt to kidnap the two girls and kill their mother, but the story has lots of plot twists surrounding what actually happened. The film is actually impressively made, the jump scares were executed well and I am honestly shocked that I have never heard about this film, as I would recommend it for any horror fans.
Mothers' Instinct (2024)
Sleeping Potion
Alice and Celine are two neighbourly housewives and best friends with almost identical lives. A tragic accident occurs where Celines son loses his life and this triggers her into a traumatic breakdown with a major part of her life now missing. The two neighbours go from best friends to backstabbing enemies as one doesn't trust the other, made even more dramatic by the fact each of them have keys to the others house and Alice's son Theo (who was also the best friend of Celine deceased) is caught in the middle and used as a weapon. The film is quite gripping however towards the end you realise there is no twist in the story coming which was a shame. It's an okay film but no need to watch a second time round.
Billy Elliot (2000)
A moving watch
This always makes me remember the classic song A Town Called Malice despite the fact the song is only played once within the movie. But maybe that is also a good song to sum up the movie. Billy is eleven years old and has a rather disastrous boxing career which unexpectedly changes into ballet. His mother is dead and his father and older brother are in the middle of a mining strike struggling to make ends meet. They were also not best pleased when they discovered that the money the dad was paying Billy had been going on ballet lesson rather than boxing. Over time, the ballet teacher and the family rally together to make sure Billy gets his shot. The film is a brilliant one, and becomes very moving for plenty of reasons. This is one of those films that you can't watch plenty of times in a lifetime.
In the Land of Saints & Sinners (2023)
Strong Irish
Liam Neeson stars as Finbar Murphy, a hitman based in Northern Ireland back in the 1970s. Quite early on in the film, Finbar decides he wants to live a different life now, and grow a garden in the outskirts of his quiet village. He ends up doing one last job of his own which sparks an unintentional war with a small gang of IRA. The film is made very well, with good actors and the pleasant surprise of King Joffrey from Game of Thrones which is the first film I have seen him in. The scene is set very well for a big finale, which in my opinion, delivers quite well. The rating for this film was probably closer to an 8 than a 7 but 7.5 would be around the deserved rating for me. Not sure what more the film could've done, simple but well executed.
Rust Creek (2018)
A tale of two halves
I found the first half of this movie really difficult. It set the scene and became dramatic very early on however I feel that there are few decisions made by the main character which were very questionable, which can be defended by convincing me she was in a blind panic, however she also had a lot of alone time in between running away to think about certain scenarios. To set the scene without spoiler, the main character called Sawyer gets lost after having to run away from a couple of country folk who attempted to almost abduct her on the roadway after a wrong turn she had made. She was injured while getting away but had a night and morning to think about maybe getting back to her car? Her car eventually appears after it gets dumped by the men and she decides to look for her phone which she finds. Somehow the men didn't see it in the middle console, but while searching for her phone and then signal I would've thought maybe taking their vehicle if they used one would have been the more impulsive approach. But the second half of the film was good, as she was hiding in plain site and even the local sheriff was heavily involved.
The Collector (2009)
Another Saw/Hostel
Moral of the story, make sure you attempt to rob the homes of rich people as you just might end up saving someone's life. The film is focussed on Arkin who seems to have been doing work in a big family mansion before they go away on a vacation. Little to his knowledge, they don't actually go away and when he returns that night for an attempted burglary, he is welcomed with traps around the home, and to be hunted by a masked man. The family are all within the house at some point but it features plenty of gory injuries and moments. The film is very similar work to that of Saw and Hostel, where people are captured and tortured. It's a very entertaining watch in my opinion, but if I was to be extra critical then I would say Arken could've done a better job and made it more of a priority to find and use a weapon during his tour of the house, as it was quite early on when he discovered something wasn't right. He was brilliant at being a hero, not so much at defending himself. Easy to say as a viewer I know.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Well I could do with someone smart explaining this one
Where do I start? Donnie Darko features a young Jake Gyllenhaal who is playing a troubled teen. He is on medication and leads you down the path of him seeming like a schizophrenic as he is seeing this Bunny named Frank. Frank the slightly freaky looking bunny tells Darko there is only 28 days before the end of the world. Until that date is reached near the end of the film, Donnie has plenty of drama in his life, not helped by the things he is talked into doing by Frank, such as flooding the school and burning down a house. Now the story goes in a full circle and it is quite clear there is more than one universe in this film at the end, and there are a few clues as to thing that are going to happen in the future. This film is a good watch, quite a slow burner at times but the ending shows how big the story is and every character has quite an interesting story. I think the film would be appreciated by someone who understood the film a little better after the first watch.
No Escape (2015)
Owen Wilson in a serious movie
Feels strange seeing Owen Wilson in a film that isn't a comedy however I think the role he had to play was done very well. The movie starts with him and his family travelling to a county in Asia as part of a new job he is starting. Shortly after they arrive, what seems to be civil war breaks out in the city and people are getting butchered left, right and centre. It soon becomes apparent that Jack (Owen Wilson) is actually being targeted and hunted due to his face being advertised publicly about his new job, which is an American company, making the locals rebel. The suspense and action is constant throughout this movie, it is edge of the seat stuff and even gets you stressed with how much hiding they have to do. Enjoyable enough film, wouldn't feel the need to watch it more than once.
Scoop (2024)
Embarrassment
The story of Prince Andrew needn't be told, as the interview he gave made him rubber stamp guilty all over his forehead. His awful answers and tip toeing around questions about the sex offender Epstein just confirmed the fact that even in the very unlikely event that Andrew is innocent, he was still very aware of who and what Epstein was. But anyway, about the film, brilliant to see Billie Piper returning to the screen, and in fact the whole cast, especially females were all very fitting for their roles. The film didn't do anything overly entertaining or ambitious, but it did keep the movie interesting, and emphasise the point to us about how much work went on behind the scenes to get the story out. It wasn't said very often before the 2019 interview but it was great work from the BBC.
Baby Reindeer (2024)
2 things no one would wish on anyone
Donny is an aspiring comedian working behind a bar when immediately in episode one, a lady in her 40's walks into the bar, sits and speaks to Donny before stating she can't buy a drink as she had no money, so he gives her one on the house. They get along well enough that Martha returns to the pub every day, telling lies to seem interesting and as if she wants live a different life. The daily, friendly chats soon turn into stalking and worse. The story is more than just a story of the stalking, as Donny is very open in his commentary in how he struggled when his life went quiet and that at times, the constant messages and being watched were what made him feel some worth. The story changes around episode four when he meets a guy who becomes his friend however this also turns very, very dark. The show is very well made, still a few unanswered questions, especially towards the end.
Exhibit A (2007)
A realistic observation of a mental breakdown
This was camcorder footage of a family who began in very high spirits. Looking to move house to near the beach. The daughter seemed to fancy the neighbour and the father was in line for a promotion in work. Without trying to give too much away, the father becomes a compulsive liar and is keep secrets to the extent that it raises suspicion with the daughter, who owns the camera. There are quite a few uncomfortable arguments and moments within the film where the seriousness of the father's problems get the better of him. I think what made me appreciate the film more is that someone asked me if I knew what a breakdown was, and as much as we think we know what it is, unless you've experienced it yourself, it could be anything. It could be serious, like it was in this movie, or minor.
Cobweb (2023)
Perfect Peter
Peter is a troubled boy who is a bit secluded from the rest of the children in his school, he has no friends and often gets bullied. It makes it clear that this could be because of how his parents treat him such as not letting him go trick or treating like the other kids, and rather severe grounding punishments. Peter gets caught in the middle of two stories about his family, being told to him by different family members, his sister through the wall and his parents. Without ruining the story too much, no one in is family is really telling the truth and a rather graphic and violent end come to a few people in the film. This wasn't the kind of film I was expecting. From the trailer it seemed like for of a ghost/spirit film however it was not either of those, and it was nice to have a different kind of horror film. God it's horrible to watch people crawl after someone in a chase.
Rain Man (1988)
Loveable Raymond
Charlie Babbitt played by Tom Cruise is running what seems to be a car dealership or garage which is struggling to stay afloat with loans to pay off. He gets a call early in the film about the death of his father, but as they didn't get along, the 3 million dollar will was left to a brother who he did not know he had. Raymond is autistic, but also a numerical genius which Charlie manages to use to his advantage when they are on a road trip back to Charlie's home in LA. The journey is made very difficult due to the particular routines and rules that Raymond must follow to remain calm and comfortable such as watching shows at specific times and not going outside when it's raining. A couple highlights of the film would be when he farts in the telephone booth and announcing it by saying "uh oh, fart". The other scene is when he joins in the grunting and moaning in his brothers sex scenes. Brilliant work from Dustin Hoffman in this movie, which ultimately is a bit of a feel-good watch as Charlie's starts to realise the importance of Raymond compared to the money he was left, and was the original reason for Charlie taking Raymond.
Road House (2024)
The Classic vs The remake
And the answer is... The Classic, possibly unsurprisingly, however this is still a good film. The storyline is very similar to the classic, just with a different setting, modern, and a few different characters with a lot to like. Instead of the original nightclub, the club is now called Road house and is more of a beach club vibe, with a book store being Daltons soft spot instead of the petrol station. There is also a swimming pool used instead of a lake and a couple of celebrity roles for Post Malone and Conor McGregor. Now I feel the film is purposely cheesy, perhaps overly so but as above mentioned the film has good parts. I enjoyed the newer modern setting, I enjoyed the characters, but sadly felt let down by some fight scenes being too long winded and a lot of poor stunt CGI. Now I would say the film is worth a watch, I think Jake Gyllenhall made a good Dalton but there was a really poor explanation in the plot of why the gang was actually after Dalton in the first place. In the original movie, Dalton fires one of the gangs family who was stealing and I think selling drugs. This time it is also something to do with drugs but it doesn't show anything like this.
All of Us Strangers (2023)
Interpret your own ending
I will fully admit that I had to look up and explanation to this film to justify if I was even along the right tracks as to what had just happened. What I will say straight away is that was the best thing to do as it made me appreciate the film more. Adam meets Harry in an empty London block of flats and seem to hit it off when suddenly Adam decides to visit his childhood home where we lost both his parents when he was 12. I think that is all that can be told for the plot of the story, what needs to be appreciated is that the storyline works even if you are unsure who is actually dead or alive. In my opinion, it is ultimately about 2 dead, lonely people who are stuck in the void needing someone to care for them to move on as it refers to them being lonely and struggling through life on their own plenty of times in the film. In summary, the film isn't the most entertaining in the world, not that it's boring, just think I'd struggle to watch more than once, however the way the film was made has left me impressed. 7/10 is understandably a harsh score but one of the demographics I rate my films on is how keen I would be to watch it again.
Firestarter (2022)
Strangers Things meets X Men
A couple with mutant superpowers try to survive and live a normal life whilst raising a young girl who has many dangerous abilities that she seems unaware of. From telekinesis, telepathy and fire, Charlie starts having problems in school which leads to a scientific army like facility aware of her whereabouts. Her father who is played by Zac Efron and her have to remain on the run while being headhunted and learning her powers along the way. I was quite surprised in truth to see the poor reviews on here, but I haven't read the novel, and didn't know what to expect which may have helped in my favour. Although supernatural and superpower aren't my preferred choice, I thought it was quite entertaining, and the young actress as Charlie played her role brilliantly.
Miller's Girl (2024)
Hero or Villian? Definitely Villian
This film was a very long winded tale of a teacher and student who fall in love. Martin Freeman plays Mr Miller and his outside life with his wife is portrayed as him being second best to her and craving affection. His wife is also not a very likeable character, an alcoholic who often shoots him down about no longer being a writer. The movie changes after Cairo played by Jenna Ortega submits her midterm essay about a Mr Murphy and the tale is basically pornography. Once Mr Miller orders her to write a new essay deeming the previous one inappropriate, that is where the conflict starts. In my opinion it is a very slow film and not all that entertaining, but I kind of think that was the idea. I must also say I'm sure Martin Freeman was breaking accent quite a bit. I must finally admit that I have no idea how physically far they actually went, maybe I missed a reference however I was under the understanding that they only met outside her house, but the ending is suggesting that maybe there was more too it.
Road House (1989)
If Karate Kid grew up in a bar
Dalton played by Patrick Swayze is hired to become the manager/lead bouncer of a very rough American bar. He quickly lays down the law by firing certain people and kicking people out for causing any trouble. Suddenly, conflict arises between him and the local almost mafia like leader. Obviously, chuck in a little romance fling that distracts and complicates things a little more. I expected a good film before watching this, especially as they have now made a modern remake which I am yet to watch, and I had heard about the action involved. The film delivered just that, it was a good film. Entertaining through the fighting and action but also a simple but decent storyline was delivered alongside. As you can expect, it features some heavily unrealistic fight scenes but it's all part of the fun factor. Now to see how the new remakes compares...
The Frozen Ground (2013)
Watch out for the quiet guys
A true story about an Alaskan State Trooper played by Nicolas Cage who is single handedly determined to solve the mystery and connection of many missing prostitutes. As the film goes on, dead bodies start appearing, but with no evidence attached to the them. The prime suspect is what appears to be a family man, well respected by his local police. Unfortunately for Nicolas Cage, the local police are reluctant to issue a warrant and even believe the story, almost indicating that going through all this for prostitutes isn't worth it. Now this is based on a true story so I know there is only so much extra drama that can be added however I found the cycle surrounding Cindy (Vanessa Hudgens) a bit annoying and repetitive that she kept running off when she knew she was being stalked. Overall, it's not a bad film, it's actually an interesting story, but not entertaining enough to watch again.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023)
That was a very long pilgrimage
The film begins almost straight away with Harold walking out the door as soon as he finds out his old friend is dying of cancer in Berwick Upon Tweed. Harold writes a letter but instead opts to go one step further and walk to her from Kingsbridge in Devon, a very long way. Now Harold is clearly retired and quite elderly so the walk takes a lot longer than what a younger person might, however their are things that happen along the way such as a young lad called Wilf who joins him halfway through alongside a stray dog. The film isn't action packed, which is good as it doesn't become far fetched, but it does still keep you interested. The gaps in the walk are also filled with drama surrounding Harold and Maureen's son, with his story being told as he is progressing through the walk.
Don't Breathe (2016)
Don't rob the house with the aggressive dog
The concept of the story is a small group of 3 who attempt to steal belongings from fancy houses using the keys from a security business who belongs to a parent from one in the group. They decide to change their target and set sights on someone whose story was publicised in the papers for receiving over $300,000 due to his daughter being accidentally run over. The new target is a war veteran but is also blind so when the group enter his house, he manages to hear them and constantly throughout the film uses his other senses to discover their whereabouts in the house. Plenty of suspense in the film, it may also sound harsh but he was a rather scary looking war vet who provided a couple of pop up jumpy moments. The group of thieves were rather rookie but I think that was the aim.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Levels below Step Brothers
The film is still a decent casual watch. I would say in my opinion that the first half of the film was a lot funnier than the second but understandably the story had to get a bit more serious to kickstart Ricky Bobby's career. The film begins with Ricky Bobby and his best friend racing on a team together with their teamwork making Ricky win every race with John C Reilly coming in second. The introduction of a French F1 driver in Sacha Baron Cohen takes over the scene and derails Ricky Bobbys career after a huge crash creating a fear of being on fire. His best friend then takes over as lead driver for his old team, and takes his wife. With the cast, I was hoping it was going to be as funny as Step Brothers, which is a high expectation, but it didn't get anywhere near in the end. His children were the funniest parts of the film for me.
Damsel (2024)
How to train your dragon
Elodie finds herself getting sold to a wealthy family before being used as a sacrifice for the local dragon. This is due to the family killing the dragons 3 babies some time ago. In return, the dragons kills 3 daughters who have been wed into the family, although he doesn't realise they are not of actual blood relation, so he is being played. The first half of the film is a slower watch, setting the scene, and almost leads you to believe this may become a very romantic film despite the trailer. However the second half of the film is full of action and I think Millie Bobby Brown was a brilliant hero. The ending we all wanted I believe.
The Lodge (2019)
Psychological Horror
A horror with more to the point than just jump scares. Could be considered a harsh rating as the film did a good job changing the minds of the viewer as to what was going on. Whether it was a haunting from the mother in the family on the new partner with an evil background, or over time whether it was just the psychopathic characteristics from Grace not taking her meds. Was it just the kids the whole time just playing with her head, maybe even with the Dad involved. So from that angle, the film did a brilliant job and continuing to make me guess, however it is just the entertainment value which forces me to score lower. I certainly wouldn't put people off watching this film, but it was a very eerie film which was uncomfortable to watch despite not really having any scary moments. In the end, I guess the practical jokes from the kids put the joke on them as Grace without her medication is ruthless.
Brilliant action right the way through aswell.