Piggy

Bullying can destroy many people´s lives, if you actually attack someone for their physical look or if you think they are too strange. I was bullied in many years in school all the way up to high school, and when you had that many years of bullying you know how painful it can be. The absolute worse moment of the bullying years was when 4 guys carried me out naked from gym class shower, threw me out on the gymnastics floor naked and beat me up with a baseball bat. Even if this happened in 1988 i still remember it as if it was yesterday, moments like this will never go away from your mind completely. One thing i learned after many years of being bullied, was that even if these guys thought they were cool and fun, i was actually the one who were the strongest. No matter how many times they beat me down, i never gave up. I know that one of the guys who bullied me for so many years have had problems in his private life, he got divorced, he got stuck wanting to live his youth as it was still the 90´s and quit jobs while i have been married for 18 years and actually have had jobs a longer time than him. I am not saying this to offend him in any way, but i noticed that maybe he wasn´t feeling well in his personal life. Maybe his past came back to haunt him since he used to think he was God´s perfect choice for women? I hope it works out for him but i also hope he learns a lesson from all of this. I personally believe he needs to find his place in this world and let go of the past, living your youth again will not work forever. When it comes to bullying in films i have a personal favvourite film all the way from Mexico. This is a film called After Lucia ( Después de Lucia ) and is directed by Michel Franco. This film tells the story of a young girl named Alejandra ( brilliant played by actress Tessa Ia ) who moves into town with her father. She begin at a new school where she becomes a bully victim, where the bullies have no limits to hurt her. I don´t need to get into more details about the plot of this film because it is a very difficult film to watch. What they do with this girl ( when i went through some really heavy bullying myself ) makes you feel emotional and so angry. A very important film to watch for all ages, that this should not be allowed to happen. I suggest you pick After Lucia up on DVD, i promise that you will not regret seeing this film. Late last year i was hearing about a bullying film from Spain called Piggy have came out, and i have been very curious to watch this film. It was released on physical media now in Januray so i got myself a Blu Ray copy. Is this a must watch for all ages or is Piggy not as good as i was hoping it would be? 

Overweight teen Sara ( Laura Galán ) is being bullied by the same group of teenagers everyday. One day while going to swim in a local pool, they almost drown her and steal all her clothes. Walking in just her bikini on the highway, she notice a car where the girls that bullied her seems to be locked inside. An unknown man kidnap them as Sara watches him take off. No one knows where the girls are when the teenagers families are looking for them, and Sara decides to keep that secret to herself.

If you thought Piggy is just another bullying film, i can tell you right away that this film has a lot more to say than the actual bullying itself. This is a film that clearly want to show you what could happen, if a bully victim is traumatised from the bullying. But also being a witness to a serial killer as well, so this film also manage to turn around in a completely different direction. I find it fascinating that they decided to do something different than a traditional slasher film, and try to make the plot more interesting. Have we seen bullying before in a slasher film? Yes, but i can actually say that Piggy does seem more focused than most films in this genre to tell a story that capture the audience right from the start. I have to talk about lead actress Laura Galán for a while, and what a powerful impact she does in this film. She really manage to capture the personality of a bully victim through her character Sara. She does not feel loved by many, she is shy and hides most of the time in her parents butcher shop behind the counter. This is the very fist time i see Laura Galán act in a film and i am really impressed how she managed to pull this off. Actor Richard Holmes also deliver a strong performance as serial killer Desconocido, a very odd personality himself. He clearly becomes obsessed with Laura, maybe because they are both seen as outsiders in society. The scenes where he takes Laura away from everyone, you realise that this might be the first time he actually cared about another human being. As strange as it sounds considering all the people he killed, there must have been something that affected him with her. Evn if this film is not that brutal i actually think this film does a really good job with the psychological tensions, both through the victims families and the struggles of the lead character. Director Carlora Pereda deliver a film that definetely will be disturbing for many, but may also be very important to see to understand how we may be affected as human beings in pain and suffering. A really powerful film experience that does not only look very professional but especially give us very strong characters. Piggy is defnetely a film you should put up on your watch this list year.

Rating: DDDD

Shepherd

For those of you who have read my reviews for many years, you may have noticed that i don´t really write reviews close to any premiere´s. Only at a few occations i have published reviews close to a premiere, otherwise i could be months later than many other movie reviewers. I don´t follow any special pattern, i simply write a review when i feel like it. The nice thing about that is i can just choose any film i want, no matter when it was released. That way i get to mix it up a bit and it might be fun for the reader as well. I can give you a perfect example i did it one time, and that was when i published my review for the 2014 indendept film Faults from director Riley Stearns. This film was released in 2014 in different film festivals and on physical DVD August 4th in 2015. I reviewed this film on December 30th in 2015, so that´s almost 5 months later since the film came out on DVD. Either way it turned out to be a great pick for my final review for the year of 2015, and i would not be surprised if many of you have never heard of this film. Faults tells the story of Ansel Roth ( Loland Orser ), a writer and a cult specialist, who fraudulently uses an expired voucher to pay for a meal at the hotel restaurant. Since he have economic problems he need to find a way to get paid. While doing a presentation on his main subject, how religious cults work, a couple named Evelyn and Paul approach Roth requesting an autographed copy of his book. They tell him they need his help to get their daughter Claire ( Mary Elizabeth Winstead ) out of this cult and they are willing to pay him. At first he declines the offer, but since he is in economic trouble this could be his only choice. I think Faults is a fascinating film in many ways, since this film tells the story of the troubled personality of Ansel and the woman Claire who is clearly stuck in her religious cult. The review i did for this film back in 2014 could have been much better, i will happily admit that today, but i will say for the most part i agree with what i said in the review why you should check this film out. Director Riley Sterns gives us a film that tells a different perspective on the subject of religious cults and not predictable, so if you can find this film on DVD i think you should give it a chance. I have been wanting to see a horror film called Shepherd since early 2022 and for some reason did not review this film last year. So why not do it now in early 2023 instead? I bought a blu ray copy from the UK and the question is, does the film Shepherd have a lot to offer horror fans, or should you aviod this title at all cost?

Eric Black ( Tom Hughes ) agrees to work as a shepherd in a deserted house out in the Scottish highlands, after his unfaithful wife has passed away. He needs to do something different, to be able to move on with his life. As he stays in this cabin, he begin to experience strange events in the area. Is he just dreaming, or is this really happening?

I think it is very important to say that this is a film that will divide certain kind of people. How do i mean? If you are not into very dark human portraits and a lot of emotional atmosphere in a lonesome location, then Shepherd is definetely not for you. However, if you love mystical horror influences, beautiful cinematography from Richard Stoddard combined with strong acting performances, than you are in for a very fascinating film. This is one of those films you need to give some time, to really feel the point of this film. Shepherd does not only tell the story of a man struggling with his personal issues, the film also show us how lonliness can affect us mentally. Let´s get ino some of the details that i really appreciate with this film. First of all the beautiful locations matches so well with the story, it really feels like no one else would live out here in the cold Scottish mountains. You can almost feel the ice cold wind in certain scenes, as the camera really manage to capture the weather conditions. The mystical horror scenes is one of the details i really appreciate in certain scenes, where the main character Eric seems to have visions of dark dressed figures. Together with the sound effects and the cold atmosphere surrounding them, this becomes very effective from a horror perspective. Lead actor Tom Hughes ( who i especially remember from the 2018 film Red Joan, worth checking out ) deliver a very strong acting performance of a man who is clearly falling apart mentally. I personally feel that this is the best acting performance i have ever seen him do so far, and i applaud him for that. Actress Kate Dickie ( definetely worth checking out in the 2015 horror film The Witch ) deliver another strong performance here as the character Katherine. Actress Greta Scacchi ( who you should see in the TV series The Terror from 2018 ) knows exactly how to portrait the character Glenys Black. Shepherd is a film that manage to bring up a lot of subjects on mental health, and our right to grief in our own way. Director Russel Owen proves with Shepherd that you don´t need luxuary sets to make a strong film, you need a really good story and some really powerful acting. I could not ask for much more, i am really pleased with what the Shepherd has to offer.

Rating: DDDD

R.I.P.D. 2 - Rise Of The Damned

I have never really been that kind of guy who cares what films makes most of the money at the box office. It´s not always a guarantee that a big box office hit will always be a good film, there are some terrible ones out there. I am especially thinking about A Good Day To Die Hard, the 5th Die Hard film that may have a lot of action but not much else to offer. I remember when i saw this film in a cinema and how disappointed i was. Bruce Willis didn´t even feel like the character John McClane anymore, he was just Bruce Willis killing russians. Only a few action scenes might have been entertaining, but the Die Hard feeling just wasn´t there. I have always been a big Die Hard fan and i love all 3 of them between the 80´s and 90´s. The 4th one was ok, but you could tell that it was difficult to make another sequel as good as the previous ones. Since i know now about Bruce Willis illness i still respect him as an actor and for all the great movies he have made for so many years, but i can´t defened A Good Day To Die Hard. The film did well at the box office pulling in over 300 Million dollars in ticket sales, and also did well both on DVD and Blu Ray. So i get it, there are people who enjoy this film and that´s fine, we all have different taste. But what if a cinema release on a big budget gets released worldwide and becomes a huge box office bomb, will that affect my taste in the film? Not at all, i always watch films no matter how little money they make. Since we are talking about box office bombs at this moment, i believe some of you might have heard ( or have seen ) the 2013 sci fi action film known as R.I.P.D. I did see the film in cinema back in 2013 and i remember how empty the cinema was, even if this film have big names such as Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Bacon. Did i enjoy R.I.P.D. ? I look at this film like this, it can be entertaining in certain scenes, but there were way too many special effects used in this film. In fact some of the CGI effects looks pretty bad, and this is coming from a film on a budget around 130 - 150 million dollars. I can understand why the audience did not care about R.I.P.D. since they seemed to enjoy the Men In Black franchise more. There are a few fun dialogue scenes between Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds, but this is still a film struggling with a lot of problems. If anyone would have asked me if we ever would get a sequel, or a prequel to R.I.P.D. i would not have believed them. But here we are with a prequel to this box office bomb, and i was actually curious to see if this film could be good. Is it possible that R.I.P.D. 2 is a lot better than the original film, or is this preuqel even worse than i ever could have expected?

The year is 1987 and gun slinger Roy Pulsipher ( Jeffrey Donavan ) is shot down days before his daughter´s wedding. He is transported to R.I.P.D. ( Rest In Peace Department ) where he is given a chance to return to Earth to prevent death of other people. He gets a new companion called Jeanne ( Penelope Mitchell ) who will help him on his mission to defeat Deados ( evil spirits who have taken over human bodies ).

When a prequel is made that you didn´t even expect to be made, you don´t have any high expectations. And after seeing this film i can at least say this, it is not worse than the first film. But i do have some things to say as well, but let´s get into the positive. First of all i like that this prequel takes place in the late 1800´s, and does something completely different than the first film. If they would have made a prequel and just ripped it off completely from the first film, i probably would not have watched R.I.P.D. 2 at all. The western era is actually a fun idea for a film like this, that mixture science fiction, action and horror elements all together. In some ways this films reminds me a little bit about the 1999 western action film Wild Wild West with Will Smith, even though there are some big differences between both of these films. R.I.P.D. 2 does indeed combine classic western ingredients with more modern technology, and in some scenes it is actually entertaining. The chemistry between actors Jeffrey Donavan ( worth checking out in the Clint Eastwood film J. Edgar, a film you don´t hear much about anymore unfortunately ) and Penelope Mitchell ( who you might recognize as the character Liv Parker in the TV series The Vampire Diaries ) works pretty good, and i actually think they did a good choice on these actors. I like seeing actor Richard Brake here as the main villain. Now we get into some of the problems with this film, and let us begin with the CGI effects. You can tell quite early in the film that this prequel cost a lot less than the original film, and i can accept that as long as you make the film good. The problem with the CGI effects is that they don´t look really cool, and since this is supposed to be a film for the fans of the original film, i don´t think they will feel pleased with the final results. The action scenes could have been a bit more violent, because it feels like they hold back and made this film more family friendly. Not saying you have to have body parts flying, but if you are going to have fighting and gun battles included, make sure you have fun violence scenes to entertain the audience. The acting in general is what you might expect in a film like this, but not many characters offer anything interesting. Director Paul Leydon ( who directed the great action TV series Cleaners ) have definetely some interesting ideas with R.I.P.D. 2 - Rise Of The Damned, but i think with the limited budget he knew it would be hard to make this prequel feel bombastic. R.I.P.D. 2 is not disaster, there are a couple of fun scenes if you are in the right mood, but overall this is not a film you will remember. A prequel that could have been fun, but feels more like a violent Hallmark production.

Rating: DD

The Lair

Back in the early 90´s i used to be a big werewolf fan, and i collected werewolf films on VHS. I remember when i managed to find both An American Werewolf In London, the very first The Howling and the Stephen King film Silver Bullet on VHS from the UK, it was like winning the lottery. I found them all at a videostore called Movieline in Gothenburgh, the biggest Scandinavian video store. I also remember that i picked up Zombie Flesh Eaters on an uncut version as well, but it was actually the werewolf films that made me more interested. I had seen all three werewolf films before, simply because i recorded them on my VHS player from a TV channel called TV3. But seeing these films with commercials was no fun, so buying the actual films was the best way to go. I probably watched these tapes more than 30 times and still loved them just as much. During the 90´s i did check out other werewolf movies as well, but it was the classics i appreciated mostly. When the early 2000´s arrived the horror genre just kept on growing with a lot of different genre´s, and werewolves did return as well. There was especially one film that really made an impact in the year of 2002, and that is the British horror film known as Dog Soldiers. Directed by Neil Marshal, this film tells the story of a British squad of soldiers who are dropped off in the Scottish Highlands to carry out a training exercise against a Special Air Service unit. But as their training exercise is about to begin, they discover that something is not right, finding the remains of the SAS unit. The squad retreat to get into a location for safety, but something is clearly coming after them. Dog Soldiers is not only a really good werewolf film, but i love the practical make up effects done on the werewolves. The acting in general is great as well and i think it is a well made horror film. Definetely worth picking up on DVD or Blu Ray if you love werewolf films. Director Neil Marshall continued making quality horror with the 2005 film The Descent ( his best film in my opinion ) where a group of women who go exploring in a cave system, where humanoid creatures suddenly attack them. This is definetely a must buy on physical media, and one of the best horror films of that year. Neil have continued to make films since then and have tried different genres. When i heard about his latest film called The Lair being a monster movie, i got really excited. Is it possible that this film is as good as Dog Soldiers or The Descent, or have the magic we once experienced from Neil´s films vanished for all eternity ?

When Royal Air Force pilot Lt. Kate Sinclair ( Charlotte Kirk ) is shot down over Afghanistan, she finds refuge in anabandoned undergroud bunker. Until she finds out that this underground bunker had Russians doing secret experiments.....

Imagine if someone would combine the 2009 horror film The Devil´s Tomb with the 1990 cult classic Xtro II: The Second Encounter, and you would have The Lair served on a plate. This is truly a throwback to sci fi action horror movies that i grew up watching on VHS with lots of shooting and instead of traditional aliens we get monsters ( works perfectly fine with me ). The Lair really feels like a respectful love letter to fans of films from the past, and i am so happy to see that director Neil Marshall decided to take this path. Since he have proved that he knows how to make both great monster films such as The Descent and horror films as well with Dog Soldiers, he clearly have a passion for going old school and you can tell that by watching The Lair. So let´s go through some of the positive details that i appreciate. The monsters are actually pretty cool to look at, they almost feel like a combination from Resident Evil creatures combined with a toxic waste deformed version of Venom. The underground facility feels like a secret military bunker and i love the tunnels, a perfect environment to have monsters running around. The lead female character Capt. Kate Sinclair played by actress Charlotte Kirk ( who i remember from the Bruce Willis film Vice, worth checking out ) is exactly what a film like this needs. She is one bad ass female character who does not take shit from anyone and have no problem fighting for her life. Charlotte knows exactly how to make this film entertaining with her powerful female performance, and i can just imagine that she had a good time making this film. Actress Kibong Tanji as Corp. Jade Lafayette is another great female character who is clearly not afraid to go into battle. The male cast work for the most part, but i actually think that the two female characters in this film makes the biggest impact. The action scenes are cheesy fun, made to entertain fans of action films of the 80´s and 90´s. Anything negative to say? Honestly i just had a good time with The Lair and don´t really care if there are any flaws. This is my kind of popcorn film, that takes me right back to the VHS stores of my childhood. Director Neil Marshall have done it again, delivering a film that will surely please fans of B horror movies. The Lair is definetely worth picking up on DVD or Blu Ray, we need more films like this made in the future so a young generation can learn what matters a lot more than TikTok, and that is to bring back classic VHS video violence.

Rating: DDD

Stalker

There is a huge problem worldwide that never seems to stop, and that is people who are known as stalkers. They follow people wherever they go, and don´t care if they destroy people´s lives. The numbers of stalkers worldwide clearly shows that there are many more out there than i could ever have imagined. I actually know a very dangerous stalker, who followed a close female friend of mine many years ago. At first i didn´t know how mentally ill this man was, until he showed his true identity. He followed my female friend everywhere, outside her home, where she drived, even when she was walking outside. He even tried to confront her at some points, where she felt really scared. I will be honest and say i was very worried for her, and i used to check with her everyday for a long time if she was ok. I just didn´t want anything happen to her. It took a long time until he finally stopped following her around, and it was because she felt ready to let people know who were following her. When people found out who he was, he understood it would be harder for him to continue, since she have lots of friends around her. Even if he did stopped following her closely, she have seen him sometimes, just standing watching after her from a long distance. So we don´t really know if he ever will stop completely, but i really hope so. You never really know what a stalker is capable of, since you don´t know if they intend to hurt someone. Speaking of stalkers, there are several movies that takes on the subject of people who are stalkers. One of the films that comes to my mind is the 2002 film known as One Hour Photo. A psychological thriller from director Mark Romanek ( director of the 2010 film Never Let Me Go, who fans of Andrew Garfield most likely appreciate ). One Hour Photo tells the story of Seymour "Sy" Parrish ( brilliant played by legendary actor Robin Williams, in his best acting performance if you ask me ) who works as a photo technician at a one-hour photo in big-box store SavMart. He lives a very lonely life, so his work is basically everything he have to look forward to. His favourite customers are the Yorkin family, where especially the wife Nina Yorkin ( Connie Nielsen ) is nice to him. But Sy is becoming obsessed with this family, as he is a part of this family as well. As a psychological thriller, One Hour Photo manage to do so many things right. You have that powerful psychological tension in some of the scenes where Sy looses all control, and you also witness the downfall of someone who clearly have some big mental problems. A must see on DVD or Blu Ray if you enjoy this genre, and my absolute favourite film from Robin Williams ( yes, even better than Dead Poets Society, just my personal opinion ). Speaking of psychological thrillers, i recently sat down to watch a DVD i bought from the UK ( simply because i could not find it here in stores in Sweden ), a thriller called Stalker. I have always been a fan of psychological thrillers so i was curious to see if this film had anything to offer. Is Stalker a must see, or should you throw it down your nearest garbage can?

Actress Rose Hepburn ( Sophie Skelton ) is staying at an old 3 star hotel, something she is not looking forward to. As she arrives, no one seems to be working at the reception desk. She decides to take the elevator anyway, but before she is able to go all the way up another man makes an entrance. It turns out that his name is Daniel ( Staurt Brennan ), and he is going to a completely different floor. Suddenly the elevator is stuck, and they are both trapped. The alarm button does not seem to work, and they have no idea how they will get out. Using anything they can find to find an entrance, they have no other option but to do it themselves, in case no one is coming to help them.

It is not often you get a film with basically only 2 characters in a whole movie, and i actually appreciate when you have very few characters to get to know. Not just because it gives you a deeper portait of both characters, but it also becomes a bigger challenge for the actors to make the audience interested in the story as well. Stalker is in no way original or different from some other thrillers out there, but this film is actually quite interesting from a psychological perspective. Here we have two people stuck inside an elevator, in a hotel that does not seem to have any staff working, so how do they get out? Most importantly, why are they both there? Does both of them plan to stay at this hotel or are they here for another reason? You begin to ask yourself some questions when especially one of them seems to be carrying some secrets, and this is especially where Stalkers works pretty solid as a thriller. So let´s talk about the characters and let us begin with actress Sophie Skeleton ( who i of course have seen in the very popular TV series Outlander ) as the character Rose Hepburn, who is a hard working actress. Sophie have no problem getting into her character in a natural way, and i especially appreciate how smooth she is at delivering dialogue. I also enjoy that she plays out her mood swings, that when you think she may be in control, she can just switch off another button and show her frustration. Actor Stuart Brennan plays the shy, and odd character known as Daniel. I really like to see Stuart transformed into this mysterious personality. Daniel is clearly struggling with personal issues, and when you hear him talk you can almost feel like he have gone through a lot of suffering in his life. This is the first time i have seen Stuart Brennan act on screen and i have to say i am impressed. I wouldn´t say that it is top class acting, but it´s definetely a solid portrait of a man who feels alone and depressed. Oh i should mention that legendary wrestler Bret Hart have a very small role in this film, that was a nice surprise. Since the film is called Stalker there is a connection in this film to that title, but what it really means is something you will have to figure out yourself. I think they did a good job with the connection to the title, especially towards the end. Anything negative to say about Stalker? Honestly i feel like i don´t need to say anything negative, because even if this film have flaws i actually enjoyed this film. Director Steve Johnson have made a thriller that´s well made considering the limited budget, and i also think he tells the story in a effective way. Stalker is definetely worth picking up on DVD from the UK if you are a psychological thriller fan, just like myself. One thing is for sure, i won´t be going in any older elevators for quite some time after watching this film.

Rating: DDD

Dig

I have a lot of respect for actors who does not do too many similar roles. They dare to take chances and try on different characters in different genres. I understand if you love a specific genre and do certain films there, because you enjoy doing them. But to do something different takes courage, and you have to be able to capture the audience as well. One actor who proved that he could go outside of his comfort zone, is the actor known as Thomas Jane. Most of you might remember him from the 2004 film adaptation of The Punisher ( definetely worth checking out ), but i really think he proved his acting abilities in the TV series known as Hung. If you by any chance have not seen this TV series, you should check it out on HBO Max. Hung tells the story of high-school basketball teacher Ray Drecker ( Thomas Jane ), father of two teenagers. When a fire destroy their childhood home that Ray still owns, Ray have no insurance to cover the damage from the fire. He has to find a way to make more money. With the help of his friend Tanya Skagle ( Jane Adams ), they come up with the idea that he should become a male prostitute. He already have a big penis so it should not be a problem, and Tanya will be his pimp. Sleeping around with clients may sound simple at first, but everything may not go as easy as it may seem. I personally enjoyed all 3 seasons of Hung, and i think Thomas Jane is really good as the lead character of Ray Drecker. This TV series is not only entertaining but also show that if you make certain choices in life, you might have to be prepared to take a few strikes. Also that this TV series brings up the subject of male prostitues, something you don´t see everyday. Thomas Jane have done a lot of films as well over the years, and i have honestly not seen all of them. I did enjoy him in the 2020 action thriller Run Hide Fight from director Kyle Rankin, another film worth picking up. I have been curious to watch a thriller that he released in autumn last year called Dig, since i saw the poster of the film. I decided to pick up the film on Blu Ray to give it a chance. Is this a thriller that deserves to be seen, or shoud Dig be buried deep underneath the ground?

Family father Scott Brennan ( Thomas Jane ) watch his wife get shot at a gas station, together with his daughter Jane Brennan ( Harlow Jane ), while his daughter get a hearing damage for being so close to the gun. This horrible tragedy causes a lot of damage in the relationship between Scott and Jane, while she is struggling with her hearing disability. Scott begin to plan if he should take his daughter on a weekend trip, but one day a man shows up at his business known as Victor ( Emilie Hirsch ), who is willing pay really good for a demolition of a house, out in the desert. Since this job will help them economically, Scott agree to do the job and let his daughter help out. What they don´t know is that Victor has not really told why they are doing this job, until they find out the truth.

The easiest way to explain Dig is to say that it reminds me of thrillers of the 90´s. You have the ordinary working class here, where a sudden tragedy changes the lives for a family. I actually appreciate the simple storyline in a film like this, because you don´t need to make things complicated to make the story interesting. The location of this film takes place mostly out in the desert, and considering that these workers are out there to dig, it definetely feels like the right environment.  One detail that really sticks out is the fact that the daughter Jane ( played well by young actress Harlow Jane ) looses her hearing almost completely. Imagine being 16 years old and not being able to hear again as other teenagers, of course it will affect her mentally and physically. Harlow manage to play this character realistic and i also feel that she tries to portrait a girl her age suffering not only from the death of her mother, but with her own inner demons. Thomas Jane as the lead character Scott may not be very different in this film from other characters we have seen him done before, but i enjoy his performance, simply because he have a certain screen presence playing a family father. Emile Hirsch ( who most of you most likely remember from the excellent Sean Penn film Into The Wild ) plays the crazy criminal called Victor. It may not be one of his better acting performances in his career, but definetely a big step in the right direction since Pursuit. Actress Liana Liberato ( who was brilliant in the 2010 film Trust, a must see ) is actually quite fun to watch here as criminal Lola. She does not seem to have any empathy at all, and cares more about herself than anything else. I enjoy the soundtrack in this film, the songs fit in very well with the desert atmopshere. Any problems with Dig? If you don´t want to watch a thriller that have been done many times before, you might loose interest in this film. There is nothing different with this film than other desert thrillers, except for daughter Jane struggling with her hearing damage. And i actually think that this is the part that makes Dig a bit more interesting which helps the film stand out a little bit, in a genre that needs different ideas. Director K. Asher Levin have definetely been inspired by 90´s Texas thrillers while making this film, or at least you can sense that while you are watching Dig. It is very simple, doesn´t have a lot of surprises, but as a thriller i would say it works for the most part. If you are interested in this genre for a popcorn night, i think this could be a good choice. Dig knows what kind of audience it was made for, and that´s good enough for me. 

Rating: DDD

Wrath Of Van Helsing

As long as i can remember, i have always been fascinated in the historical story of Vlad The Impaler, known as one of the most important rulers of Romania. Vlad III was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death 1476/77. I remember reading about him in the high school library, and this was also the first time i encountered the famous novel by Bram Stoker known as Dracula. I did not read the novel in High School but put it on my list of books i must read, at some point. Author Bram Stoker was inspired by the story of Vlad The Impaler when he wrote Dracula and it is not hard to understand why. I finally did read the novel of Dracula back in the year of 2001, and i remember how much i enjoyed the story and the characters in the novel. Bram Stoker managed to capture you as a reader and make you fascinated in his story telling. If you have not read this novel i think you should pick it up, no matter if you borrow it from a library or buy a physical book. We have had a lot of movies inspired by the novel of Dracula or the historical person known as Vlad The Impaler, and i especially love the 1992 film version of Bram Stoker´s Dracula from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. When it comes to the character of Van Helsing, the vampire slayer, we also have films based on this character. One of the films i think a lot of you have seen ( unless you have missed it for some reason? ) is of course the 2004 horror film known as Van Helsing. Directed by Stephen Sommers ( who directed The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, both worth checking out ), this film is a crazy horror adventure where Hugh Jackman plays Van Helsing. Looking back at this film today in 2023, you can tell that the special effects have aged and it may not be as entertaining as it was in cinemas back then. Even if this film have issues i still have fun with this film today, and appreciate the crazy characters and the good sense of humour. The female flying winged vampires are definetely one of the highlights, a different approach on traditional vampires. If you just want to be entertained by a vampire movie, i think Van Helsing from 2004 is worth checking out. So when i saw that a independent horror film called Wrath Of Van Helsing was released late autumn last year, i was curious to check it out. Not knowing anything about the plot of Wrath Of Van Helsing, is this a surprisingly good film adaptation on the legendary character, or should you stick to the 2004 version with Hugh Jackman instead?

A group of friends go underneath some tunnels together, not knowing that they are not alone. The only way to survive is with vampire hunter Van Helsing ( Michael Hoad ), who knows how to slay these beasts.

When you go into a film such as Wrath Of Van Helsing, you know it is made on a limited budget. So if you expect a lot of big budget vampire scenes, this is not the film you are looking for. However, if you appreciate independent horror films that try to go more old school and rely on classic horror ingredients, this might be something for you. I will be honest though and say that Wrath Of Van Helsing is struggling with several problems and i have some things to say. First of all the design of the vampires themselves that looks like some kind of mask. They honestly don´t look that cool to look at, or scary either. It feels like this was something they did to make the vampires look more like a mutant version, but without any effort to make them look good. It is like when they attack and bites someone, they barely move any teeth at all, so it does look quite strange how they can suck blood out from someone when the teeth doesn´t seem to work. The vampires are definetely a bit clumpsy as well, as a scene when a woman hides behind a wall, just move over to another side of another wall in a big hole ( where the vampire would have easily seen her ) and the vampire doesn´t notice anything, even if she can be seen from a distance. Either they have eye problems or they are simply not that clever. The lead vampire beast does look a little bit better, but doesn´t help the film become more enjoyable. We have to talk about the Van Helsing character played by Michael Hoad. I would not say he is terrible in the role, but he does not look like the bad ass Van Helsing we want to see. His small crossbow that is supposed to make him look like a vampire hunter looks too small, they would have needed a much bigger version of the crossbow to make the character work better. The sword he does have should have been used more than the small crossbow for sure. He would have needed better dialogue as well, such as:- Feast on my arrow you rotten bastard. The female cast is at least the highlight of this film, you get a sense that they at least made an effort to feel like a group of friends, and i do like some of the underground scenes with the different colors along the walls. Other than that there isn´t much left to be pleased about. I have seen plenty of vampire films worse than Wrath Of Van Helsing, but considering the great location that this film was made with a great idea for a Van Helsing story, i feel like they missed out a lot of potential here. Director Scott Jeffrey ( who directed a film i actually really enjoy called The Curse Of Humpty Dumpty, worth checking out ) have some great ideas with Wrath Of Van Helsing, but doesn´t manage to make the film as good as i was hoping it would be. If you are a fan of films such as these, you can always give it a chance, but i definetely prefer the 2004 version with Hugh Jackman over this film.

Rating: DD

If you want to see the film, just copy the link underneath and you can watch it on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/NM7w_whlsoU

To Leslie

In my 24 years in health care, i have met a lot of people with addiction. Some have been addicted to alcohol, gambling, porn, and many other things. Once you are addicted to something that´s destructive it can cause a lot of damage. Not only to your health but to your family members as well, that is if you have any family members. I am always respectful to each person, because you don´t know all the pain that they are carrying from their past. Some of them might have been abused as children, molested, or have family members who were addicted. There is always something that causes people to get stuck in addiction, and being judgemental will not help them. There are moments where you see some people being able to turn their lives around, and i especially remember one man who used to be an alcoholic. With the help of counseling and drug rehabilitation, he managed to become sober, find a wife and had a son as well. I actually met him in a store about 2 years ago ( right before the pandemic started ), and he even hugged me and thanked me for being there for him. It is moments like these you realise that there is hope, and you can change your life if you really want to. Even if it may take long and is really difficult, it may be worth fighting to make life better. When it comes to films that takes on the subject of addiction, i have a personal favourite film. And that is the 2006 independent film Sherrybaby from director Laurie Collyer. This film tells the story of recovering heroin addict Sherry Swanson ( played really powerful by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal ). She wants to start a new life and repair her relatiosnhip with her young daughter. Sherrybaby is a very emotinal film for a number of reasons, but especially to see how women with addiction problems are being used as an object. I also feel that this film manage to capture the struggle of addiction as well, and Maggie is phenomenal in the lead role. If you have not seen this film you should pick it up on DVD. As i was going through some of the films i have been curious to see, i came across a film called To Leslie. Ever since i watched the trailer i noticed that this could be interesting, about a alcohol addicted mother. Is this one of those films you really need to see, or is To Leslie not as powerful as i was hoping it would be?

6 years ago, Leslie Rowlands ( Andrea Riseborough ) won 190.000 U.S. dollars at the lottery. In present day she have lost it all thanks to her alcohol addiction, and she have no home and nowhere to go. She calls her son James ( Owen Teague ) to see if he wants to spend some time with her, and she is invited to his home. But happiness does not last very long, until she is kicked out for steeling money for alcohol and drinking as well. Back on the streets, how will Leslie find a way out of this misery?

If you need to see an honest portrait of how destructive addiction can be, To Leslie really manage to capture that on screen. Not only the addiction itself, but also all the problems that comes along with addiction. This is a film that does not hold back on how rough life can be, and everyone could be in Leslie´s shoes. Of course she did have a chance to do something with her life after she won the lottery, but since she was already damaged before she won, it didn´t matter how much money she got. Leslie is clearly a woman who never really felt loved by anyone, and you get a sense that her past made her into the woman she is today. If she would have felt loved and appreciated, she might have been able to find her way in life. Even if she have a son, she didn´t know how to raise him, because the addiction itself made her choose the alcohol instead of him. We have to talk about the acting in this film, and lead actress Andrea Riseborough ( who is really good in films such as Birdman, and the 2018 film Mandy with Nicolas Cage ) does a really powerful performance as alcohol addicted Leslie. Not only does she manage to capture a realistic body language of an addict, but especially through her dialogue. You can actually feel her pain in certain scenes when she just can´t take it anymore, and to be able to act so realistic is not easy to do. This might be the best acting performance i have seen actress Andrea Riseborough do. I also enjoy the acting performance of Marc Maron ( who is especially good in the Netflix TV series GLOW, worth checking out ) as the character Sweeney. If it wasn´t for such a nice man as him, Leslie wouldn´t have any hope left, so you realise how much he really cares for her. It has been a while since i have seen a very sad film, that does not look for a happy story. To Leslie tries to show the real world instead, that everything is not as good as you might think. Director Michael Morris ( producer of the Netflix TV series Better Call Saul ) deliver a very strong independent drama that should be seen by all ages. We should not hide what addiction looks like, and this is exactly what To Leslie does not do, but shows the truth instead. What a way to start of this new year with To Leslie and i could not have picked a better film, this is one of the best films i have seen in quite some time.

Rating: DDDD