Let´s travel back to the year of 2004. I remember several thing about this year, and i will mention some of the things i especially remember. This was the year when i went to my first Limp Bizkit concert in Stockholm, on their Results May Vary Tour. It was nice to hear live versions of songs, taken from their album Results May Vary, an album i still listen to. 2004 was the year when TV series Lost debuted on ABC, and became a hit TV series. Lost acually turned out to be one the better TV series that year, with a great cast and an interesting plot. This was also the year when Ben Affleck film known as Gigli, won several awards at the Golden Rasperry Awards 2004. The film won in the categories such as Worst Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Actress, Worst Director, Worst Screen Couple and Worst Screenplay. I have seen Gigli a long time ago. Gigli is a really bad film, and could possible be one of the worst films that Ben Affleck has ever made. But in the summer of 2004, something magical was about to happen. A small independent film was about to take the whole world by storm. A small independent film known as Napoleon Dynamite, was released in the summer of 2004. I saw the film first on DVD, since the film did not show in theatres here in Sweden ( except for a few places ). But i remember the first time i watched this film, i fell in love. This was exactly what i needed, a comedy filled with family issues, personal problems, and most of all odd characters. Since this film was released i have probably seen this film over 15 times. But since this film turned 15 years this year, i thought it would be a good idea to celebrate, considering this is such a cult Classic. Is this still one of the best independent comedies in many years, or has the magic of Napoleon Dynamite started to fade away ?
Napoleon Dynamite ( Jon Heder ) is a socially awkward 16-year-old who lives in Preston, Idaho, with his Grandmother, Carlinda Dynamite ( Sandy Martin ) and his older brother, Kipling Ronald " Kip" Dynamite ( Aaron Ruell ), 32 years old, who is unemployed and spend hours on chat rooms with his girlfriends, dreaming about becoming a cage fighter. Napoleon daydreams his way through school, especially about fantasy creatures such as ligers. This is his way to deal with him being bullied at school. When the new student Pedro Sanchez ( Efren Ramirez ) begins at school, Napoleon gets the chance to find a new friend who he can share his thoughts, and visions with. The school is looking for a new class president, and Pedro Sanchez will run as a candidate, with Napoleon as his biggest support. But things become complicated when both Napoleon and Pedro want to go with their female friend Deborah " Deb " Bradshaw to the prom dance.
Even if 15 years have passed, Napoleon Dynamite is still one of the best independent comedies of the 2000´s. This film has everything you could wish for, black comedy, great characters, fantastic soundtrack, wonderful dialogue and wonderful costume design. This is probably my favourite school comedy, where this film manage to capture everything we all recognize from bulluying, weight issues, depression, becoming an adult and much more. Lead actor Jon Heder is brilliant as Napoleon Dynamite, and he manage to make Napoleon a very odd character, but in a wonderful way. In some ways you could probably say that we all have had a Napoleon Dynamite at our school, an odd student with passion for odd things. But we have so many more characters to talk about, so let´s continue with Kip, played by actor Aaron Ruell. Kip is one of those characters that are so nerdy and wonderful, that you can´t help loving his personality. Just the fact that he is impressed over himself, over chatting with babes online, shows you what kind of guy he is, a true ladies man. One of my favourite characters of this film, is without a doubt Napoleon´s friend Pedro Sánchez, played by actor Efren Ramirez. Pedro is one of the funniest characters in this film, with some fantastic dialogue. Let´s not forget another wonderful performance from actor Jon Gries, playing Uncle Rico. The thing about Uncle Rico is that he is still trapped in the 80´s, when he have planned to be an American football star. And this is also a very funny part of this film, as he dreams away to his past, when he is stuck as a salesman. From a comedy perspective, this film have so many delightful moments. Weird moments, are combined with brilliant tunes, and the characters match the storyline. Director Jared Hess have made a film that will live on as a cult film, for a very long time. He knew exactly what the world needed, and Napoleon Dynamite will always be his best film. If you have not seen Napoleon Dynamite, you need to see it. This is one of the funniest films of the 2000´s, and a must have on DVD or Blu Ray.
Rating: DDDD
tisdag 31 december 2019
Zombieland: Double Tap
When i was a young boy, i remember the first time i learned something educational. And this did not happen in ordinary school, but through watching the VHS tape of horror film Zombie Flesh Eaters. Directed by legendary director Lucio Fulci, this film helped me learn what matters in life, wich is of course zombies. Zombie Flesh Eaters was made on a very low budget, but worked so well thanks to fun practical effects, great characters and a fantastic soundtrack. I remember getting my hands on the uncut UK release of this film on VHS, and i was probably too young to watch this film. But this was the best educational source material i could find during that time, that helped me become more intelligent than any math books. Zombie Flesh Eaters is one of those films in the zombie catalogue of films, that everyone should see. This is in my opinion one of the best film from director Lucio Fulci. My interest for zombie films continued over the years, and i watched a lot of films from different countries. One of the reasons why zombie films are usually entertaining, is that you can always find something to enjoy, no matter what the plot is about. So what happens if you mix comedy with zombies ? It worked really well in the British horror comedy Shaun Of The Dead, released in 2004. Actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are brilliant in their roles, and this is one of the best horror comedies ever made. But in 2009, we get a surprise when director Ruben Fleischer released his horror comedy Zombieland. This film turned out to be a really funny mixture of zombie horror and Comedy, combined together with some great dialogue. The combination of Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson worked really good, as well as actress Emma Stone and actress Abigail Breslin. I never thought we would get a sequel to Zombieland, but after hearing about a sequel was going to be made, i became excited. Is this the best sequel released this year, or is Zombieland: Double Tap a big disappointment ?
10 years have passed since survivors Tallahassee ( Woody Harrelson ), Columbus ( Jesse Eisenberg ), Witchita ( Emma Stone ) and Little Rock ( Abigail Breslin ) have managed to found a way to enjoy life as good as possible, even if the zombies are still around. But the zombies have evolved, where the most dangerous ones are called T-800. They set up a new home in The White House. Columbus decides to propose to Wicthita with the Hope Diamond, but Witchita is not ready. The next morning it turns out that Witchita and Little Rock have left with a note. Tallahassee and Columbus go on their own, even if Columbus is concerned over Witchita. One day Witchita suddenly shows up, looking for weapons. Turns out that Little Rock left her for a hippie known as Berkeley ( Avan Jogia ). They team up to go look for Little Rock, while the T-800 zombies are getting more dangerous.
Going into a sequel to such a great horror comedy as Zombieland, actually made me concerned. Would they really manage to pull it off again, and deliver a really entertaining sequel ? Well i got some good news for you folks. Zombieland: Double Tap is excatly the right kind of film for everyone to enjoy, especially if you love zombie films. This is actually a sequel that knows how to keep the same tone of the first film, and still bring some new ideas as well. I have to be honest though, i still enjoy the first film a bit more than this sequel, but let´s get into what i especially enjoy about Zombieland: Double Tap. The chemistry between actors Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson is really good. They manage to bring some magic moments with their characters Columbus and Tallahassee, especially when they deliver some really funny dialogue. The strongest performance in this film comes from actress Emma Stone as Witchita, a really cool character with a strong personality. But we also have some great cameos here as well, especially from actor Luke Wilson as the bad ass character Alburqurque. This is exactly the kind of guy you want next to you on Sunday dinner with family. The zombies are actually effective as well, and are divided into three different kinds of zombie species. The Homer zombies are actually a funny part of the film, where brain cells are clearly missing. The comedy timing from the cast also works well, in most scenes. There are a few times where the comedy scenes become a bit too hysterical, but not affecting the quality of the film. Director Ruben Fleischer manage to make a sequel that is entertaining, without loosing the thread of the first film. Zombieland: Double Tap is without a doubt one of the better sequel films released this year, so if you are planning to get a DVD or Blu Ray in January to watch, i suggest you pick up this one. A nice return to familiar faces, and who can say no to a zombie invasion ? I know i can´t, does not get much cozier than this.
Rating: DDD
10 years have passed since survivors Tallahassee ( Woody Harrelson ), Columbus ( Jesse Eisenberg ), Witchita ( Emma Stone ) and Little Rock ( Abigail Breslin ) have managed to found a way to enjoy life as good as possible, even if the zombies are still around. But the zombies have evolved, where the most dangerous ones are called T-800. They set up a new home in The White House. Columbus decides to propose to Wicthita with the Hope Diamond, but Witchita is not ready. The next morning it turns out that Witchita and Little Rock have left with a note. Tallahassee and Columbus go on their own, even if Columbus is concerned over Witchita. One day Witchita suddenly shows up, looking for weapons. Turns out that Little Rock left her for a hippie known as Berkeley ( Avan Jogia ). They team up to go look for Little Rock, while the T-800 zombies are getting more dangerous.
Going into a sequel to such a great horror comedy as Zombieland, actually made me concerned. Would they really manage to pull it off again, and deliver a really entertaining sequel ? Well i got some good news for you folks. Zombieland: Double Tap is excatly the right kind of film for everyone to enjoy, especially if you love zombie films. This is actually a sequel that knows how to keep the same tone of the first film, and still bring some new ideas as well. I have to be honest though, i still enjoy the first film a bit more than this sequel, but let´s get into what i especially enjoy about Zombieland: Double Tap. The chemistry between actors Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson is really good. They manage to bring some magic moments with their characters Columbus and Tallahassee, especially when they deliver some really funny dialogue. The strongest performance in this film comes from actress Emma Stone as Witchita, a really cool character with a strong personality. But we also have some great cameos here as well, especially from actor Luke Wilson as the bad ass character Alburqurque. This is exactly the kind of guy you want next to you on Sunday dinner with family. The zombies are actually effective as well, and are divided into three different kinds of zombie species. The Homer zombies are actually a funny part of the film, where brain cells are clearly missing. The comedy timing from the cast also works well, in most scenes. There are a few times where the comedy scenes become a bit too hysterical, but not affecting the quality of the film. Director Ruben Fleischer manage to make a sequel that is entertaining, without loosing the thread of the first film. Zombieland: Double Tap is without a doubt one of the better sequel films released this year, so if you are planning to get a DVD or Blu Ray in January to watch, i suggest you pick up this one. A nice return to familiar faces, and who can say no to a zombie invasion ? I know i can´t, does not get much cozier than this.
Rating: DDD
måndag 30 december 2019
IT: Chapter Two
In these days, i barely read any books. But there was a time in my youth, when i did read some books. Since i had no interest in reading Swedish authours, i usually turned to legendary author Stephen King. I may not have read many books of his, but the ones i did read i enjoyed. One of the books i do remember from author Stephen King, is his novel Misery. This novel tells the story of popular writer Paul Sheldon, who is seriously injured in a car accident. Former Nurse Annie, who is a big fan of Pauls Misery novels, takes him to her home to help him. But it turns out that Annis is more than a fan, she wants Paul to ressurect her favourite character back from the dead in the Misery series. This book really shows why some fans take things too personal, and loose control of their own reality and believe they can cross any line they want, as long as they are pleased. This novel was first released in 1987, and i believe i read the novel the first time around 1990, the same year when the film adaptation of this novel was released from director Rob Reiner. The film adaptation follows the novel pretty good, except for a few changes. And i have to say that the film Misery is still really good, and one of my favourite performances from actress Kathy Bates. She did the character Annie Wilkes in her own unique way, so if you have not seen Misery yet, you should check it out on Netflix, VOD, DVD or Blu Ray. Speaking of 1990, i remember how terrified i was when i first saw TV mini series Stephen King´s IT, based on the novel of the same name by author Stephen King. What made IT so special on the TV mini series was the character Pennywise The Dancing Clown, played by legendary actor Tim Curry. Many years ahead i heard the news of a remake of the TV mini series, made into a new film with Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. The 2017 film IT turned out to be much better than i expected. So here we have the sequel IT: Chapter Two, that is supposed to end the story from the previous film. Is this a really good ending in the IT franchise, or should they have skipped this sequel from being made ?
In 1989 a group of young friends throught that they killed Pennywise The Dancing Clown ( Bill Skarsgård ) for good, until Mike Hanlon ( Isaiha Mustafa ) call up his old friends in 2016. Mike is still living in Derry, Maine, and after some brutal murders he realise that Pennywise is back. He calls Beverly Marsh ( Jessica Chastain ), Bill Denbrough ( James McAvoy ), Richie Tozier ( Bill Hader ) and the rest of The Losers Club. They all need to come back to Derry, to make sure Pennywise does not take any more victims.
I honestly did not go into this film with too high expectations, after hearing a lot of different opinions about this sequel. Even if this film is not as scary as the IT film from 2017, there are some details i think that this film manage to do in a positive way. To see the main character from the previous film as adults, is of course interesting to see. Since i enjoyed the performances from the teenages in IT, we now get to see how they developed after so many years. One thing becomes clear, no matter how many years go by, the loser club stays united. Since the previous film had pretty unknown young actors ( except for a few ), this sequel have some heavier actors included that i am sure most of you will recognize. James McAvoy ( who i especially love in the British black comedy Filth, a must see ) plays the adult version of Bill. There is no doubt that McAvoy knows how to develope a character, and he proves this once more in this film. I have seen McAvoy do stronger performances than in this film, such as in Split, but he is a good choice for this character. My favourite performance in this film comes from actor Bill Hader ( who did a wonderful performance in The Skeleton Twins ), who plays the adult version of Richie. Bill has that vulgar language that fits him so well, and he comes across as an asshole sometimes, but you can´t help to like him. There are some other characters that works as well, including Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise of course. But this sequel have some problems that we must talk about. This film is way too long, over 2 hours and 49 minutes long. For a horror film that is way too long, and it feels like some scenes are just filling in for the parts that feel pretty dull. Some of the CGI effects are not very effective, where some of the scary scenes feel too predictable and less scary. I will say that there is at least one good scene, where Pennywise turns into a spider, and that is actually a good idea. Overall, IT: Chapter Two is a sequel that will divide fans of the previous film. This is not a bad film, there are enjoyable scenes to be found. But this sequel is not as good from a horror standard, compared to the first film. Director Andy Muschietti ( who directed the previous IT film ) may not have made the sequel i was hoping for, but i can sense he as a passion for telling the story of Pennywise in a simple but effective way. If you love clowns and horror, then this film will probably be a good choice for the New Years Eve party.
Rating: DDD
In 1989 a group of young friends throught that they killed Pennywise The Dancing Clown ( Bill Skarsgård ) for good, until Mike Hanlon ( Isaiha Mustafa ) call up his old friends in 2016. Mike is still living in Derry, Maine, and after some brutal murders he realise that Pennywise is back. He calls Beverly Marsh ( Jessica Chastain ), Bill Denbrough ( James McAvoy ), Richie Tozier ( Bill Hader ) and the rest of The Losers Club. They all need to come back to Derry, to make sure Pennywise does not take any more victims.
I honestly did not go into this film with too high expectations, after hearing a lot of different opinions about this sequel. Even if this film is not as scary as the IT film from 2017, there are some details i think that this film manage to do in a positive way. To see the main character from the previous film as adults, is of course interesting to see. Since i enjoyed the performances from the teenages in IT, we now get to see how they developed after so many years. One thing becomes clear, no matter how many years go by, the loser club stays united. Since the previous film had pretty unknown young actors ( except for a few ), this sequel have some heavier actors included that i am sure most of you will recognize. James McAvoy ( who i especially love in the British black comedy Filth, a must see ) plays the adult version of Bill. There is no doubt that McAvoy knows how to develope a character, and he proves this once more in this film. I have seen McAvoy do stronger performances than in this film, such as in Split, but he is a good choice for this character. My favourite performance in this film comes from actor Bill Hader ( who did a wonderful performance in The Skeleton Twins ), who plays the adult version of Richie. Bill has that vulgar language that fits him so well, and he comes across as an asshole sometimes, but you can´t help to like him. There are some other characters that works as well, including Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise of course. But this sequel have some problems that we must talk about. This film is way too long, over 2 hours and 49 minutes long. For a horror film that is way too long, and it feels like some scenes are just filling in for the parts that feel pretty dull. Some of the CGI effects are not very effective, where some of the scary scenes feel too predictable and less scary. I will say that there is at least one good scene, where Pennywise turns into a spider, and that is actually a good idea. Overall, IT: Chapter Two is a sequel that will divide fans of the previous film. This is not a bad film, there are enjoyable scenes to be found. But this sequel is not as good from a horror standard, compared to the first film. Director Andy Muschietti ( who directed the previous IT film ) may not have made the sequel i was hoping for, but i can sense he as a passion for telling the story of Pennywise in a simple but effective way. If you love clowns and horror, then this film will probably be a good choice for the New Years Eve party.
Rating: DDD
torsdag 26 december 2019
The Worst Movie Of 2019
Cheers everyone!
Daniel here, your favourite Swedish movie critic ever. Really ? Yes, just ask the Kardashians and they will confirm this. I have just celebrated Christmas, so im a little bit tired from all the Christmas food, but the alcohol helped. 2019 is coming to an end, and i have seen some really good films this year in many different categories. Of course i did not enjoy every single film i watched, and especially one film was really bad. So when i was thinking about what film i would choose as the worst film of 2019, it was not so hard to figure out what title i would choose. And my choice is...
The Least Of These
This film should have been more interesting considering there is a horrible tragedy surrounding the story of Graham Staines, who were killed with his two young boys in India. But this film have no depth, no emotional scenes, and especially really bad acting. The Least Of These is a film you will forget so quickly, because there is nothing that leaves an impact with this story. Actor Stephen Baldwin is so stiff, that you might ask yourself if he really wanted to do the role of Graham Staines. I understand if director Aneesh Daniel wanted to tell this tragic story, but he does not seem to focus on doing this film more dramatic, instead of making it very boring. There are also some scenes where we are supposed to feel an emotional impact, but you are left feeling nothing at all. The Least Of These is one of those films that i don't really understand the point with, since this should have been an intetesting film when you know the true story behind what happened.
So if you wondered what film to skip this year, then don't see The Least Of These. The last reviews of this year are coming within a few days, so keep your eyes open and i will see you soon.
Cheers from Daniel
Daniel here, your favourite Swedish movie critic ever. Really ? Yes, just ask the Kardashians and they will confirm this. I have just celebrated Christmas, so im a little bit tired from all the Christmas food, but the alcohol helped. 2019 is coming to an end, and i have seen some really good films this year in many different categories. Of course i did not enjoy every single film i watched, and especially one film was really bad. So when i was thinking about what film i would choose as the worst film of 2019, it was not so hard to figure out what title i would choose. And my choice is...
The Least Of These
This film should have been more interesting considering there is a horrible tragedy surrounding the story of Graham Staines, who were killed with his two young boys in India. But this film have no depth, no emotional scenes, and especially really bad acting. The Least Of These is a film you will forget so quickly, because there is nothing that leaves an impact with this story. Actor Stephen Baldwin is so stiff, that you might ask yourself if he really wanted to do the role of Graham Staines. I understand if director Aneesh Daniel wanted to tell this tragic story, but he does not seem to focus on doing this film more dramatic, instead of making it very boring. There are also some scenes where we are supposed to feel an emotional impact, but you are left feeling nothing at all. The Least Of These is one of those films that i don't really understand the point with, since this should have been an intetesting film when you know the true story behind what happened.
So if you wondered what film to skip this year, then don't see The Least Of These. The last reviews of this year are coming within a few days, so keep your eyes open and i will see you soon.
Cheers from Daniel
fredag 20 december 2019
Rabid
There are director´s who have a very unique style, when it comes to making films. There are of course several director´s i could mention, but i am especially thinking about legendary director David Cronenberg. This man have made so many classics, and i would want to talk about so many titles. But i decided to pick out two films that i personally really enjoy for different reasons. Let us begin with the 1981 film known as Scanners. This film is in many ways pretty original, since this film tells the story of people who are gifted with telepathic and telekinetic powers. Scanners have influences from science fiction, action and horror films, all combined into a nice presentation. I would have to say that Scanners feels like an opera in violence, with an open mind about our abilities to use our brains in a different way than most people would do. Director David Cronenberg must have been inspired to tell this story with medical terms in his mind. If you have not seen Scanners, this is a must see if you are a fan of sci fi horror films. The next film that came to my mind is the 1977 horror film known as Rabid, one of the true classics from director David Cronenberg. Rabid tells the story of Rose ( played by actress Marilyn Chambers ) who is in a very serious motorcycle accident, and is rushed into a Surgical operation. An orifice develops underneath one of her armpits, and this orifice hides a phallic stinger that she uses to feed on people´s blood. Rabid is an odd horror film, but tells a quite original and fascinating story, that reminds me of a different kind of vampire tale. Rabid is one of those Cronenberg gems that everyone should see, since this is in many ways one of the true classics of the 70´s. If i say the name The Soska Sisters, what comes to your mind then ? For me personally, i am thinking about their film American Mary, released in 2012. This is a very good horror film, that tells the story of Mary ( played wonderful by actress Katharine Isabelle ), a medical student, who finds out how much easy money she can get through underground surgery. American Mary gives a very fascinating look into the darker world of surgery, and what consequences these procedures can cause. When i found out that The Siska Sisters would direct a remake of David Cronenberg cult film Rabid, i was very curious to see the result. Is this one of the better remakes in recent years, or is Rabid a film you might as well skip for something more original ?
Rose ( Laura Vandervoort ) is a passionate fashion designer, who loves to bring out her own unique design, is not respected by her boss Gunter ( Mackenzie Gray ), who does not see her true potential. After being turned down, and humiliated by co-workers, Rose is not seeing anything positive in her life at the moment. One day, she suffers a disfiguring accident where her face is damaged really bad. Forced to live with this disfigured face, and can´t show her face outside, she finds a clinic that helps victims such as herself. She decides to make the surgery that is suggested. The result is amazing, and this should give her a new start in her life. But something happened with Rose after surgery, and she is clearly no longer who she used to be.
Making a remake of a classic cult film is not easy. You have to be able to respect the original film, and still make the remake good enough to be enjoyed by the audience. In the case of this remake of Rabid, i would say that this is at least a good atempt to try and make a new version of Rabid. The thing is that this remake does not try and copy the original film completely, but tell the story in a different way than in the 1977 film. I think this was a good choice, because it would have been pretty boring if they made this film look excatly like the original film. Another detail i have to mention, is the brutality of several scenes. We get to see infected attacking humans for their blood and flesh, and i like the look of these scenes. It is almost like watching a zombie attack, with good looking practical effects. Did we need a remake of Rabid ? I feel divided on this subject, since there are both good remakes and bad remakes of classic films. The one good thing about this specific remake, is that people who enjoy this new version will perhaps be curious to see the old film. And that is of course good, since you should experience David Cronenberg´s cult film. When it comes to the cast, i think we do have some interesting characters here, especially the lead character Rose ( played by actress Laura Vandervoort, who some of you might recognize as the character Lisa in the sci fi TV series V ). Rose is especially interesting after her horrible accident, when you see a completely different personality inside of her growing for each day. Actor Mackenzie Gray delivers one of the most entertaining performances in this film, as the fashion designer Gunter ( reminded me of the character Serge in the Beverly Hills Cop films ). The horror elements works pretty good for the most part, and thanks to a great lead performance, Rabid manage to find a good balance to tell an interesting story, and directors Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska have clearly felt a passion in this remake as they made this film effective. If you are fed up with ordinary Christmas movies during the holidays, let Rabid guide you into a tasteful treat of effective horror elements. To be honest, if i could celebrate Christmas, it would be in a Rabid way, it does look very peaceful.
Rating: DDD
Rose ( Laura Vandervoort ) is a passionate fashion designer, who loves to bring out her own unique design, is not respected by her boss Gunter ( Mackenzie Gray ), who does not see her true potential. After being turned down, and humiliated by co-workers, Rose is not seeing anything positive in her life at the moment. One day, she suffers a disfiguring accident where her face is damaged really bad. Forced to live with this disfigured face, and can´t show her face outside, she finds a clinic that helps victims such as herself. She decides to make the surgery that is suggested. The result is amazing, and this should give her a new start in her life. But something happened with Rose after surgery, and she is clearly no longer who she used to be.
Making a remake of a classic cult film is not easy. You have to be able to respect the original film, and still make the remake good enough to be enjoyed by the audience. In the case of this remake of Rabid, i would say that this is at least a good atempt to try and make a new version of Rabid. The thing is that this remake does not try and copy the original film completely, but tell the story in a different way than in the 1977 film. I think this was a good choice, because it would have been pretty boring if they made this film look excatly like the original film. Another detail i have to mention, is the brutality of several scenes. We get to see infected attacking humans for their blood and flesh, and i like the look of these scenes. It is almost like watching a zombie attack, with good looking practical effects. Did we need a remake of Rabid ? I feel divided on this subject, since there are both good remakes and bad remakes of classic films. The one good thing about this specific remake, is that people who enjoy this new version will perhaps be curious to see the old film. And that is of course good, since you should experience David Cronenberg´s cult film. When it comes to the cast, i think we do have some interesting characters here, especially the lead character Rose ( played by actress Laura Vandervoort, who some of you might recognize as the character Lisa in the sci fi TV series V ). Rose is especially interesting after her horrible accident, when you see a completely different personality inside of her growing for each day. Actor Mackenzie Gray delivers one of the most entertaining performances in this film, as the fashion designer Gunter ( reminded me of the character Serge in the Beverly Hills Cop films ). The horror elements works pretty good for the most part, and thanks to a great lead performance, Rabid manage to find a good balance to tell an interesting story, and directors Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska have clearly felt a passion in this remake as they made this film effective. If you are fed up with ordinary Christmas movies during the holidays, let Rabid guide you into a tasteful treat of effective horror elements. To be honest, if i could celebrate Christmas, it would be in a Rabid way, it does look very peaceful.
Rating: DDD
söndag 15 december 2019
The Mistletoe Secret
Hallmark Channel, the channel that is made for that softly, candle cozy family gatherings, where no explosions are allowed, no gun shoot outs, no ninjas and no female strippers. And i can understand why, this is a channel that is especially made to make TV friendly movies for families who love romance, decorations, coffee moments. It is almost like walking into a world i don´t recognize ( except when you visit someone who clearly is a Hallmark addict ). In early 2003, i used to have Hallmark Channel on my decoder box. I did not choose the channel, it was included in the channel package. I can´t remember how many films i looked at during that time, but i would probably say 3 films, within a time period of 5 years. One of the films i do remember is a western film with actor Kevin Sorbo. The film is called Avenging Angel, where Kevin Sorbo plays a gun shooting preacher ( my kind of preacher, we should have more of those ). The film may not have been a masterpiece, but as a western film it was fun seeing Kevin Sorbo doing a western film with gun shootings ( though you did not see much violence, maybe because it was a Hallmark film ). Over the years, you can watch Hallmark Christmas movies on TV, where especially 2 channels in Sweden show different Hallmark films. My wife watch these films sometimes, and i recently watched 2 film with her. I can´t say i throught they were really good. But earlier this autumn i made a decision, that i would review a new Hallmark Christmas movie on my movie review blog. I knew this would be a risk to take, that i might choose a film that would be so corny, so soft, that i would fall asleep. But i ended up choosing a film called The Mistletoe Secret, where Dallas actor Patrick Duffy is included. Is this the greatest Christmas movie of all time, or should we cancel Christmas completely after seeing The Mistletoe Secret ?
Aria Eubank ( Kellie Pickler ) lives in the small town of Midway, who have been selected as one of the candidates to the travelling TV show Masters Of Travel Contest, what city is the best feature destination during Christmas. TV host Sterling Masters ( Christopher Russel ), sends Alex Bartlett ( Tyler Hynes ) to Midway, to make sure he digs deeper into what makes Midway a special place during Christmas.
I was prepared to have a bad experience with The Mistletoe Secret, since every Hallmark film is usually pretty bad, except for a few titles. But this is not as horrible as i expected, and we have especially one actor to thank for this. Legendary TV series actor Patrick Duffy, who most of you remember as Bobby Erwing in the TV hit show Dallas back in the 80´s. Even if this is not a great performance, there is something charming about seeing Patrick Duffy here in a Christmas movie. He has a natural way to make characters feel joyful. So is there anything else positive about this film ? The Mistletoe Secret does manage to bring out a Christmas feeling, especially from a small town perspective where everyone helps making the town prepare for the holidays. But let´s be honest here. If you are looking for great acting, you won´t find it in The Mistletoe Secret. Especially from lead actress Kellie Picker. She looks great, but when it comes to acting she needs to work more on her performance. I know that she is a singer as well, and to be honest i have only seen her before on American Idol, and not in any other film. Actor Tyler Hynes is also in this film ( who i especially remember from the Flatliners remake ). Unfortunately, his character is not anything special, and quite predictable. So that leaves us to the rest of the film, the contest if Midway will be chosen by a travel TV show of being the best Christmas location to visit. If the contest would have included some surprise, i might have enjoyed it more. But this film never really do much about the contest itself, and focus more on the romance between Aria and Alex. Director Terry Ingram clearly loves Christmas, but focus too much on predictable characters, than giving us anything unexpected. The Mistletoe Secret is probably a great choice if you are addicted on Hallmark Christmas movies, i personally feel that the only reason to watch this film is to see legendary TV actor Patrick Duffy deliver some Christmas joy. Who is up for a Christmas whiskey with me, and a Christmas meal ? I believe i might have more joy with this combination then what i had with The Mistletoe Secret.
Rating: DD
Aria Eubank ( Kellie Pickler ) lives in the small town of Midway, who have been selected as one of the candidates to the travelling TV show Masters Of Travel Contest, what city is the best feature destination during Christmas. TV host Sterling Masters ( Christopher Russel ), sends Alex Bartlett ( Tyler Hynes ) to Midway, to make sure he digs deeper into what makes Midway a special place during Christmas.
I was prepared to have a bad experience with The Mistletoe Secret, since every Hallmark film is usually pretty bad, except for a few titles. But this is not as horrible as i expected, and we have especially one actor to thank for this. Legendary TV series actor Patrick Duffy, who most of you remember as Bobby Erwing in the TV hit show Dallas back in the 80´s. Even if this is not a great performance, there is something charming about seeing Patrick Duffy here in a Christmas movie. He has a natural way to make characters feel joyful. So is there anything else positive about this film ? The Mistletoe Secret does manage to bring out a Christmas feeling, especially from a small town perspective where everyone helps making the town prepare for the holidays. But let´s be honest here. If you are looking for great acting, you won´t find it in The Mistletoe Secret. Especially from lead actress Kellie Picker. She looks great, but when it comes to acting she needs to work more on her performance. I know that she is a singer as well, and to be honest i have only seen her before on American Idol, and not in any other film. Actor Tyler Hynes is also in this film ( who i especially remember from the Flatliners remake ). Unfortunately, his character is not anything special, and quite predictable. So that leaves us to the rest of the film, the contest if Midway will be chosen by a travel TV show of being the best Christmas location to visit. If the contest would have included some surprise, i might have enjoyed it more. But this film never really do much about the contest itself, and focus more on the romance between Aria and Alex. Director Terry Ingram clearly loves Christmas, but focus too much on predictable characters, than giving us anything unexpected. The Mistletoe Secret is probably a great choice if you are addicted on Hallmark Christmas movies, i personally feel that the only reason to watch this film is to see legendary TV actor Patrick Duffy deliver some Christmas joy. Who is up for a Christmas whiskey with me, and a Christmas meal ? I believe i might have more joy with this combination then what i had with The Mistletoe Secret.
Rating: DD
måndag 9 december 2019
The Furies
Humans love hunting for fresh meat. The knowledge of hunting have been carried around by many generations in history, and a new generation of hunters are taught how to find fresh meat in forests, mountains and in the air. In my family we do have some hunters, that mostly hunt for moose or deer. So every autumn they go out ( with a hunting permission of course ), and hope to find a deer or a moose. I have only been on a hunting trip once, when i was very young. I barely remember anything, since i just sat watching mostly. For me personally, i am not really interested in hunting. I love meat, and i don´t mind trying different kinds of meats, but that would be in a restaurant and not trying to hunt myself. When it comes to hunting in films, we have a lot of titles to choose between. We have more ordinary hunting films in the drama selection, or we have horror films where humans hunt everything from animals to monsters. But what about hunters hunting humans ? Now we are getting into a completely different genre, and there is especially one cult classic film i have in mind. In 1993, legendary director John Woo released his action film Hard Target, with legendary action star Jean-Claude Van Damme. This film is not only a really good action film, but takes hunting on a different level, by telling a story where businessmen Emil Fouchon ( played by legendary actor Lance Henriksen ) and Pik van Cleef ( Arnold Vosloo ) hunt homeless people as a sport. The human hunting scenes are very effective, and the camera angles that director John Woo manage to lift out in this film makes Hard Target look great in this genre, even now 26 years later. The idea of rich people hunting homeless people for fun, is actually not a bad idea for a film like this. The plot works with the incredible action scenes. I would probably say that this is one of my favourite Van Damme films of the 90´s, even if i enjoy a lot of his films. When it comes to horror films and hunting humans, we do have some films to choose between, especially in the cannibal category such as the Wrong Turn franchise ( only see the first 3 films, skip the rest ). Earlier this autumn i was hearing some positive reviews on a film called The Furies. My first thought that it sounded like a cute Saturday morning film. Turns out this is an Australian horror film, that seems to deliver some slasher ingredients. Is this the best Australian films i have seen in many years, or is The Furies just as bad as Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles ?
Kaylie ( Airlie Dobbs ) is kidnapped, as she wakes up in the middle of nowhere in a forest area, in a strange box. Her friend was kidnapped as well, and she begin searching the area. She meets some other girls in this forest area, that turns out to be kidnapped as well. But this is no ordinary kidnapping. It turns out these girls were chosen for a game, where different men wearing masks are chasing them with different weapons. Kaylie and the girls have no choice, they must find a way out of there, or this game might finish them all.
The Furies feels like a mixture of Hostel and the 1994 film Surviving The Game, combined with some other classic horror films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And i have to say, i enjoy this film more than i expected. With such a simple plot, this film manage to find a way to tell a story that works well with the practical effects. Since i really appreciate horror films from Australia, i am happy to say that this film manage to show us once again why Australian horror films knows how to deliver entertainment. The Furies has a slasher tone, that brought me back to the 80´s, where these men wearing strange masks slaughter women. It may not sound very original, but that´s ok. Because in the slasher genre releases of this year, i would say that The Furies is one of the better releases. Let´s get into the characters for a bit. Actress Airlie Dobbs ( who i enjoyed in the horror film Killing Ground, worth checking out on DVD ) plays the character Kayla. I think what makes her character interesting, is that she is clearly a survivor. Even if you can tell she is suffering from this horrible situation she is going through, she is determined to survive, and actress Airlie Dobbs manage to lift this up through her performance. Actress Taylor Ferguson ( who some of you might recognize from the TV series Cleverman ) as the character Sheena, may not be as strong from a character perspective as Kayla is, but i still enjoy Taylor´s performance. Actress Linda Ngo ( who i recignized from TV series Top Of The Lake ) gives an unexpected performance towards the end, that i really appreciate. The plot in this film is actually more clever than most slasher films, when you find out that this hunt is arranged with the use of technology. Overall, i have to say that The Furies is a delightful surprise for me. Director Tony D´Aquino have found a way to bring back the slasher genre back up on it´s feet again, in a positive way. If you are planning to prepare for Christmas dinner soon, then i have a suggestion. Make sure the whole family watch The Furies while having Christmas dinner, so you make sure everyone will feel the taste for more meat. Because i can assure you, if there is one thing The Furies does right, is making sure you will have a bigger passion for fresh meat. Well done Australia, let me know when your next human hunt game begins, i might try it with my Swedish viking sword ( it is true, most swedes run with them all the time )
Rating: DDD
Kaylie ( Airlie Dobbs ) is kidnapped, as she wakes up in the middle of nowhere in a forest area, in a strange box. Her friend was kidnapped as well, and she begin searching the area. She meets some other girls in this forest area, that turns out to be kidnapped as well. But this is no ordinary kidnapping. It turns out these girls were chosen for a game, where different men wearing masks are chasing them with different weapons. Kaylie and the girls have no choice, they must find a way out of there, or this game might finish them all.
The Furies feels like a mixture of Hostel and the 1994 film Surviving The Game, combined with some other classic horror films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And i have to say, i enjoy this film more than i expected. With such a simple plot, this film manage to find a way to tell a story that works well with the practical effects. Since i really appreciate horror films from Australia, i am happy to say that this film manage to show us once again why Australian horror films knows how to deliver entertainment. The Furies has a slasher tone, that brought me back to the 80´s, where these men wearing strange masks slaughter women. It may not sound very original, but that´s ok. Because in the slasher genre releases of this year, i would say that The Furies is one of the better releases. Let´s get into the characters for a bit. Actress Airlie Dobbs ( who i enjoyed in the horror film Killing Ground, worth checking out on DVD ) plays the character Kayla. I think what makes her character interesting, is that she is clearly a survivor. Even if you can tell she is suffering from this horrible situation she is going through, she is determined to survive, and actress Airlie Dobbs manage to lift this up through her performance. Actress Taylor Ferguson ( who some of you might recognize from the TV series Cleverman ) as the character Sheena, may not be as strong from a character perspective as Kayla is, but i still enjoy Taylor´s performance. Actress Linda Ngo ( who i recignized from TV series Top Of The Lake ) gives an unexpected performance towards the end, that i really appreciate. The plot in this film is actually more clever than most slasher films, when you find out that this hunt is arranged with the use of technology. Overall, i have to say that The Furies is a delightful surprise for me. Director Tony D´Aquino have found a way to bring back the slasher genre back up on it´s feet again, in a positive way. If you are planning to prepare for Christmas dinner soon, then i have a suggestion. Make sure the whole family watch The Furies while having Christmas dinner, so you make sure everyone will feel the taste for more meat. Because i can assure you, if there is one thing The Furies does right, is making sure you will have a bigger passion for fresh meat. Well done Australia, let me know when your next human hunt game begins, i might try it with my Swedish viking sword ( it is true, most swedes run with them all the time )
Rating: DDD
torsdag 5 december 2019
The Young Cannibals
Cannibal murderers may not be found very often, but they do still exist out there. It is impossible to understand, how a person can even have the idea of eating another human being. Since i don´t have much knowledge in this area, i am sure there are different reasons of why someone would go this far, from a psychological perspective. I remember one of the first cases i read about in my youth, and that was about the case of serial murderer, and cannibal eater Jeffrey Dahmer. He murdered 17 young men, had sex with the victims dead bodies, and ate some of them. Dahmer died on prison on November 28, 1994, while he was beaten to death by a fellow inmate, Christopher Scarver. I can´t say i feel sorry for Dahmer being murdered, considering all the men that he murdered. There is a really good film, based on the life of Jeffreh Dahmer, simply called Dahmer. Released in 2002, this film is directed David Jacobsen and actor Jeremy Renner ( who most of you know from the Avengers film as Hawkeye ) plays Jeffrey Dahmer in this film. Dahmer is a really disturbing portrait of how mentally disturbed he was, and how he managed to trick so many victims. Actor Jeremy Renner really gave a powerful performance as Dahmer, and i have to say that this is one of my favourite films in his career. Another film came to my mind, that also includes cannibalism that is worth buying on DVD or Blu Ray. The 1977 cult classic film The Hills Have Eyes, directed by Wes Craven is one of the films that really brought up cannibalism in a very brutal way. The story of a family who are stranded in the Nevada desert, are attacked by cannibal savages. The Hills Have Eyes is one of the best films of director Wes Craven, even if i am a big fan of many of his films. I would say that this is probably one of the most cult horror classics from the 70´s. There is a really good Blu Ray release of this film on Arrow Video with special features worth checking out. Earlier this autumn i noticed a poster of a new film called The Young Cannibals, and i was fascinated instantly. I needed to see for myself, so i had to pick it up on DVD. Could this be a surprisngly good throwback to the cannibal films of the past, or is The Young Cannibals just another forgettable release ?
Nat ( Megan Purvis ) is a patient at a psychic hospital, and is not allowed outside. Ethan ( Benjamin Sarpong-Broni ) has a plan though, to get her out of this place. They manage to escape, so they can celebrate her birthday with friends out in a forest area, where their hiking friends are waiting. But the good times are about to change, when they find out that some kind of cannibal monster is found in this forest area, looking for fresh victims.
The beginning of The Young Cannibals is actually one of the highlights of this film. It has been a while since you get a great start in a film, since most films takes a while until they find the right tone. And if only this film could have kept that tone in the rest of the film, i think this could have been a real delight for horror fans. However, this does not mean that The Young Cannibals is a bad horror film. I will get into some other positive details as well. The monster look pretty nasty, with the big teeth, and clearly loves human flesh. It is almost like they are having their own barbecue party, with raw meat only of course. Even if you don´t get to see a lot of brutal scenes, i do like the idea of this beast walking around for fresh food. Another detail i enjoy is that in some scenes, only a certain amount of people can see the beast, it´s almost like a few chosen ones have the ablility to see them, while some can´t see them anywhere as they are being attacked. A good idea indeed, adds something different to the story. The characters in this film are very divided from an acting perspective. While some works ok, you don´t really get connected with some of the other characters. The characters i especially enjoy are Ethan ( played by actor Benjamin Sarpong-Broni ) and Nat ( played by actress Megan Purvis ). One of the details that makes the character Nat especially interesting, is that she is a mental patient who have escaped her psychic hospital. The horror scenes later in the film bring some fun, but we need to talk about something that missing in this film. I would have liked some more brutal scenes, when it comes to the killing. Directors Kris Carr and Sam Fowler have made a directorial debut film that leaves a hopeful taste of a bright future. The Young Cannibals is the perfect film to show during the Brexit discussions in Great Britain, and hopefully this film will inspire people on how you solve problems the right way. A fun B horror monster movie with a throwback to the glory VHS Days of the 80´s and 90´s as well, how can anyone say no to that?
Rating: DDD
Nat ( Megan Purvis ) is a patient at a psychic hospital, and is not allowed outside. Ethan ( Benjamin Sarpong-Broni ) has a plan though, to get her out of this place. They manage to escape, so they can celebrate her birthday with friends out in a forest area, where their hiking friends are waiting. But the good times are about to change, when they find out that some kind of cannibal monster is found in this forest area, looking for fresh victims.
The beginning of The Young Cannibals is actually one of the highlights of this film. It has been a while since you get a great start in a film, since most films takes a while until they find the right tone. And if only this film could have kept that tone in the rest of the film, i think this could have been a real delight for horror fans. However, this does not mean that The Young Cannibals is a bad horror film. I will get into some other positive details as well. The monster look pretty nasty, with the big teeth, and clearly loves human flesh. It is almost like they are having their own barbecue party, with raw meat only of course. Even if you don´t get to see a lot of brutal scenes, i do like the idea of this beast walking around for fresh food. Another detail i enjoy is that in some scenes, only a certain amount of people can see the beast, it´s almost like a few chosen ones have the ablility to see them, while some can´t see them anywhere as they are being attacked. A good idea indeed, adds something different to the story. The characters in this film are very divided from an acting perspective. While some works ok, you don´t really get connected with some of the other characters. The characters i especially enjoy are Ethan ( played by actor Benjamin Sarpong-Broni ) and Nat ( played by actress Megan Purvis ). One of the details that makes the character Nat especially interesting, is that she is a mental patient who have escaped her psychic hospital. The horror scenes later in the film bring some fun, but we need to talk about something that missing in this film. I would have liked some more brutal scenes, when it comes to the killing. Directors Kris Carr and Sam Fowler have made a directorial debut film that leaves a hopeful taste of a bright future. The Young Cannibals is the perfect film to show during the Brexit discussions in Great Britain, and hopefully this film will inspire people on how you solve problems the right way. A fun B horror monster movie with a throwback to the glory VHS Days of the 80´s and 90´s as well, how can anyone say no to that?
Rating: DDD
måndag 2 december 2019
Once Upon A Time In Deadwood
When ever i think about classic western films, i always remember the films that i loved most. Of course i would have to say that the western films of legendary director Sergio Leone are probably my favoruites in this genre. But there are so many other great western films, that you don´t hear much about these days. There might be different reasons to why they are not mentioned, but i would like to bring up 2 western films that i personally enjoy for different reasons. Let us begin with the 1995 film The Quick And The Dead, directed by Sam Raimi. This is a different kind of western film, that reminds us of Evil Dead 2 film tricks while still keeping an old school western look. The cast is really good including Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russel Crowe, Leonardo Di Caprio, Lance Henriksen, Gary Sinise, Toby Bell and of course Bruce Campbell. The Quick And The Dead is one of those 90´s gems that deserves to be seen by a young generation of western fans. Director Sam Raimi knew exactly what this film needed, a brutal but really clever filming technique. If you have not seen The Quick And The Dead, pick it up on DVD or Blu Ray. The next film that came to my mind is the 2004 French western film Blueberry, directed by Jan Kounen ( perhaps most known for his 1997 film Dobermann ). This film Blueberry is based on the comic books of the same name, illustrated by Jean Giraud. But as i understand, from those who have read the comic books, this film has very Little common with the source material. I still enjoy this film though, especially with the cast of French actor Vincent Cassel, actress Juliette Lewis and legendary actor Michael Madsen. Blueberry have the right kind of western tone, and the cinematography looks good from Japanese cinematographer Tetsuo Nagata. How many of you saw the action film Death Kiss last year with Charles Bronson look alike actor Robert Bronzi ? I did, and i wrote a review of this film. The official Facebook page of Death Kiss actually shared my review on their page, so check it out if you want. Since i enjoyed Death Kiss, i wanted to see if Robert would deliver in a western film. Is this better than i expected, or is Once Upon A Time In Deadwood a film that will be lost in the sand storms ?
Notorious gun slinger The Colonel ( Robert Bronzi ) is poisoned by an heiress named Ursula ( Karin Brauns ). This way he have no choice but to help her, or he dies withing 3 days. Ursula´s sister is kidnapped by a gang of hoodlums. The antidote can be found where Ursula´s sister is located. The Colonel and Ursula begin their journey, where anything can happen when they least expect it.
If you are a fan of old school western films, then Once Upon A Time In Deadwood should please you. This is exactly what your Grandpa have waited to see, a real old fashioned western that does not need CGI effects. The filming locations are beautiful, and i have to say that the costume design looks pretty good as well. I know you all are waiting for me to talk about actor Robert Bronzi, so here we go. If you enjoyed his performance in Death Kiss, then look no further. I guarantee that you will enjoy his performance in this film as well. He fits well in this genre as the character The Colonel, and he does deliver the same Charles Bronson feeling with his shooting scenes. But this film also have some other characters worth to mention. Actress Karin Brauns ( who grew up in Sweden, Norrköping, so i raise a Swedish flag of prideness ) plays the character Ursula, and i really think she is a good choice for this character. You might think she looks so innocent, but Ursula have a certain personality, that helps her character become more interesting. Actress Lauren Compton ( who you can see in the B horror movie Clowntown ) also shows up in here. Most of all, i have to mention legendary actor Michael Paré who plays the character Swearengen. Paré knows how to make an entrance, in his own unique way. If you are expecting any big surprises, you won´t find it here. The story is very simple, but works with the characters. Once Upon A Time In Deadwood is a film that is made for western fans, and if you appreciate this genre then i have a feeling you might have a good time. Director Rene Perez ( who also directed Death Kiss ) proves once again why he knows how to make a film fit so well with Robert Bronzi. Since i really appreciate film makers that still make this genre, i think it is important to support these films since we know they don´t get released very often. So pick up a DVD copy from Uncork´d Entertainment, and help this genre stay alive. I am hoping to see Bronzi fight zombies in an apocalypse film in the future, i have a feeling that would be a beautiful experience.
Rating: DDD
Notorious gun slinger The Colonel ( Robert Bronzi ) is poisoned by an heiress named Ursula ( Karin Brauns ). This way he have no choice but to help her, or he dies withing 3 days. Ursula´s sister is kidnapped by a gang of hoodlums. The antidote can be found where Ursula´s sister is located. The Colonel and Ursula begin their journey, where anything can happen when they least expect it.
If you are a fan of old school western films, then Once Upon A Time In Deadwood should please you. This is exactly what your Grandpa have waited to see, a real old fashioned western that does not need CGI effects. The filming locations are beautiful, and i have to say that the costume design looks pretty good as well. I know you all are waiting for me to talk about actor Robert Bronzi, so here we go. If you enjoyed his performance in Death Kiss, then look no further. I guarantee that you will enjoy his performance in this film as well. He fits well in this genre as the character The Colonel, and he does deliver the same Charles Bronson feeling with his shooting scenes. But this film also have some other characters worth to mention. Actress Karin Brauns ( who grew up in Sweden, Norrköping, so i raise a Swedish flag of prideness ) plays the character Ursula, and i really think she is a good choice for this character. You might think she looks so innocent, but Ursula have a certain personality, that helps her character become more interesting. Actress Lauren Compton ( who you can see in the B horror movie Clowntown ) also shows up in here. Most of all, i have to mention legendary actor Michael Paré who plays the character Swearengen. Paré knows how to make an entrance, in his own unique way. If you are expecting any big surprises, you won´t find it here. The story is very simple, but works with the characters. Once Upon A Time In Deadwood is a film that is made for western fans, and if you appreciate this genre then i have a feeling you might have a good time. Director Rene Perez ( who also directed Death Kiss ) proves once again why he knows how to make a film fit so well with Robert Bronzi. Since i really appreciate film makers that still make this genre, i think it is important to support these films since we know they don´t get released very often. So pick up a DVD copy from Uncork´d Entertainment, and help this genre stay alive. I am hoping to see Bronzi fight zombies in an apocalypse film in the future, i have a feeling that would be a beautiful experience.
Rating: DDD
lördag 30 november 2019
30 Years Anniversary Review Of Kickboxer
I have thought about travelling to Belgium within a year, because i need to visit one location in the city of Brussels. Here they have a statue of action movie legend Jean-Claude Van Damme, and since i have always been a fan of his 80´s and 90´s movies, this is something that i need to see with my own eyes. Van Damme was a big part of my childhood, and i remember seeing his films at the VHS rental stores. I was too young to rent any of them around 1990 ( i was 12 years old ), so a school friend of mine managed to get his dad to rent some of the films. My earliest memory of a Van Damme film was Black Eagle, with legendary martial arts actor Sho Kusogi. Even if Van Damme did not have a big role, you could tell there was something special about his fighting skills. Of course we would experience Van Damme´s unique fighting style in the 1988 classic known as Bloodsport. I remember seeing the rental version on VHS in Sweden, and unfortunately they have cut the fighting scenes a bit. This was an ordinary thing that they did here in Sweden in the 80´s, censorship destroyed a lot of great martial arts / action films. However, i did enjoy Bloodsport and some of the fighting scenes with legendary martial arts actor Bolo Yeung. Bloodsport turned out to be a box office hit with grossing 65 million dollars. Not bad for a movie that only cost about 2 million dollars. Van Damme kept working hard in making more action films, and in 1989 he had 2 films released in cinemas. The first film is called Cyborg from director Albert Pyun, and the second film is Kickboxer. Now, if you were a teenager like me in the 80´s, then i believe most of you have memories of Kickboxer. It was in many ways the perfect way to end the 80´s. I have not seen this film for a long time, so i decided to watch it again on DVD, since this film turned 30 years this year. Is this still one of the best Van Damme films, or has Kickboxer aged much more than i expected and lost some of the magic ?
Kurt Sloane ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ) is the younger brother of Eric Sloane ( Dennis Alexio ), the United States kickboxing world champion. Eric is enticed by the media to compete in Thailand, where kickboxing was started, to further establish his legacy. Eric and Kurt travel to Bangkok to fight Tong Po, Thailand´s undefeated top fighter. Eric is confident he will defeat Ton Po easily, and have no fear. But as the fight day arrives, it becomes clear that Eric might not have taken his opponent Tong Po seriously. The match ends with Eric being taken to hospital, after being badly injured. At the hospital it becomes clear that Eric is paralyzed, and will never walk again. Kurt want to revenge Tong Po, but is told to wait, until he is trained hard enough to fight the champion. He is guided to a well known trainer known as Xian Chow ( Dennis Chan ), where he must go through a lot of hard training to reach the level of Tong Po´s fighting skills. Will Eric be strong enough to defeat Tong Po ?
When you see a film like Kickboxer today, you realise two things. First of all this is the perfect Karate Kid story that is actually better than the 1984 film ( i know some people will not agree with me on this, but that´s ok ). Second of all i have to say that this is the first time i have seen Van Damme really give his best performance in an 80´s film. Not saying he was bad in Bloodsport, but i feel that he managed to bring out a different level of acting in this film. Of course he delivers cheesy dialogue ( that´s part of the charm of this film ), and i love his disco dance scene ( the greatest disco dance you will ever see in an 80´s film ). Some of the fighting scenes with Van Damme, really manage to show you how hard he worked to bring out some of his best fighting scenes ever in the 80´s. Van Damme as the character Kurt Sloane, is actually more dramatic than you probably would expect. He is not the typical macho guy, but is actually very emotional. Kurt´s brother Eric Sloane ( played by former Kickboxer champion Dennis Alexio ) is the tough one, who clearly is self-confident. To have two very different brothers in this film, makes the relationship look more realistic. I have to mention some other great characters as well. Muay Thai trainer Xian Chow ( played by actor Dennis Chan ) is the perfect choice for a role like this. He is very serious, but you also understand he have a sense of humour while he teaches Kurt to fight. Actor Michel Quissi as the iconic 80´s villain Tong Po, is one of the best bad guys of the 80´s. Tong Po is brutal, have no respect for anyone and don´t care if he kills anyone. Michel really gave this character a strong personality. Kickboxer is a film that is made for fans of martial arts, and especially fans of Jean-Claude Van Damme. There is so much here to be happy about, especially the fight scenes. But i also enjoy the serious tone of this film, mixed with some funny moments that you don´t really know why they were added, but still works well with the story. I would not say this is the best Van Damme film, but definetely his best film of the 80´s. Directors Mark DiSalle and David Worth made this film fit so well with the Van Damme image, as they managed to add some other tasteful ingredients. If you love 80´s nostalgia, then Kickboxer is the film to buy on DVD or Blu Ray. Christmas is getting closer, so why not enjoy this film with family and watch a real 80´s classic on this 30 years anniversary of Kickboxer. Who knows, Santa Clause might stick around to watch also, i heard he loves Van Damme special kicks.
Kurt Sloane ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ) is the younger brother of Eric Sloane ( Dennis Alexio ), the United States kickboxing world champion. Eric is enticed by the media to compete in Thailand, where kickboxing was started, to further establish his legacy. Eric and Kurt travel to Bangkok to fight Tong Po, Thailand´s undefeated top fighter. Eric is confident he will defeat Ton Po easily, and have no fear. But as the fight day arrives, it becomes clear that Eric might not have taken his opponent Tong Po seriously. The match ends with Eric being taken to hospital, after being badly injured. At the hospital it becomes clear that Eric is paralyzed, and will never walk again. Kurt want to revenge Tong Po, but is told to wait, until he is trained hard enough to fight the champion. He is guided to a well known trainer known as Xian Chow ( Dennis Chan ), where he must go through a lot of hard training to reach the level of Tong Po´s fighting skills. Will Eric be strong enough to defeat Tong Po ?
When you see a film like Kickboxer today, you realise two things. First of all this is the perfect Karate Kid story that is actually better than the 1984 film ( i know some people will not agree with me on this, but that´s ok ). Second of all i have to say that this is the first time i have seen Van Damme really give his best performance in an 80´s film. Not saying he was bad in Bloodsport, but i feel that he managed to bring out a different level of acting in this film. Of course he delivers cheesy dialogue ( that´s part of the charm of this film ), and i love his disco dance scene ( the greatest disco dance you will ever see in an 80´s film ). Some of the fighting scenes with Van Damme, really manage to show you how hard he worked to bring out some of his best fighting scenes ever in the 80´s. Van Damme as the character Kurt Sloane, is actually more dramatic than you probably would expect. He is not the typical macho guy, but is actually very emotional. Kurt´s brother Eric Sloane ( played by former Kickboxer champion Dennis Alexio ) is the tough one, who clearly is self-confident. To have two very different brothers in this film, makes the relationship look more realistic. I have to mention some other great characters as well. Muay Thai trainer Xian Chow ( played by actor Dennis Chan ) is the perfect choice for a role like this. He is very serious, but you also understand he have a sense of humour while he teaches Kurt to fight. Actor Michel Quissi as the iconic 80´s villain Tong Po, is one of the best bad guys of the 80´s. Tong Po is brutal, have no respect for anyone and don´t care if he kills anyone. Michel really gave this character a strong personality. Kickboxer is a film that is made for fans of martial arts, and especially fans of Jean-Claude Van Damme. There is so much here to be happy about, especially the fight scenes. But i also enjoy the serious tone of this film, mixed with some funny moments that you don´t really know why they were added, but still works well with the story. I would not say this is the best Van Damme film, but definetely his best film of the 80´s. Directors Mark DiSalle and David Worth made this film fit so well with the Van Damme image, as they managed to add some other tasteful ingredients. If you love 80´s nostalgia, then Kickboxer is the film to buy on DVD or Blu Ray. Christmas is getting closer, so why not enjoy this film with family and watch a real 80´s classic on this 30 years anniversary of Kickboxer. Who knows, Santa Clause might stick around to watch also, i heard he loves Van Damme special kicks.
Rating: DDDD
fredag 29 november 2019
Mystify: Michael Hutchence
Let´s go back to the year of 1990. I remember being on my first foregin trip to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria with my Sony Walkman. I was lying by the swimming pool, listening to tapes with music. And i remember especially listening to the band Curiousity Killed The Cat and their song Name And Number. It was here when i heard New Sensation, on one of my dad´s old Mr Music tapes ( a tape was released every month for many years with all the big hits ). The band was called INXS, and this was the first time i heard about them. Later that year, i was at the record store checking out new album releases and came across INXS brand new album X. I had a listen and i was surprised. INXS had a very unique rock and pop sound, and the album X had some really good songs, where the song Suicide Blonde could get anyone to start dancing. But it wasn´t until 1992 i actually bought an INXS album, when they released ( in my opinion ) their best album Welcome To Wherever You Are. Songs like Taste It, Not Enough Time, Wishing Well gave this album a different sound, as if INXS wanted to try a differen path and try different music styles. Front man Michael Hutchence had a very deep, powerful singing voice and he made the songs magic. When INXS released their next album Full Moon, Dirty Hearts in 1993, they became more raw with a heavier rock sound. I am especially thinking about their single The Gift, and the song Days Of Rust. After a lot of touring, and personal issues, INXS would not tour for a while and not release any studio album untill 1997. This was the year when they released their studio album Elegantly Wasted. I know this album did not do well in the charts, but Elegantly Wasted have some of the most personal songs from Michael Hutchence, such as We Are Thrown Together ( incredible pop / rock song ). On the 22nd of November, 1997, Michael Hutchence was found dead in a hotel room in Sydney, Australia. I was shocked, and i remember my mother bought several papers to read about this with me. Michael have left us too early, it felt like he had so many more years to enjoy in his life. I have seen several documentaries on TV about Michael Hutchence, but it was not until i heard about a new documentary film called Mystify. A new documetary film about the incredible life of Michael Hutchence. Is this the best documentary film of 2019, or is Mystify not bringing anything interesting to the table ?
As a young boy, Michhael Hutchence became the frontman to the Australian band The Vegetables, with the Farriss brothers, Kerny, Sanders, Beers and Kennelly. The band is renamed in 1979 to INXS, and this is where the journey begins. During the 80´s, INXS tour constantly and their songs really kick off with the 1985 album Listen Like Thieves. But everything will change in 1987, when INXS release the album Kick. Massive world tours, exploding on the charts and selling millions of copies, Kick will bring INXS all over the world. Michael becomes one of the most loved frontmen in a rock band, and his life will never be the same again. Mystify is the story of Michael Hutchence, INXS and how Michael made an enormous impact on the world of music.
After seeing Mysitfy, it becomes even more clear why Michael was such a unique frontman in INXS, Australia´s biggest rock band ever. Not only did he have a stage personality that was incredible, he connected with people in a very special way. I can understand why some people would say he was the 80´s and 90´s Jim Morrison ( frontman of The Doors ), because he also had that unique sexy style, and looks. Mystify digs deep into Michael´s personal life, but this film also manage to give you a bigger picture of his personality with interviews of the people who knew him. But that´s not all, you also get to hear the stories of how INXS became one of the most popular rock bands, and how the songs developed through touring, studio sessions and personal experiences. The period of when the album Kick was released, this is really where you see how big INXS became. Selling out arenas, climbing the charts worldwide, the album Kick gave the band a bigger success than anyone expected. As the fame became bigger, you could tell that Michael had to work really hard to keep up with all the massive publicity. Not only that, the fan base was growing incredibly big and wanted more of Michael. The stories from some of the people who were really close to Michael, makes this film become more interesting. I especially enjoy the part of this film, where Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue tells the story of when she met Michael, and how they connected in a very unique way. You can hear it in her voice, that Michael will always have a big impact on her life, with the years that they shared together. You also get to hear the darker parts of Michael´s private life, and how he struggled to keep it all together with his personal life and his famous personality. Director Richard Lowenstein have made a documentary film that leaves a powerful impact, especially how much Michael changed millions of lives of fans through the songs of INXS. There will never be anyone like Michael Hutchence again, he is still the biggest rock star of Australia. This is without a doubt the best music documentary film of 2019, and i guarantee you will be listening to INXS after this experience.
Rating: DDDD
As a young boy, Michhael Hutchence became the frontman to the Australian band The Vegetables, with the Farriss brothers, Kerny, Sanders, Beers and Kennelly. The band is renamed in 1979 to INXS, and this is where the journey begins. During the 80´s, INXS tour constantly and their songs really kick off with the 1985 album Listen Like Thieves. But everything will change in 1987, when INXS release the album Kick. Massive world tours, exploding on the charts and selling millions of copies, Kick will bring INXS all over the world. Michael becomes one of the most loved frontmen in a rock band, and his life will never be the same again. Mystify is the story of Michael Hutchence, INXS and how Michael made an enormous impact on the world of music.
After seeing Mysitfy, it becomes even more clear why Michael was such a unique frontman in INXS, Australia´s biggest rock band ever. Not only did he have a stage personality that was incredible, he connected with people in a very special way. I can understand why some people would say he was the 80´s and 90´s Jim Morrison ( frontman of The Doors ), because he also had that unique sexy style, and looks. Mystify digs deep into Michael´s personal life, but this film also manage to give you a bigger picture of his personality with interviews of the people who knew him. But that´s not all, you also get to hear the stories of how INXS became one of the most popular rock bands, and how the songs developed through touring, studio sessions and personal experiences. The period of when the album Kick was released, this is really where you see how big INXS became. Selling out arenas, climbing the charts worldwide, the album Kick gave the band a bigger success than anyone expected. As the fame became bigger, you could tell that Michael had to work really hard to keep up with all the massive publicity. Not only that, the fan base was growing incredibly big and wanted more of Michael. The stories from some of the people who were really close to Michael, makes this film become more interesting. I especially enjoy the part of this film, where Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue tells the story of when she met Michael, and how they connected in a very unique way. You can hear it in her voice, that Michael will always have a big impact on her life, with the years that they shared together. You also get to hear the darker parts of Michael´s private life, and how he struggled to keep it all together with his personal life and his famous personality. Director Richard Lowenstein have made a documentary film that leaves a powerful impact, especially how much Michael changed millions of lives of fans through the songs of INXS. There will never be anyone like Michael Hutchence again, he is still the biggest rock star of Australia. This is without a doubt the best music documentary film of 2019, and i guarantee you will be listening to INXS after this experience.
Rating: DDDD
måndag 25 november 2019
3 From Hell
There are some horror director´s who don´t care about being updated. They know exactly what time periods of horror films that they personally love, especially the ones who love the 60´s and the 70´s horror films. And there is especially one man i am thinking about, who clearly have a big passion about horror films from this time period, and that is of course respected film maker Rob Zombie. He is of course mostly known as an artist with his music, but since his debut full feature film House Of 1000 Corpses was released in 2003, he got horror fans worldwide to respect his passion for old horror films. Looking back at House Of 1000 Corpses, it was a perfect start for Rob Zombie, to introduce his main characters Captain Spaulding, Otis and of course our favourite girl Baby ( every man´s fantasy ). I have to say, the introduction to the iconic character Captain Spaulding ( played brilliant by legendary actor Sid Haig ) turned out better than i expected, and since then i have always felt that no one could ever do Captain Spaulding in such a magical way as Sid Haig does. He passed away this year, and we will all miss this wonderful man. The chemistry between legendary actor Bill Moseley and actress Sheri Moon Zombie in House Of 1000 Corpses is really powerful on screen, and they go into their characters so Deep, that it almost feels like they are the real Otis and Baby. Just 2 years later, director Rob Zombie released his sequel to this film, simply called The Devil´s Rejects. In my opinion, this is the best film director Rob Zombie have ever made, and he brought back the three main characters, who all did an even better performance in this film. The Devil´s Rejects is one of my personal favourite horror films in many years, for many reasons. Most of all i love the brutality, and the grindhouse look of this film that looks fantastic. After many years of speculations, we finally have the last film in this franchise known as 3 From Hell. The final film of Captain Spaulding, Otis and Baby, so the question is, does this film prove to be even better than Rob Zombie´s previous film, or is 3 From Hell one hell of a mess that you should avoid ?
The serial killers Baby Firefly ( Sheri Moon Zombie ), Otis Driftwood ( Bill Moseley ) and Captain Spaulding ( Sid Haig ) miraculously survived their shootout with the police. All three of them are all found guilty in court, and sentenced to life in prison. Captain Spaulding is executed via lethal injection. Otis ´ half-brother Winslow Foxworth " Foxy " Coltrane ( Richard Brake ) shows up to help Otis escape while he is outside doing work on a chain gang. Otis and Winslow begin to plan to get Baby out, to make sure that they can continue their sadistic journey.
The first thing that strikes me with 3 From Hell, is that the power that i love from The Devil´s Rejects can not be found here. In some ways, 3 From Hell is a much lighter version of the previous films, that can´t bring back the same magic as the previous films. That does not mean that 3 From Hell is a terrible film though. Since this is a film directed by Rob Zombie, you know he have kept something tasteful for his beloved fan base. I personally feel that this film really give actress Sheri Moon Zombie a chance to show of her crazy personality on a more personal level in this film. We have all seen her do crazy shit in the previous films as the character Baby, but here we get to see her behind bars, where she does not have the same control as she is used to have. Sheri Moon makes sure she give a performance that fits really good with her character. Legendary actor Bill Moseley ( who i never will forget in the wonderful cult film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 ) is back as Otis, and he does get the chance to show his brutal and insane personality. But the real highlight in my opinion, is the new character Winslow, played by actor Richard Brake. This guy is really nuts, and this is exactly the right kind of character to be hanging out with Baby and Otis. Unfortunately we only get to see Captain Spaulding for a very short while, played by legendary actor Sid Haig. Knowing that this was one of his final films ( his final film is called Hanukkah ), it feels sad that we did not get to see Captain Spaulding do what he knows best, having a damn good time. Since this is supposed to be the final film with these characters, i can´t say it does not finish as powerful as i was hoping it would do. At the end of the day, 3 From Hell will most likely divide fans of Rob Zombie fans. I am somewhere in the middle, where i would have made some changes. But i still think this is a film you should see, if you enjoy the style of Rob Zombie´s films. Director Rob Zombie have clearly been inspired to tell a different story with 3 From Hell, where you get a sense that this films shows that becoming older may change your perspective on life. The grindhouse style is something he knows how to handle, and 3 From Hell gives you a glimpse of this world, perhaps in a lighter version than The Devil´s Rejects. Don´t know what to give your grandmother for christmas ? Give her 3 From Hell on DVD or Blu Ray, and i guarantee she will say:- Hey, when can i join in and have some fun ?
Rating: DDD
The serial killers Baby Firefly ( Sheri Moon Zombie ), Otis Driftwood ( Bill Moseley ) and Captain Spaulding ( Sid Haig ) miraculously survived their shootout with the police. All three of them are all found guilty in court, and sentenced to life in prison. Captain Spaulding is executed via lethal injection. Otis ´ half-brother Winslow Foxworth " Foxy " Coltrane ( Richard Brake ) shows up to help Otis escape while he is outside doing work on a chain gang. Otis and Winslow begin to plan to get Baby out, to make sure that they can continue their sadistic journey.
The first thing that strikes me with 3 From Hell, is that the power that i love from The Devil´s Rejects can not be found here. In some ways, 3 From Hell is a much lighter version of the previous films, that can´t bring back the same magic as the previous films. That does not mean that 3 From Hell is a terrible film though. Since this is a film directed by Rob Zombie, you know he have kept something tasteful for his beloved fan base. I personally feel that this film really give actress Sheri Moon Zombie a chance to show of her crazy personality on a more personal level in this film. We have all seen her do crazy shit in the previous films as the character Baby, but here we get to see her behind bars, where she does not have the same control as she is used to have. Sheri Moon makes sure she give a performance that fits really good with her character. Legendary actor Bill Moseley ( who i never will forget in the wonderful cult film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 ) is back as Otis, and he does get the chance to show his brutal and insane personality. But the real highlight in my opinion, is the new character Winslow, played by actor Richard Brake. This guy is really nuts, and this is exactly the right kind of character to be hanging out with Baby and Otis. Unfortunately we only get to see Captain Spaulding for a very short while, played by legendary actor Sid Haig. Knowing that this was one of his final films ( his final film is called Hanukkah ), it feels sad that we did not get to see Captain Spaulding do what he knows best, having a damn good time. Since this is supposed to be the final film with these characters, i can´t say it does not finish as powerful as i was hoping it would do. At the end of the day, 3 From Hell will most likely divide fans of Rob Zombie fans. I am somewhere in the middle, where i would have made some changes. But i still think this is a film you should see, if you enjoy the style of Rob Zombie´s films. Director Rob Zombie have clearly been inspired to tell a different story with 3 From Hell, where you get a sense that this films shows that becoming older may change your perspective on life. The grindhouse style is something he knows how to handle, and 3 From Hell gives you a glimpse of this world, perhaps in a lighter version than The Devil´s Rejects. Don´t know what to give your grandmother for christmas ? Give her 3 From Hell on DVD or Blu Ray, and i guarantee she will say:- Hey, when can i join in and have some fun ?
Rating: DDD
lördag 23 november 2019
Eli
There are a lot of things i have seen in health care. When you have worked for 20 years with different patients, you get to see a lot of people with different diagnoses or disabilities. And i have met many wonderful people in health care, and thanks to them i have learned that there is no point in complaining about small things. You enjoy life as much as possible, even if you have rough moments in your life. The hardest part of my work have been working with very ill children. I especially remember one little boy, who could not breath on his own and not eat ordinary food. This was heartbreaking, but i wanted to make sure that everything i did for him was as good as possible. And we had some good times together, even if he could not talk with his mouth. He gave me face expressions, and i read his eye language. Even though this boy was very ill, he was always happy. I even made him laugh, telling him crazy things i have been through. When it comes to films with children who are sick, we have a lot of titles to choose between. One of the films that came to my mind, is the 2009 film known as My Sister´s Keepers. A very tragic drama film, about the young girl Kate Fitzgerald ( played really well by actress Sofia Vassilieva ) who is diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. This film really show you how such a young girl is suffering, and how her family is trying to do anything to help her survive this horrible disease. Directed by Nick Cassavetes ( the director of John Q ), this is a film that will bring out tears in you. Actress Cameron Diaz also does a great performance in this film. I have heard about a new Netflix film called Eli, that is supposed to tell the story of young boy with a rare disease, who is about to try a new treatment. A horror film with health care issues, and paranormal activities combined, is Eli one of the better Netflix films this year, or should Netflix have made a tribute documentary of the greatest Swedish actor ever Dolph Lundgren instead ?
Eli Miller ( Charlie Shotwell ) is a young boy suffering from a rare disease that causes allergic reactions to the outdoors, forcing him to live his life with protective gear. His parents Rose Miller ( Kelly Reilly ) and Paul Miller ( Max Martini ) have decided to take Eli to Dr. Isabella Horn ( Lili Taylor ) to her secluded medical facility. The treatment is supposed to help Eli get better. Since Eli´s parents are willing to do anything to help Eli from his disease, they trust on Dr. Horn and her medical team. During treatment, Eli is suddenly being contacted by something mysterious in the house, as if he is being warned about something. Did something happened in the past, and is this medical facility keeping a hidden secret ?
One of the things that i appreciate with this film, is that we get to see from a child´s perspective, how it is being a patient. And when you see the main character Eli suffer through treatment, you can´t deny that this will affect you emotionally. But there is another part of Eli that works as well, and that is that the horror elements are really effective here. Just imagine being a sick child who already suffered enough, and now you have to deal with something supernatural as well. Young actor Charlie Shotwell ( who i really feel gave a very powerful performance in the independent drama comedy film Captain Fantastic ) as Eli is really good. He manage to bring out Eli´s personality in a very effective way through his performance. English actress Kelly Reilly ( who i really enjoyed in the horror thriller Eden Lake ) gives a really strong performance as Eli´s mother Rose. Kelly knows exactly how to construct a character in her own special way, and i am so pleased to see her in this film. Legendary actress Lili Taylor ( she is so good in The Conjuring, and Brooklyn´s Finest ) as Dr. Horn is another performance i admire. The horror story may not bring anything new to the table, but what this film does, is make you think about treatments in a different way. What if not all treatments are as effective as you may think they would be ? What do you do if you are running out of options, and don´t know what else to do to make your child healthier ? This is any parents nightmare, and this is something that makes this film more interesting than most ordinary horror films. Director Ciarán Foy ( who directed the awful film Sinister 2, but i did enjoy his Irish horror film Citadel ) have really stepped it up with Eli, and i am impressed that he have found a way to tell this story in such a effective way. The only thing i would have liked to see more of, is perhaps a stronger ending. Other than that, i suggest you see this Netflix horror film and i hope you will enjoy it as well. One thing is for sure, i am not getting any treatments soon after experiencing Eli, unless it includes vodka, then i might be interested.
Rating: DDD
Eli Miller ( Charlie Shotwell ) is a young boy suffering from a rare disease that causes allergic reactions to the outdoors, forcing him to live his life with protective gear. His parents Rose Miller ( Kelly Reilly ) and Paul Miller ( Max Martini ) have decided to take Eli to Dr. Isabella Horn ( Lili Taylor ) to her secluded medical facility. The treatment is supposed to help Eli get better. Since Eli´s parents are willing to do anything to help Eli from his disease, they trust on Dr. Horn and her medical team. During treatment, Eli is suddenly being contacted by something mysterious in the house, as if he is being warned about something. Did something happened in the past, and is this medical facility keeping a hidden secret ?
One of the things that i appreciate with this film, is that we get to see from a child´s perspective, how it is being a patient. And when you see the main character Eli suffer through treatment, you can´t deny that this will affect you emotionally. But there is another part of Eli that works as well, and that is that the horror elements are really effective here. Just imagine being a sick child who already suffered enough, and now you have to deal with something supernatural as well. Young actor Charlie Shotwell ( who i really feel gave a very powerful performance in the independent drama comedy film Captain Fantastic ) as Eli is really good. He manage to bring out Eli´s personality in a very effective way through his performance. English actress Kelly Reilly ( who i really enjoyed in the horror thriller Eden Lake ) gives a really strong performance as Eli´s mother Rose. Kelly knows exactly how to construct a character in her own special way, and i am so pleased to see her in this film. Legendary actress Lili Taylor ( she is so good in The Conjuring, and Brooklyn´s Finest ) as Dr. Horn is another performance i admire. The horror story may not bring anything new to the table, but what this film does, is make you think about treatments in a different way. What if not all treatments are as effective as you may think they would be ? What do you do if you are running out of options, and don´t know what else to do to make your child healthier ? This is any parents nightmare, and this is something that makes this film more interesting than most ordinary horror films. Director Ciarán Foy ( who directed the awful film Sinister 2, but i did enjoy his Irish horror film Citadel ) have really stepped it up with Eli, and i am impressed that he have found a way to tell this story in such a effective way. The only thing i would have liked to see more of, is perhaps a stronger ending. Other than that, i suggest you see this Netflix horror film and i hope you will enjoy it as well. One thing is for sure, i am not getting any treatments soon after experiencing Eli, unless it includes vodka, then i might be interested.
Rating: DDD
onsdag 20 november 2019
Terminator: Dark Fate
There are some action movies that can age, and still look damn good, no matter how many years may pass by. The special effects may not be as good looking as they can do it today, but i have to say that i am ok with that. I am especially thinking about one of the greatest action films of the 80´s known as The Terminator. This classic film is directed by James Cameron, and tells the story of Sarah Connor ( played by actress Linda Hamilon ), who have no idea she is targeted to be killed by a Terminator ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ), a cyborg assassin sent from the future. But a Resistance fighter known as Kyle Reese ( Michael Biehn ) have also travelled from the future to protect Sarrah Connor. The Terminator is a perfect popcorn film for everyone, and director James Cameron managed to give us great characters and some really fun action scenes as well. But if you thought James Cameron could not make a worthy sequel to The Terminator, then you would be wrong. Termnator 2: Judgement Day turned out to be one of the best action sequels ever made. this film has everything you could wish for, such as epic battle scenes, big guns, lots of violence, fantastic CGI ( considering this film was released in 1991 ) and one of the most classic dialogue scenes in a 90´s film, is also in this film. Both these Terminator films is still today loved by action fans worldwide, and it would take a long time until Terminator would return. Not until the year of 2003, with the film Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines. This was not the sequel everyone was hoping for, and even if the film was not a box office bomb, fans of the previous films had some issues with the story. Of course we had to have more sequels, so in 2009 we got Terminator Salvation. Also a failure according to fans. In 2015 we finally seem to be going back to a more traditional style with Terminator Genisys. I personally enjoyed this film, but of course not nowhere as good as the first two films. So here we are with Terminator: Dark Fate, the film that is said to please fans of the earlier films. Do we finally have a fantastic sequel, or is Dark Fate more likely to be forgotten for all eternity ?
in 1998, three years after averting the threat of Skynet, Sarah Connor ( Linda Hamilton ) and John Connor ( Edward Furlong ) live a life of Peace in Livingston, Guatemala, when they come under attack by a T-800 ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ). The Terminator murder John Connor. 22 years later , and advanced Terminator, called Rev-9 ( Gabriel Luna ), is sent back in time to Mexico City, to murder Daniella "Dani" Ramos ( Natalia Reyes ), while a cybernetically-enchanced Soldier Grace ( Mackenzie Davis ), is sent to protect her. The Rev-9, infiltrates the assembly plant where Dani and her brother Diego Ramos ( Diego Boneta ) works. They survive the attack thanks to Grace, as they escape the assembly plant. The Rev-9 is on the hunt for Dani, who kills Diego and is suddenly attacked by Sarah Connor on the highway. She knows this will only slow down the Rev-9 for a while, so she bring the others with her to a motel room. Sarah reveales that she found them because in the years since John´s death, she have received encrypted messages detaling the locations of arriving Terminators, each ending "For John". Grace notice that neither Skynet or John exists in her timeline. Instead, humanity is threated by an AI called Legion, designed for cyberwarfare. They have no choice, they must make sure Dani survives or all humanity will be lost.
Let me begin with saying, this is the best Terminator sequel we had so far since Terminator 2. That does not mean that this sequel is nowhere near as good as that film, but i am impressed over certain details over Dark Fate. First of all i am so happy to see strong female characters kick ass on screen, this is exactly what a film like this needs. Actress Mackenzie Davis ( who i especially remember from the fantastic TV series Halt And Catch Fire ) as the character Grace, almost feels like a younger version of Sarah Connor, and i love to see her go all in, with some incredible fight scenes. Legendary actress Linda Hamilton is finally back as iconic character Sarah Connor, and to see her older but still bad ass is wonderful. Linda really give a performance that makes a very powerful impact on the big screen. Arnold Schwarzenegger is of course also back, as his legendary character T-800. Arnold knows exactly how to do his performance, and it is especially in the action scenes where he gets to shine most. Gabriel Luna ( who i only have seen before in the film Transpecos ) really surprised me, of how well he does the advanced Terminator prototype Rev-9. We needed an evil machine that works with the storyline, and Gabriel have clearly worked hard to make this character a worthy part of this franchise. Now, the story is actually pretty simple in Terminator: Dark Fate. And you see that this film is connected with the earlier films, without copying too much. The action scenes are hard, well made and are clearly inspired by Terminator 2. My only negative thought about this film, is that the ending perhaps reminded me a bit too much about the ending in T2. Other than that, i had a really good time with Terminator: Dark Fate. Director Tim Miller ( who directed the excellent film Deadpool ) have brought back Terminator in a way i did not think would be possible. This is the sequel we should have had a long time ago. So make sure to experience this film in cinema, and i guarantee you will have a lot of fun. Terminator: Dark Fate is without a doubt the best action film of 2019.
Rating: DDDD
in 1998, three years after averting the threat of Skynet, Sarah Connor ( Linda Hamilton ) and John Connor ( Edward Furlong ) live a life of Peace in Livingston, Guatemala, when they come under attack by a T-800 ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ). The Terminator murder John Connor. 22 years later , and advanced Terminator, called Rev-9 ( Gabriel Luna ), is sent back in time to Mexico City, to murder Daniella "Dani" Ramos ( Natalia Reyes ), while a cybernetically-enchanced Soldier Grace ( Mackenzie Davis ), is sent to protect her. The Rev-9, infiltrates the assembly plant where Dani and her brother Diego Ramos ( Diego Boneta ) works. They survive the attack thanks to Grace, as they escape the assembly plant. The Rev-9 is on the hunt for Dani, who kills Diego and is suddenly attacked by Sarah Connor on the highway. She knows this will only slow down the Rev-9 for a while, so she bring the others with her to a motel room. Sarah reveales that she found them because in the years since John´s death, she have received encrypted messages detaling the locations of arriving Terminators, each ending "For John". Grace notice that neither Skynet or John exists in her timeline. Instead, humanity is threated by an AI called Legion, designed for cyberwarfare. They have no choice, they must make sure Dani survives or all humanity will be lost.
Let me begin with saying, this is the best Terminator sequel we had so far since Terminator 2. That does not mean that this sequel is nowhere near as good as that film, but i am impressed over certain details over Dark Fate. First of all i am so happy to see strong female characters kick ass on screen, this is exactly what a film like this needs. Actress Mackenzie Davis ( who i especially remember from the fantastic TV series Halt And Catch Fire ) as the character Grace, almost feels like a younger version of Sarah Connor, and i love to see her go all in, with some incredible fight scenes. Legendary actress Linda Hamilton is finally back as iconic character Sarah Connor, and to see her older but still bad ass is wonderful. Linda really give a performance that makes a very powerful impact on the big screen. Arnold Schwarzenegger is of course also back, as his legendary character T-800. Arnold knows exactly how to do his performance, and it is especially in the action scenes where he gets to shine most. Gabriel Luna ( who i only have seen before in the film Transpecos ) really surprised me, of how well he does the advanced Terminator prototype Rev-9. We needed an evil machine that works with the storyline, and Gabriel have clearly worked hard to make this character a worthy part of this franchise. Now, the story is actually pretty simple in Terminator: Dark Fate. And you see that this film is connected with the earlier films, without copying too much. The action scenes are hard, well made and are clearly inspired by Terminator 2. My only negative thought about this film, is that the ending perhaps reminded me a bit too much about the ending in T2. Other than that, i had a really good time with Terminator: Dark Fate. Director Tim Miller ( who directed the excellent film Deadpool ) have brought back Terminator in a way i did not think would be possible. This is the sequel we should have had a long time ago. So make sure to experience this film in cinema, and i guarantee you will have a lot of fun. Terminator: Dark Fate is without a doubt the best action film of 2019.
Rating: DDDD
söndag 17 november 2019
Bloodline
Let´s travel back in time, to the ancient period known as 1999. I was 22 years old at that time, and these years were the period where Nu Metal really grew inside of me. Especially the Limp Bizkit album Significant Other, i must have played that CD every single day, i was hooked up on their songs. I also had a poster flag of the album cover, all over the wall next to my bed, so every morning i would Wake up and see that beautiful poster flag. But 1999 became unique for a number of reasons, and one of those reasons was of course the big comedy hit American Pie. Those of you who have seen the film, remember that this was a teen comedy about sex, getting drunk, more sex and..... a lot more crazy stuff going on. American Pie ended the 90´s in a great way, and the cast of this film was one of the reasons why this film worked so well. I would like to mention especially one guy from the cast, and you might remember him kown as Sean Willam Scott. His character Steve Stifler in American Pie, was the funniest character of them all. He is vulgar, confident and he sees himself as an Adonis. Sean continued doing more films after American Pie, in all kinds of genres. And there is especially one film i think you should see with him, that most people probably never heard about. The 2007 film Trainwreck: My Life As An Idiot, gave Sean the oppurtunity to do a more serious drama comedy, that turned out to be one of his better acting performances. Sean plays the character Jeff Nichols, a man with alcohol problems coupled with ADHD, dyslexia and a mile case of Tourette Syndrom as well as absent-mindedness. He spents most of his time attending support meetings including ones wich have no connection to his problems. Jeff meet a girl named Lynn in one of the support groups, but can he handle a relationship when he have so many personal problems ? This is a fun, and dramatic film as well about how to deal with life, especially when you have different diagnoses. This summer i started hearing about Sean Williams Scott´s new film Bloodline, a film that is really different from his previous work, since he plays a serial killer. I always like to see actors try a completely different character than what we are used to see them do. Is Bloodline a surprisingly good horror thriller, or is this a film that you will most likely not remember at all ?
Evan Cole ( Sean William Scott ) is a counselor, who is especially helping risk-at teens, talking about their personal problems, and their abusive environment. Evan tracks down these people, who have abused, and treated these teenagers badly and murder them. In Evan´s mind he is making sure that they are punished, and he is making this world a better place. Evan has a wife, Lauren Cole ( Mariela Garriga ) and a new born son. But can he handle an ordinary family life, when he is not finished yet with his mission, to end the lives of sinners ?
To be able to play a serial killer, you have to be able to act as 2 different personalities. And this is something that Sean William Scott manage to do. He may seem like the ordinary father to his new born baby, but he has a calling for murdering chosen victims ( people who does not deserve to live ). There is a very disturbing scene, when he sees his child being born, and he suddenly have backflashes of a person he murdered. A normal father would never even think about anything else but their child being born, while this disturbing man clearly think about his evil deeds. This gives you an image of what a monster this man really is, how you would even think about this at such a precious moment of becoming a father? We have seen similar stories before, of a serial killer being a father. Some of you might have seen the Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile, where actor Zac Efron played serial killer Ted Bundy. The difference between these two films, is that Sean´s character Evan can not act out any emotions at all, compared to Ted Bundy who fooled everyone with his charm. Sean William Scott shows that he can do this character, with another level of acting that i have seen him do before. Is this his best performance in his career so far ? I would say that from an acting perspective, this is one of his more interesting choices of a character in films. Actress Mariela Garriga who plays Evan´s wife Lauren, is clearly a very vulnurable woman, not knowing her husband is a serial killer. She gives a performance that fits well with her character. Actress Dale Dickey ( who i especially remember from the really funny TV series My Name Is Earl ) is a really good choice for her character Marie, mother of Evan. My biggest problem with Bloodline, is that i would have wanted to see Evan´s dark view on the world, from his point of view. We do get to see some details, but perhaps we could have seen more of that darkness, that he clearly is carrying within his mind. Other than that, i am pleasantly surprised to see Sean William Scott do a role like this. The vigilante tone of Evan´s personality is an interesting angle, as he seems determined to make justice in his own mind. Director Henry Jacobson have made an interesting portrait on a serial killer, who thinks he is helping society. Bloodline may not be one of the best serial killer films, but i strongly advice you to check this film out. There is especially an interesting twist owards the end. I have a feeling that Sean William Scott have something really good waiting for us to see, in a near future.
Rating: DDD
Evan Cole ( Sean William Scott ) is a counselor, who is especially helping risk-at teens, talking about their personal problems, and their abusive environment. Evan tracks down these people, who have abused, and treated these teenagers badly and murder them. In Evan´s mind he is making sure that they are punished, and he is making this world a better place. Evan has a wife, Lauren Cole ( Mariela Garriga ) and a new born son. But can he handle an ordinary family life, when he is not finished yet with his mission, to end the lives of sinners ?
To be able to play a serial killer, you have to be able to act as 2 different personalities. And this is something that Sean William Scott manage to do. He may seem like the ordinary father to his new born baby, but he has a calling for murdering chosen victims ( people who does not deserve to live ). There is a very disturbing scene, when he sees his child being born, and he suddenly have backflashes of a person he murdered. A normal father would never even think about anything else but their child being born, while this disturbing man clearly think about his evil deeds. This gives you an image of what a monster this man really is, how you would even think about this at such a precious moment of becoming a father? We have seen similar stories before, of a serial killer being a father. Some of you might have seen the Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile, where actor Zac Efron played serial killer Ted Bundy. The difference between these two films, is that Sean´s character Evan can not act out any emotions at all, compared to Ted Bundy who fooled everyone with his charm. Sean William Scott shows that he can do this character, with another level of acting that i have seen him do before. Is this his best performance in his career so far ? I would say that from an acting perspective, this is one of his more interesting choices of a character in films. Actress Mariela Garriga who plays Evan´s wife Lauren, is clearly a very vulnurable woman, not knowing her husband is a serial killer. She gives a performance that fits well with her character. Actress Dale Dickey ( who i especially remember from the really funny TV series My Name Is Earl ) is a really good choice for her character Marie, mother of Evan. My biggest problem with Bloodline, is that i would have wanted to see Evan´s dark view on the world, from his point of view. We do get to see some details, but perhaps we could have seen more of that darkness, that he clearly is carrying within his mind. Other than that, i am pleasantly surprised to see Sean William Scott do a role like this. The vigilante tone of Evan´s personality is an interesting angle, as he seems determined to make justice in his own mind. Director Henry Jacobson have made an interesting portrait on a serial killer, who thinks he is helping society. Bloodline may not be one of the best serial killer films, but i strongly advice you to check this film out. There is especially an interesting twist owards the end. I have a feeling that Sean William Scott have something really good waiting for us to see, in a near future.
Rating: DDD
lördag 16 november 2019
Hi-8
Independent horror films are extremely important. Without these passionate director´s, i am sure that horror films would be heading towards a bad direction. In all of these years that i have written reviews, i have always had a special place for horror independent films. There are director´s out there who makes really good low budget horror films, who have to work really hard to get their films released. I am happy to say that more people are noticing the importance of low budget horror films, and i can tell from online discussions with other fans that they are willing to support these films. When it comes to anthology horror films, there are a lot of titles that i remember. Since there are so many to choose between, i decided to pick one specific title out that i enjoy. Let´s talk about the 1993 film known as Necronimicon: Book Of The Dead. This anthology horror film tells three different stories, based on short stories by writer H.P. Lovecraft. One of the things i enjoy about this film, is that the cast is actually wonderful. You have legendary actors such as Bruce Payne, Jeffrey Combs, David Warner, Brian Yuzna, Richard Lynch, Vladmir Kulich and many more. I have to mention that the three stories are all pretty good, for different reasons. I know this film does not get mentioned very often, perhaps because the 1993 anthology horror film Body Bags is a bigger fan favourite. But if you have not seen Necronomicon: Book Of The Dead, i suggest you pick it up on DVD or Blu Ray. Some of you might have read my review of the anthology horror film known as Hi-Death this year. I had a request if i could write a review on the first film, so of course i said i would since my readers means a lot to me. Is the first film Hi-8 as good as the sequel, or is this film nothing worth checking out ?
Three people are trying to shoot a low budget horror film, while we are shown 7 different stories, from 7 different directors. If you thought you have had a good time this weekend, just wait and see what Hi-8 have in store for you......
Since i saw the sequel first known as Hi-Death, i was curious to see if the first film would keep the brutality and sadistic tone of the sequel. And i have to say, this first film might even be more brutal in some ways. With different stories from different directors, we find ourselves in very divided tales of classic grindhouse horror ingredients. Let´s get into the stories, and the ones i especially enjoyed. The Tape is a story of VHS horror nerd Tim Strauber ( played by actor Travis Hoecker ) who is given a box of VHS tapes as a gift, where he especially is interested in a VHS tape under the title of Bloodgasm. He becomes a huge fan, and decide to track down the director of the film. The Tape is a simple story, but one of the most effective stories in Hi-8. We get some interesting characters, such as Phoebe ( played by actress Bobbi Beach ), and there is no doubt that Bloodgasm director Chester Koz ( played by actor David S. Hart ) is a very disturbing and wonderful man, the one you would want next to you during Thanksgiving dinner. The Tape is directed by Tony Masiello, and he clearly loves old school grindhouse films. The next story i enjoyed is called Gang Them Style, and this is a fun one. Imagine a combination of The Return Of The Living Dead and a really bad 80´s action film, and you get this fun story. The main character RJ " Moongoose " is a cool character, and actor Wes Reid give us the perfect example how you want to see bad acting, in a positive way, with some cheesy dialogue included. This segment is directed by Ron Bonk, and i can only imagine that he is a big fan of zombie films from the 80´s. The rest of the stories on the film Hi-8 have some other highlights ( including from legendary director Todd Sheets ) while some don´t feel as strong as the ones i mentioned. But i do appreciate the effort of this film, trying to bring us back to the glory days of video violence at the local VHS store. Hi-8 is a film for fans of grindhouse films, anthology horror films and especially if you love TV series Days Of Our Lives, then you are going to dig this a lot. Anyone up for a butcher night? You bring the knives, and i will bring all the Bridget Jones DVD´s ( yes i have them all, doesn´t all grindhouse fans have them ? )
Rating: DDD
Three people are trying to shoot a low budget horror film, while we are shown 7 different stories, from 7 different directors. If you thought you have had a good time this weekend, just wait and see what Hi-8 have in store for you......
Since i saw the sequel first known as Hi-Death, i was curious to see if the first film would keep the brutality and sadistic tone of the sequel. And i have to say, this first film might even be more brutal in some ways. With different stories from different directors, we find ourselves in very divided tales of classic grindhouse horror ingredients. Let´s get into the stories, and the ones i especially enjoyed. The Tape is a story of VHS horror nerd Tim Strauber ( played by actor Travis Hoecker ) who is given a box of VHS tapes as a gift, where he especially is interested in a VHS tape under the title of Bloodgasm. He becomes a huge fan, and decide to track down the director of the film. The Tape is a simple story, but one of the most effective stories in Hi-8. We get some interesting characters, such as Phoebe ( played by actress Bobbi Beach ), and there is no doubt that Bloodgasm director Chester Koz ( played by actor David S. Hart ) is a very disturbing and wonderful man, the one you would want next to you during Thanksgiving dinner. The Tape is directed by Tony Masiello, and he clearly loves old school grindhouse films. The next story i enjoyed is called Gang Them Style, and this is a fun one. Imagine a combination of The Return Of The Living Dead and a really bad 80´s action film, and you get this fun story. The main character RJ " Moongoose " is a cool character, and actor Wes Reid give us the perfect example how you want to see bad acting, in a positive way, with some cheesy dialogue included. This segment is directed by Ron Bonk, and i can only imagine that he is a big fan of zombie films from the 80´s. The rest of the stories on the film Hi-8 have some other highlights ( including from legendary director Todd Sheets ) while some don´t feel as strong as the ones i mentioned. But i do appreciate the effort of this film, trying to bring us back to the glory days of video violence at the local VHS store. Hi-8 is a film for fans of grindhouse films, anthology horror films and especially if you love TV series Days Of Our Lives, then you are going to dig this a lot. Anyone up for a butcher night? You bring the knives, and i will bring all the Bridget Jones DVD´s ( yes i have them all, doesn´t all grindhouse fans have them ? )
Rating: DDD
måndag 11 november 2019
30 Years Annniversary Review Of Cyborg
1989, a year where most people of my generation have some wonderful memories, and some shitty ones as well i can imagine. But since we are being positive today, let´s mention some of the good things that happened back then. Nintendo released Game Boy in Japan and North America, that became an enormous success worldwide. I never owned my own Game Boy, simply because i was playing the ordinary Nintendo instead. We have to mention that this was the year when the Berlin Wall fell, a very important historical moment for Germany. This was also the perfect year for artist, actor David Hasselhoff to be a part of this historical moment, so his song Looking For Freedom became a huge hit. 1989 was filled with a lot of classic films, and there are a lot of titles to mention. So i decided to pick out 2 films that i especially remember for different reasons. Let´s begin with the comedy known as See No Evil, Hear No Evil, directed by Arthur Hiller. A very funny film with legendary comedians Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, where one of them is blind, and the other one is deaf. One of the reasons why this film is such a great comedy, is because both Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor knew how to deliver funny scenes with their disabilities. If you never thought a film could be funny to watch with people who have a disability, then you should see this one and i guarantee you will laugh. The next film that came to my mind is the action comedy Tango & Cash. Now this is a real 1989 classic, where Kurt Russel and Sylvester Stallone team up to kick ass, and make sure justice is served. Russel and Stallone is a perfect match for a film like this. Since we are looking back 30 years, i was reminded this summer that Albert Pyun´s cult film Cyborg was released 30 years ago this year. One of the classics that Jean-Claude Van Damme released in the 80´s, so i decided to look at the film again. Is this still a great action film, or has Cyborg aged too much through time ?
A plague known as the living death cripples civilization has infected a lot of people. A small group of surviving scientists and doctors - located in Atlanta, Georgia, work on a cure to save what remains of humanity. To complete their work they need information stored on a computer system in New York City. Pearl Prophet ( Dayle Haddon ) vollunteers for the dangerous courier mission and is made into a cyborg through surgical augmentation. Pearl, accompined by bodyguard Marshall Strat ( Alex Daniels ), retrieves the data from New York but is pursued by the vicious Fender Tremolo ( Vincent Klyn ) and his gang. Fender wants the cure so he can have a monopoly on it´s production. Fender murder Marshall, while Pearl is cornered by Fender´s gang. A slinger ( mercenary ) named Gibson Rickenbacker ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ) saves Pearl and is informed on her mission. Before he can help her further, he is knocked up by a falling debris. Gibson wakes up, and remember Fender as the killer of his only family. He must track them down, and make sure Fender does not get his hands on the cure.
When i rewatched Cyborg, i watched this film on the Shout! Factory blu ray release, with some new special features. And i am happy that i did, because this release will give you some more details with new interviews, and a director´s interview with director Albert Pyun. If you have seen Cyborg at some point in your life, you know that the story of this film is very simple. This is the typical kind of 80´s action film, that knows what audience it was made for. You get plenty of fights, bad hair cuts, cheesy dialogue and even some more dramatic scenes where Jean-Claude Van Damme is more quiet than usual. I think this is a good time to talk about the characters. Jean-Claude Van Damme as Gibson, is a great character for such a simple action film like this. Not complicated constructed, you know he just wants revenge and will do anything to stop Fender. Speaking about Fender, now that´s what i call one of the most iconic bad guys of the 80´s, played by actor Vincent Klyn. This film could not have had a better bad ass character than this, and Vincent does a wonderful job with portraying such an asshole. Actress Deborah Richter who plays the female character Nady Simmons gives this film a more sensitive touch, while she can also be tough. What makes Cyborg such a great fun moment is that this film does not take itself serious at all. When you see Fender and his men attacking, you get exactly what you were hoping for. Lots and lots of violence, with a variety of kicks and punches in pure 80´s style. Sometimes you don´t need everything explained, you just want to have fun with a film such as Cyborg. Director Albert Pyun have managed to make an post apocalyptic film that works well with the story, and with great characters. Cyborg is perhaps not his best film, but one of his true classics. If you love Van Damme films, then you have to see Cyborg and experience a fun trip back to the 80´s.
Rating: DDD
A plague known as the living death cripples civilization has infected a lot of people. A small group of surviving scientists and doctors - located in Atlanta, Georgia, work on a cure to save what remains of humanity. To complete their work they need information stored on a computer system in New York City. Pearl Prophet ( Dayle Haddon ) vollunteers for the dangerous courier mission and is made into a cyborg through surgical augmentation. Pearl, accompined by bodyguard Marshall Strat ( Alex Daniels ), retrieves the data from New York but is pursued by the vicious Fender Tremolo ( Vincent Klyn ) and his gang. Fender wants the cure so he can have a monopoly on it´s production. Fender murder Marshall, while Pearl is cornered by Fender´s gang. A slinger ( mercenary ) named Gibson Rickenbacker ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ) saves Pearl and is informed on her mission. Before he can help her further, he is knocked up by a falling debris. Gibson wakes up, and remember Fender as the killer of his only family. He must track them down, and make sure Fender does not get his hands on the cure.
When i rewatched Cyborg, i watched this film on the Shout! Factory blu ray release, with some new special features. And i am happy that i did, because this release will give you some more details with new interviews, and a director´s interview with director Albert Pyun. If you have seen Cyborg at some point in your life, you know that the story of this film is very simple. This is the typical kind of 80´s action film, that knows what audience it was made for. You get plenty of fights, bad hair cuts, cheesy dialogue and even some more dramatic scenes where Jean-Claude Van Damme is more quiet than usual. I think this is a good time to talk about the characters. Jean-Claude Van Damme as Gibson, is a great character for such a simple action film like this. Not complicated constructed, you know he just wants revenge and will do anything to stop Fender. Speaking about Fender, now that´s what i call one of the most iconic bad guys of the 80´s, played by actor Vincent Klyn. This film could not have had a better bad ass character than this, and Vincent does a wonderful job with portraying such an asshole. Actress Deborah Richter who plays the female character Nady Simmons gives this film a more sensitive touch, while she can also be tough. What makes Cyborg such a great fun moment is that this film does not take itself serious at all. When you see Fender and his men attacking, you get exactly what you were hoping for. Lots and lots of violence, with a variety of kicks and punches in pure 80´s style. Sometimes you don´t need everything explained, you just want to have fun with a film such as Cyborg. Director Albert Pyun have managed to make an post apocalyptic film that works well with the story, and with great characters. Cyborg is perhaps not his best film, but one of his true classics. If you love Van Damme films, then you have to see Cyborg and experience a fun trip back to the 80´s.
Rating: DDD
Tone-Deaf
As a child, i used to play flute. I remember being a part of a school Orchestra, and i really messed up. I played the wrong notes, and the old female Orchestra leader was not happy. I remember she told me i have to concentrate more. I should have thrown the flute at her instead, and gone back to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Nintendo. Wait a second, this is exactly what i did. Oh man, i better start taking my memory pills, they worked so well the ones i found in Thailand on vacation. Have you ever heard a person who plays an instrument tone-deaf ? I have, and i remember it was actually in a bar in Scotland, back in New Years Eve in 2002. We were in a sport bar, and one guy thought he was going to play Bohemian Rhapsody on piano, and sing the whole song as well. It was a disaster, but i loved the guy. Not only was he tone-deaf, he singed like a group of castrated seagulls after a whiskey round. Now that´s my kind of New Years Eve party. You have probably heard tone-deaf people on different TV talent shows, where some singers think they are the biggest singing star. Of course this is nowhere near the truth, but it is still entertaining to watch. If i say the name Robert Patrick, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? I can imagine that would be Terminator 2: Judgement Day, where he played the iconic character T-1000. Legendary actor Robert Patrick have really made a fantastic career, making so many great films and giving us a lot of great characters. I have 2 films in my mind, that i have to mention in Robert Patrick´s film career. Let´s begin with the 1993 science fiction drama film Fire In The Sky, directed by Robert Lieberman. This is one of the best sci fi films, in the category of alien abduction. Fire In The Sky is not only a really well made sci fi film, this film also have a really good cast, and some really good acting as well. Pick it up on DVD or Blu Ray this Christmas. The next film that came to my mind is Cop Land, from director James Mangold. A 90´s classic with an amazing cast such as Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick and many more. It is worth to mention, that this is one of the best performances from Stallone in his career in this film. I got a chance to see the latest film with Robert Patrick on Blu Ray called Tone-Deaf. A horror comedy about a tone-deaf girl, does this story work better than expected, or should we all avoid this film at all cost ?
Olive is fired from her job, as she spends time with one of her best friends Leonore ( Hayley Marie Norman ). Leonore think that Olive needs some time away from the big city, to clear her mind. At first, Olive is not sure this is anything for her, but she eventually begin to look for a house to rent. She finds one, and contact the owner known as Harvey ( Robert Patrick ). The house looks lovely, and she agree to pay him. At first Everything seems fine, but there is something wrong with Harvey as he sneaks in to look at Olive, to make sure she is behaving herself. Soon, things are going to go out of control.
Imagine mixing the Dennis Quaid thriller The Intruder, with Norman Bates from Psycho, and mix in some bizarre American Psycho LSD trips, and you have Tone-Deaf in a nutshell. This film has a mixture of different styles, while trying to show you a really disturbing personality who have no limit of insanity. I would not say this film has anything really original to offer, but this film does manage to blend many different ingredients and lay them out in a stylish way. Let´s talk about the characters for a while. Robert Patrick as the insane serial killer Harvey, is a really good choice for this character. You can tell he have no control over his sick behavior, and Robert brings something unique with his performance, by portraying a very disturbed man with no remorse over who he kills. Actress Amanda Crew ( who i especially remember from the 2009 horror film The Haunting Of Connecticut ) gives her character Olive an interesting personality. One interesting detail about her is that she is tone-deaf ( that becomes very clear when she plays the piano ). The horror elements is one of the highlight in this film, where the serial killer story works with the plot. The only detail i feel does not work as well, is the attempt to make certain scenes funny. A few may work, but in some scenes you can feel that the jokes falls flat. I love dark comedy humour, especially in horror films. But this is something i feel does not work as well here as i was hoping for. Other than that, Tone-Deaf is a film that does have something to bring, especially if you love Robert Patrick as an actor. Director Richard Bates Jr., who directed a personal favourite film of mine called Excision ( a must see if you enjoy odd independent films ), still knows how to make horror films in his own unique way. I would not say this is his best film so far, but he have done a good job mixing in so many different ingredients. If you thought you were Tone-Deaf, don´t worry, just let Robert Patrick take care of that for you, and i guarantee you will thank him as he takes care of sinners. Worth a watch on VOD for sure.
Rating: DDD
Olive is fired from her job, as she spends time with one of her best friends Leonore ( Hayley Marie Norman ). Leonore think that Olive needs some time away from the big city, to clear her mind. At first, Olive is not sure this is anything for her, but she eventually begin to look for a house to rent. She finds one, and contact the owner known as Harvey ( Robert Patrick ). The house looks lovely, and she agree to pay him. At first Everything seems fine, but there is something wrong with Harvey as he sneaks in to look at Olive, to make sure she is behaving herself. Soon, things are going to go out of control.
Imagine mixing the Dennis Quaid thriller The Intruder, with Norman Bates from Psycho, and mix in some bizarre American Psycho LSD trips, and you have Tone-Deaf in a nutshell. This film has a mixture of different styles, while trying to show you a really disturbing personality who have no limit of insanity. I would not say this film has anything really original to offer, but this film does manage to blend many different ingredients and lay them out in a stylish way. Let´s talk about the characters for a while. Robert Patrick as the insane serial killer Harvey, is a really good choice for this character. You can tell he have no control over his sick behavior, and Robert brings something unique with his performance, by portraying a very disturbed man with no remorse over who he kills. Actress Amanda Crew ( who i especially remember from the 2009 horror film The Haunting Of Connecticut ) gives her character Olive an interesting personality. One interesting detail about her is that she is tone-deaf ( that becomes very clear when she plays the piano ). The horror elements is one of the highlight in this film, where the serial killer story works with the plot. The only detail i feel does not work as well, is the attempt to make certain scenes funny. A few may work, but in some scenes you can feel that the jokes falls flat. I love dark comedy humour, especially in horror films. But this is something i feel does not work as well here as i was hoping for. Other than that, Tone-Deaf is a film that does have something to bring, especially if you love Robert Patrick as an actor. Director Richard Bates Jr., who directed a personal favourite film of mine called Excision ( a must see if you enjoy odd independent films ), still knows how to make horror films in his own unique way. I would not say this is his best film so far, but he have done a good job mixing in so many different ingredients. If you thought you were Tone-Deaf, don´t worry, just let Robert Patrick take care of that for you, and i guarantee you will thank him as he takes care of sinners. Worth a watch on VOD for sure.
Rating: DDD
söndag 10 november 2019
Itsy Bitsy
Spiders, you either hate them or love them. They are the largest order of arachnids, and there are about 48,200 spider species worldwide. You might think there is nothing good about spiders, but there is acually some positive things that is positive. They feed on insects such as roaches, mosquitoes, flies, moths and much more, so they clean up our homes from insects. Spiders venom can be used as medicine, and spiders silk can be used to make parachutes and bullet proof vests. So you see, you should cuddle more with spiders from now on, they are not as bad as you might think. When it comes to spiders in films, we have plenty of titles to choose between. We have to mention a real classic to begin with, the 1955 cult movie known as Tarantula! from director Jack Arnold. If you love insect horror films, then Tarantula! is one of those films you should see. The next film i have to mention, is probably one of the best in this genre. I am of course thinking about the black comedy horror classic, known as Archnophobia. Released in 1990 from director Frank Marshall, this is a really good choice, if you love insect horror films, mixed with some really funny comedy scenes. The cast of Archnophobia is really good, where you have legendary actors such as Jeff Daniels, John Goodman, Julian Sands, Peter Jason and many more. The cinematography from Mikael Salomon ( who also made the cinematography for the James Cameron classic The Abyss ) looks really good. If you have not seen Archnophobia, you must check it out on DVD or Blu Ray. Earlier this autumn i heard about a new spider horror film, known as Itsy Bitsy. How can anyone say no to this ? Is this one of the better insect horror films in recent years, or is Itsy Bitsy a B movie that will most likely be forgotten ?
In an old house in the countryside, old man Walter Clark ( Bruce Davidson ) have been collecting historical artifacts from all over the world. Since he no longer can take care of himself, he needs help at his home from a caregiver. Kara Spencer ( Elizabeth Roberts ) is hired to be Walter´s new caregiver, and she moves into his guest house with her kids Jesse Spencer ( Armon Darbo ) and Cambria Spencer ( Chloe Perrin ). Kara is suffering with memories from a car crash, that forces her to use drugs to sleep anything, while her son Jesse notice that his mother is having a hard time taking care of him and his younger sister. Kara Begins work and focus on making a good impact. But when a man destroys one of Walter´s old artifacts, Kara is worried this was a break in. Walter try to calm her down, that this is nothing to worry about. Inside this ancient artifact, a very unique deadly spider wakes up.....
It would have been very easy just to make a creature effect horror film, with a giant spider attacking. But the good news is that Itsy Bitsy actually has a plot that makes sense, and we also have some good characters as well. Let´s begin with actress Elizabeth Roberts ( who fans of TV series Days Of Our Lives might remember as the character Marge Bernadi ) who plays Kara Spencer. There is especially one thing that makes her character interesting, the pain she suffers from a car accident, and she manage to bring out this pain through her acting. The next actor i have to mention is legendary actor Bruce Davidson ( who i especially remember from the X-Men films as character Senator Kelly ), it is so nice to see him still make films and i do enjoy his character here, known as Waler Clark. Teen actor Arman Darbo gives a performance that fits so well with his character Jesse Spencer, who is having personal issues and frustrated with his mother´s problems. Now, let´s get into the most positive in this film. The creepy horror atmosphere with the spider, works better than i expected. If you are expecting CGI effects and bad looking spiders, i am pleased to say this film uses practical effects. And this is of course something i really appreciate. I also enjoy the spider attack scenes, they give you some fun moments that reminds me of classic films in this genre. The only negative i can say, is that i would have liked to see at least a few more attacks by a spider. Other than that, i still feel that Itsy Bitsy is a tasteful treat for B movie lovers. Director Micah Gallo ( who have done visual effecs on films such as Hatchet and Hatchet 2 ) have managed to bring back the 90´s all over again, with a spider horror film that actually knows what the audience wants. If you enjoy this genre, you should pick up this film on DVD or Blu Ray as a Christmas gift, especially to someone you know hate spiders in your family.
Rating: DDD
In an old house in the countryside, old man Walter Clark ( Bruce Davidson ) have been collecting historical artifacts from all over the world. Since he no longer can take care of himself, he needs help at his home from a caregiver. Kara Spencer ( Elizabeth Roberts ) is hired to be Walter´s new caregiver, and she moves into his guest house with her kids Jesse Spencer ( Armon Darbo ) and Cambria Spencer ( Chloe Perrin ). Kara is suffering with memories from a car crash, that forces her to use drugs to sleep anything, while her son Jesse notice that his mother is having a hard time taking care of him and his younger sister. Kara Begins work and focus on making a good impact. But when a man destroys one of Walter´s old artifacts, Kara is worried this was a break in. Walter try to calm her down, that this is nothing to worry about. Inside this ancient artifact, a very unique deadly spider wakes up.....
It would have been very easy just to make a creature effect horror film, with a giant spider attacking. But the good news is that Itsy Bitsy actually has a plot that makes sense, and we also have some good characters as well. Let´s begin with actress Elizabeth Roberts ( who fans of TV series Days Of Our Lives might remember as the character Marge Bernadi ) who plays Kara Spencer. There is especially one thing that makes her character interesting, the pain she suffers from a car accident, and she manage to bring out this pain through her acting. The next actor i have to mention is legendary actor Bruce Davidson ( who i especially remember from the X-Men films as character Senator Kelly ), it is so nice to see him still make films and i do enjoy his character here, known as Waler Clark. Teen actor Arman Darbo gives a performance that fits so well with his character Jesse Spencer, who is having personal issues and frustrated with his mother´s problems. Now, let´s get into the most positive in this film. The creepy horror atmosphere with the spider, works better than i expected. If you are expecting CGI effects and bad looking spiders, i am pleased to say this film uses practical effects. And this is of course something i really appreciate. I also enjoy the spider attack scenes, they give you some fun moments that reminds me of classic films in this genre. The only negative i can say, is that i would have liked to see at least a few more attacks by a spider. Other than that, i still feel that Itsy Bitsy is a tasteful treat for B movie lovers. Director Micah Gallo ( who have done visual effecs on films such as Hatchet and Hatchet 2 ) have managed to bring back the 90´s all over again, with a spider horror film that actually knows what the audience wants. If you enjoy this genre, you should pick up this film on DVD or Blu Ray as a Christmas gift, especially to someone you know hate spiders in your family.
Rating: DDD
onsdag 6 november 2019
Running With The Devil
There is a rule in the B movie fan base across the world, and it goes something like this:
* Any film with Nicolas Cage, is guaranteed to please you!
If there is any truth in this, i have no idea. But what i can tell you, is that Nicolas Cage has a very large fan base. This becomes very clear, because everytime he release a new film, people rent his films like maniacs. You simply have to wait at least 2 weeks ( if you are lucky ) to rent a physical copy of his latest film. So what is it about Nicolas Cage, that people love so much ? I think there are 2 big reasons why he is still one of the most popular actors:
* He knows how to act powerful.
* He take each of his characters very seriously.
I have seen some of his films over the years, and i will admit that not all of them are good. In fact, after Matchstick Men ( released in 2003 ), he did not no any real good performances until the 2010 film Kick Ass, and of course the really good independent film Joe ( released in 2013, actually one of his best films since Matchstick Men ). One of the problems that became obvious was that Nicolas stayed within the B movie genre, and only a few of these film were entertaining. One film that i actually enjoyed ( that some of you might not agree with me ) is the historical fantasy adventure film known as Season Of The Witch. Released in 2011, this film is directed by Dominic Sena ( who also directed the Nicolas Cage film Gone In 60 Seconds ) and is a dumb but fun adventure about two templar knights, who are supposed to transport a possessed girl to a monestary. The casting in this film is fun, you have Nicolas Cage and legendary actor Ron Perlman in the lead roles, and we have to menition legendary actor Christopher Lee in a smaller role. We also have actress Claire Foy ( who you can see in the Netflix series The Queen ). Since last year, i have not see Cage´s latest films, until i decided to watch one of his new releases called Running With The Devil. Since i know not to have any high expectations, is this one of the better Cage films in a long time, or is this another one of his films that you won´t remember ?
The Cook ( Nicolas Cage ) is a restaurant owner, and seems to be a serious business man. But he is living a double life, as his other job is as an executive in a professionally run drug circuit in the pacific northwest. The Chef is approached by the head, known as The Boss ( Barry Pepper ). He is frustrated that their shipments are being skimmed, and their street product being cut with other substances. The Boss orders The Cook to travel to Colombia, to follow through the traffic chain to find out where the product is being compromised. The Cook bring drug addict and friend The Man ( Laurence Fishburne ) on his long journey to fix things correctly.
The Cook ( Nicolas Cage ) is a restaurant owner, and seems to be a serious business man. But he is living a double life, as his other job is as an executive in a professionally run drug circuit in the pacific northwest. The Chef is approached by the head, known as The Boss ( Barry Pepper ). He is frustrated that their shipments are being skimmed, and their street product being cut with other substances. The Boss orders The Cook to travel to Colombia, to follow through the traffic chain to find out where the product is being compromised. The Cook bring drug addict and friend The Man ( Laurence Fishburne ) on his long journey to fix things correctly.
Even if this film brings nothing new to the table in the drug industry, i have to say this is not as terrible as you might expect it to be for a straight to DVD film with Nicolas Cage. And that is mainly because of other actors performances that helps this film. I also think that the Mexico scenes, with spanish talking actors, makes the story more realistic. Now, let´s get into the acting for a bit. Legendary actor Laurence Fishburne is one of the highlights of this film, as the drug addicted sex addict The Man. Laurence knows how to portrait an older man, who is clearly stuck with a lot of personal problems. And his sex addiction is not helping, especially combined with cocaine. One of my favourite performances in this film comes from actor Adam Goldberg ( who you might remember from 2 Days In Paris ) as the crazy character The Snitch. He does not have many scenes unfortunately, but the scenes he does are some of the best in this film. There are ( some ) other performances that works as well. Nicolas Cage does not go all in as he usually does in some of his films, he is actually pretty quiet in his role as The Cook. And i am ok with that, since that works for his character. I would not say that it is a strong performance though. The story is divided into a lot of different characters, so you will have to be patient to understand what´s going on. My biggest problem with Running With The Devil is that there is nothing here that we have not seen before. The drug industry have been portrayed much stronger, in a classic such as Traffic. With that said, i do believe that this film manage to deliver some entertainment through some of the crazy characters. If you are a Nicolas Cage fan, i think you should see this film to see him do a different kind of character, than most of his straight to DVD films. But most of all, you should see this film if you want to see Laurence Fishburne go nuts on drugs, you never thought you would see that, right ? This is director Jason Cabell´s full feature debut film, and this is not that bad for his first film. Got nothing to watch on VOD ? Give this film a chance, and who knows, you might not fall asleep.
Rating: DDD
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