Carry-On

There is a tadition that keeps coming back every single year during the Christmas holiday online and that is the discussion:- Is the 1988 action classic Die Hard a Christmas movie or not? I swear i have seen this discusson go online for almost 20 years at least and this was before Facebook even existed where people discussed this on forum pages instead. In my personal opinion i would say it´s a Christmas classic even if you don´t get to see lots of snow or perhaps you don´t get to see lots of traditional Christmas food either. Die Hard may be one of the greatest action movies of all time honestly and there are so many things to appreciate about this film, no matter if you agree or disagree that this is a Christmas movie. First of all you have the character of John McClane played brilliant by action icon Bruce Willis who does a lot of really cool action scenes in this film, but i also love his sense of humour as he makes fun of the terrorists before killing as many as he can. You also have the brilliant performance from legendary actor Alan Rickman playing the terrorist leader Hans Gruber with his evil smile and sharp dialogue. There are also other fun side characters such as the sleaze bag Harrry Ellis ( played by actor Hart Bochhner ) who looks like Donald Trump Jr high on cocaine all the time. The action scenes from director John McTiernan are really fun and very effective as well. If you for some reason have not seen this film you simply have to, Die Hard is a true 80´s classic and should be bought on phsyical media. I do really enjoy both Die Hard 2 - Die Harder and Die Hard - With A Vengeance as well and i actually don´t mind Die Hard 4.0. But let´s not talk about the last Die Hard film from 2013 known as A Good Day To Die Hard, they never should have made it honestly. Speaking of similar films such as Die Hard a film called Carry-On was released on Netflix that seemed to be like Die Hard 2 with some differences of course. At least there were people online comparing this film to Die Hard 2 this definetely caught my attention. Also that this film stars Taron Egerton from the wonderful The Kingsman films, where i especially loved the first film. Knowing im a big fan of action films in general of course i had to check this film out. Is is possible that Carry-On is a future action classic or is this a Netflix film that no one will probably remember?

Ethan Kopek ( Aron Tegerton ), a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Los Angeles International Airport, has become cynical and unambitious after failing the police academy by concealing his father´s criminal history. On Christmas Eve, his pregnant girlfriend Nora Parisi ( Sofia Carson ), encourages him to reapply and pursue his dream. Instead, Ethan requests his supervisor, Phil Sarkowski ( Dean Norris ), assign him to manage the baggage-scanning lane, hoping to demonstrate his merit for a promotion. During the shift, Ethan receives an earbud, through which he is contacted by a ruthless mercenary, The Traveler ( Jason Bateman ), who orders him to let a specific carry-on case pass through the scanner, or Nora will be killed. At first Ethan think this is a joke until The Traveler proves his being serious. This is the beginning of a nightmare for Ethan, and if he makes one mistake his future family may be gone for good.

Even though i can understand why some people would be reminded of Die Hard 2 in certain scenes of Carry-On i can honestly say this film reminded me of a completely different film. How many of you remember the psychological thriller Phone Booth from 2002 by legendary director Joel Schumacher ( his best film after Falling Down in my opinion )? You could say that Carry-On follow a similar pattern as Phone Booth did, where one man were chosen to follow some rules or people would be killed if he leaves a phone booth. The difference in Carry-On is that the main character Ethan is told to let a bag through custody control and he is forced to make sure that happens. The psychological aspect of this story is actually the most interesting part of Carry-On, how far are you willing to go to make sure no innocent people will be killed for your mistake? Are you willing to take any chances at all just in case it could cause more damage? The performance from lead actor Taron Egerton is pretty solid and i do feel he handle his character Ethan well in this situation. I would also say he does a good job on his action scenes. The strongest acting performance is in my opinion Jason Bateman as the Traveler and i love his cocky attitude towards Ethan. I think this was the right approach for a villain who clearly is not stupid and knows how to play games with people. And Jason himself must have had fun playing this character since he seems to take his character seriously. It takes a little while before the action scenes themselves kicks in so don´t expect this to be a fast gripping action feast, but once Carry-On get onto the right track there are some fun moments to appreciate. In general i would say Carry-On manage to be entertaining enough for me to recommend this film, especially if you enjoy action thrillers in general. Director Jaume Collet-Serra ( who dircted the really fun shark action film The Shallows, worth checking out ) clearly know how to handle this genre well and use a whole airport effective to match the story and the characters. For a 2 hour action film i think Carry-On have enough power to please the Netflix audience. It may not be as good as The Kingsman but still deliver a good time, especially if you love Christmas related films. I don´t know about you but i definetely feel like spending a whole day at an airport thanks to Carry-On, that has to be a good sign right?

Rating: DDD

Phil Herman´s Unearthed

I remember back in the early 90´s at the VHS rental store Videomix i used to discover all kinds of horror VHS films that i have never heard of. At least not when it came to certain horror films that were clearly made on a lower budget, i would usually rent the most interesting titles if the films looked like fun. I can still remember some of the VHS covers of these films and they looked wonderful. For example it was here i discovered John Carpenter´s anthology horror comedy Body Bags, where legendary director Tobe Hooper worked on this film as well. This film didn´t get a cinema release across Sweden so landed on VHS instead. Body Bags tell 3 very different stories and i personally feel that each story have something for true fans of anthology horror to enjoy and i have to say the casting of this anthology horror film is great. Not only do you get John Carpenter as the presenter The Coroner but you also have legendary actors such as Stacey Keach, David Warner, Robert Carradine, Sam Raimi, Peter Jason, Alex Datcher, Debbie Harry, Roger Corman and of course Mark Hamill himself. Incredible cast and i feel that they all give their characters something special in this film. Over the years i have returned to Body Bags after it was released on blu ray on Shout! Factory and i think it still holds up to this day. Speaking of horror anthology films we could probably discuss for hours on what our favourites are and i personally love both Creepshow and Creepshow 2. I try to look at lower budget anthology films as well such as the 2016 anthology horror film known as Holidays. A film that tried to tell different stories regarding the most beloved holidays that we celebrate every year. Worth checking out if you have not seen it and should be easy to find for a good price on DVD. Recently i got an oppurtunity to sit down and watch a new horror anthology film called Phil Herman´s Unearthed. Since i am a big fan of anthology horror in general of course i was curious to see what this film would bring to the table. Is this one of the better films of this genre this year or did it not deliver as much as i was hoping it would?

4 different stories told by several different directors in an anthology horror film presented by the mysterious Doom ( Christopher Kahler ) where no secrets will be hidden anymore. This is the moment each story will tell exactly what happened to different people under different circumstances.

As with most anthology horror films it is very important to be able to tell different stories and try to make each story interesting or at least fun to watch, depending on what kind of horror anthology you are making. In the case of Phil Herman´s Unearthed i would have to say this film susprised me quite a bit. I have seen other films from director Phil Herman in the past and i have to say this might be his most serious film so far. Just the fact that this film actually tries to give us characters that you remember is a good sign, since in some anthology horror films it´s easy to forget characters unless you make an effort to make us care. The first story is a perfect example called The Ties That Bind. I wouldn´t call this a horror story but rather a criminal story surrounding a missing woman. What really works in this story is the great chemistry between actors Joseph Martin Jauch as Detective Hermand and Lillian Lamour as Detective Grier. Every scene where they have dialogue together is where this segment gets more interesting as they investigate this case. This doesn´t mean the other characters in this story are bad in any way, but the screen chemistry that Detective Hermand and Detective Grier carry with them is exactly what this story needed. The next story is called Look Towards The Sky and is basically an alien abduction story and you might think this will be predictable. Actually there are a few surprising details but the best part is actually the abduction scenes. The third story called Clean House starts off like a silent movie but turns into an exorcist segment where the demon actually knock down the priest with a bible, this specific scene was actually fun to watch. The last story called Highway Rivalry is where the real horror kicks in with some brutal violence and practical make up effects as well. If i had to choose what story i didn´t feel as connected with compares to others i would say that Clean House is the segment i felt could have been stronger. The presenter of each story known as Doom is a fun performance from actor Christopher Kahler who looks like he walked out dead from a wrestling grave. Phil Herman´s Unearthed manage to tell very different stories and make this anthology horror film feel unique in the sense that the diversity among these stories are so far away from each other. I personally feel this was a really good idea for a film such as this. I also have to mention how much i appreciate the serious tone that director Phil Herman  approach in this film, i would love to see him do something more similar in the future and see what he might be able to do with the right script. Phil Herman´s Unearthed is a feastful treat for true fans of the anthology horror scene and clearly show that this genre is still filled with passion for telling stories, no matter what kind of horror fan you are.

Rating: DDD                                                                                                                                                        

20 Years Anniversary Review Of Saw

Horror franchises have been around for a very long time in Hollywood and it seems some of them will never end as long as there is an audience for each film. To be able to keep a franchise alive you need a character that especially made a powerful impact on the audience. A perfect example of one horror franchise that still continue to this day is the horror franchise known as Dracula. I have seen the 1931 film verison of Dracula, a film adaptation of Bram Stoker´s classic book Dracula and even if this is not my favourite film in this horror franchise i think is well made and especially a wonderful acting performance from legendary actor Bela Lugosi. I personally feel that the Dracula legacy really got respect when legendary actor Christoper Lee stepped into the role as Cound Dracula in the 1958 horror film Dracula. A must see if you especially love vampire films and Christopher Lee portayed Dracula in 10 different films, where 7 of them was for the classic British company Hammer Film Productions. If i have to choose a Dracula film that i personally feel is one of my all time favourites i would have to choose the 1992 horror film Bram Stoker´s Dracula from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. This film have everything you could wish for, especially if you are a big Dracula fan like myself. There are of course other Dracula films we could talk about but let us more forward to more modern times and talk about a franchise that started back in 2004. High School Musical might be your first guess even though that film was released in 2006? Hopefully not because we are actually talking about the horror film known as Saw from director James Wan. I still remember the very first time i witnessed Saw in cinema in the city of Gothenburgh and it was quite a different experience from any other horror film at that time. It was a huge hit worldwide and of course we got a lot of sequels over the years. I have seen every film in this franchise and i can honestly say i am a big fan. Since this year is a 20 years anniversary of the very first Saw film i decided that this would do a 20 years anniversary review of Saw and see if i still appreciate it or if i have changed my mind over the years. Is this still a very solid horror film or have this film aged more and lost some of the cinema magic along the way?

Adam ( Leigh Whannell ), a photographer, awakens in a dilapidated bathtub with his ankle chained to a pipe. Across the room is oncologist Dr. Lawrence Gordon ( Cary Elwes ), and between them is the corpse of an apparent victim holding a revolver and a microcassette recorder. Both men find a tape in their pockts, and Adam retrieves the recorder. Each tape is recorded with an unknown voice of a man named Jigsaw ( Tobin Bell ). They must follow the rules of their tapes, or Adam will be killed or Dr. Gordon´s wife will be murdered. The game is about to begin.

When a horror film released 20 years ago works better than most horror films released in modern days you know this is no ordinary release. Saw is not only more original than most horror films in the last 20 years it also have a very interesting concept. How would you react if you were trapped knowing you could die unless you follow the rules and play the game correctly? It may not sound original when you read this but once you see how complicated each game is and what you have to do to survive you soon realise this is far more tricky than you ever would have imagined. Each trap is constructed very detailed and the level of creativity in each room can clearly be seen. I especially appreciate the creepy doll Billy who looks like Nikki Sixx after a hidden cocaine birthday party gone terribly wrong. And that unique doll design match perfectly to the character and is exactly what this film needed to give a strong powerful impact of pure evil. The character of Jigsaw ( played by legendary actor Tobin Bell ) is also a strong reason why this film is so effective. Even if we don´t get to see the character of Jigsaw all the time we do get to hear his voice and Tobin Bell does a fantastic job delivering a voice that you will never forget. The police investigation run by Detective David Tapp ( played by legendary actor Danny Glover ) works really well with the plot and i have to say since i have seen plenty of police investigations in many films, in Saw they really do this on a much more effective level than most ordinary police films. Danny Glover does what he knows best and that is to portrait a police officer that have gone through more than most people could handle. Legendary actor Cary Elwes proves as always that he is one of his generation´s finest actors and deliver his character Dr. Lawrence Gordon in a stylish and exquisite way. The horror scenes in general are very effective and you can tell director James Wan have a vision how to use many different infuences of horror and combine it together to make Saw feel unique and far more intelligent than most big studio horror releases. Im not surprised at all why the Saw franchise have survived as long as it have in the horror community and Saw proved how you start a franchise in the best possible way. Not only a future horror classic but a film that may show future generations why you don´t need a big budget to make quality horror. Saw is definetely a must watch especially on physical media, unless you prefer watching streaming.

Rating: DDDD

The Demon Disorder

I am a huge fan of physical copies of films and i always will be. It all started back in the very early 90´s when i started to buy VHS films. I would look for different titles and check in diffrent video stores if they had something different than the usual rental store. Movieline was of course my favourite movie store in the city of Gothenburgh ( they had several thousands of VHS films for sale ) and this was the store where i usually would pick up especially horror films. I remember that it was in Movieline i found my copy of the horror film Zombie Nosh, a low budget zombie movie that used a lot of practical make up effects and was actually a fun watch. It was also at Movieline i got my very first VHS copy of the 1986 horror comedy Night Of The Creeps where slugs from outer space take over human bodies and turn people into zombies. I would highly recommend both films no matter if you get them on DVD or blu ray. but if you get Zombie Nosh released from Vinegar Syndrome you do get some nice special features included. As you probably could imagine after the VHS era ended i collected DVD´s instead and continued to support physical copies. Even until this day i do support films and especially from distribution companis like Studio S Entertainment, Njutafilms, Arrow Video, Vinegar Syndrome, 88 Films, Second Sight Films, Umbrella Entertainment and many more. I mentioned Umbrella Entertainment which is a distribution company from Australia who release older ( and new films ) filled with special features that you won´t find on any ordinary DVD releases from the past. I have bought several of their releases such as Fire In The Sky, Things To Do In Denver When You´re Dead and The Mothman Prophecies with Richard Gere. Each month they release new titles so i try to stay updated on what´s coming out. This autumn i picked up a blu ray copy of the Australian horror film The Demon Disorder released by Umbrella Entertainment. This film seemed to have an interesting plot plus i am a fan of Australian films in general so i was quite interested in what this film would bring to the table. Is this the horror film to watch this upcoming Christmas weekend or is this not as good as i was hoping it would be?

Graham Reilly ( Christian Willis ) is running his own workshop in the middle of nowhere in the Australian landscape, ever since he left his family´s farm after his father George Reilly ( John Noble ) passed away from an illness and seemed to be possessed by an evil entity. His brother Jake Reilly ( Dirk Hunter ) unexpectedly shows up at Graham´s business asking him to come back home. It seems that the past is catching up on this family and they need to deal with it now.

If you may remember the body horror films of legendary director David Cronenberg such as the 1977 horror classic Rabid, i can without a doubt say that The Demon Disorder is clearly inspired by the films of this masterful director. The Demon Disorder doesn´t focus on what´s trending or not in this world, this feels like a respectful throwback to the body horror films we love from the past. There are several details i feel they have managed to do well in this film so let us begin talking about the practical make up effects. You can tell that they really did a lot of work on this film creating flesh creatures as well as some kind of demonic figure all done practical with so many wonderful details. And i really love that they actually made an effort to make this a practical special effects film, like they are actually shooting something that seems alive and only using a little bit of CGI effects. The transformation of the demonic creature coming out of a human body and turning into a beast is not only one of the better practical make up effects i have seen this year but it also shows the level of creativity we don´t get to see very often these days. Another positive thing about The Demon Disorder is how this film tries to tell the story how brothers try to reunite to deal with their past. I feel that actors Christian Willis and Dirk Hunter both put on great acting performances as the battling brothers where you can tell they are both struggling with how their ill father George ( who is played by legendary actor John Noble ) behaving very strange and dangerously attacking his sons. The horror scenes in general are quite effective and i do feel that there is a certain atmosphere in this film that matches the dark story of this struggling family. If i wanted to find flaws with this film i probably could if i wanted to, but why even try when i think this is a well made directorial full feature film from director Steven Boyle ( who have done practical make up effcts for many years in several well known films ). I would love to see Steven Boyle to continue making body horror films and see if he can build further into this universe because he is clearly the future in this specific genre with the level of creativity he have in his mind. The Demon Disorder is without a doubt one of the more interesting horror releases this year for trying to bring back a genre that seems to be fading away. Definetely worth buying on physical media from Umbrella Entertainment and especially if you are a big fan of director David Cronenberg´s earlier work.

Rating: DDD

Hijack ´93

Through history we have seen a lot of examples of terrorist groups or criminal organisantions who have taken control over flights across the world. Each case is of course mostly different from each other, it doesn´t always have to be about money only but for other political reasons as well. In some cases it has not always ended badly but there are cases where unfortunately people were killed. In some cases it wasn´t a terrorist group either but a mad person who actually hijacked an airplane for a completely different reason than anyone would have expected. There are so many flight hijackings we could talk about so i decided to pick one famous criminal case that took place back in February 22, 1974 at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. This specific day American hijacker known as Samuel Byck attempted to hijack a plane flying out from Baltimore-Washington International Airport, intending to crash into the White House in the hopes of killing President Richard Nixon. This case is actually quite interesting because it didn´t look like the ordinary plane hijacking we have seen in the past. Of course there have been President assassinations and attempted ones but this specific day February 22 in 1974 will forever go down in history as a failed attempt to kill the President. If you have not heard this story before and want to know what happened to Samuel Byck he actually killed himself after he was wounded by a bullet from a police officer. There is actually a great drama film based on this case and the life of Samuel Byck in the 2004 drama film The Assassination Of Richard Nixon from director Niels Mueller, and legendary actor Sean Penn plays the character Sam Bicke ( inspired by the character Samuel Byck ). It´s a well made film with great acting performances and you do get a sense of why Sam was determined to kill Richard Nixon. If you can´t find the film on streaming it´s worth renting on VOD or picking up cheap on DVD. Speaking of flight hijacking i recently sat down to watch a Netflix film called Hijack ´93 based on a true criminal hijack story that happened in Nigeria in October 1993. Im always fascinated in films based on true stories and this seemed to be something i might enjoy. Is the Netflix film Flight ´93 a must see this Christmas weekend or should you watch something better on streaming instead?

Criminal leader Mallan Jerry ( Sam Dede ) is planning to hijack a plane full of tourists as he hand pick 4 men who will make this mission successfull. This is an attempt to make a change for the country, since this group are oppose towards the country´s government. The next couple of days will be a fight for survival but also very risky where there is no guarantee everyone will make it out alive.

I enjoy looking at films that comes from a country where i have not seen many films at all such as Nigeria, This was actually one of the reasons why i were looking forward to see Hijack ´93 knowing this film is based on a true story from Nigeria. On paper this film seems to have what i need, a hijack story and telling a historical moment from the people who witnessed this horrible day. Unfotunately for being a film released on Netflix there are several issues with Hijack ´93. First of all the acting in general is not that good from most of the actors, except for the hijackers themselves. For example the hostage inside the airplane does strange things while the hijackers give them orders, such as a man wawing in the air screaming:- Land the plane, and he have armed hijackers pointing guns on everyone. Now, who would do that in real life when you know they could shoot you right away? I don´t know if that detail happened in real life or not, but it´s actually a quite funny scene and im not supposed to be laughing and yet it´s impossible not to laugh at a scene like that. The editing of this film is hillarious sometimes, especially when the plane lands and military soldiers go towards the plane in spinning scenes that looks like it was filmed on a drone gone drunk. Remember, this is supposed to be a serious hijacking film and i am not supposed to be laughing. I am not going to say that this film is completely terrible, there are a few moments where the terrorists actually try and make an effort to make the hijacking scenes more effective and for a short while the film does get better. But with so many other problems surrounding this film that doesn´t help the final product. Hijack ´93 ends up being one of the most bizarre flight hijacking films i have seen so far. If they really wanted to capture the audience attention they should probably have made more effort into the hijacking scenes plus hired more professional actors as well. There is an interesting story to be told in Hijack ´93 but it´s actually sad to see director Robert Peters throw away so much potential that this story have and made a very forgettable film. I can´t recommend Flight ´93 unfortunately and i would rather recommend the 1996 action thriller Executive Decision where legendary actor David Suchet is brilliant as a hijacking terrorist. A much better choice if you want to watch a similar film.

Rating: DD

Starve Acre

You know sometimes when you hear about a certain film from film critics where basically most of them critically acclaim a film or at least agree that you should see it? A film that most people might have heard about while others have no idea what you are talking about? You might think this must be director Richard Keller´s cult classic Donnie Darko i am talking about from 2001. And i can tell you right now that this is a completely different film on a much smaller budget. A film that may not be mentioned that often anymore unfortunately, perhaps because it is considered to be unknown in certain parts in this world since it wasn´t released theatrically everywhere. We are talking about the 2013 British dark comedy horror film known as A Field In England from director Ben Wheatley. I remember back in 2013 when i was hearing a lot of positive words regarding this film, especially from British film critics who loved that this was quite a different film experience taking place during the Civil War in 17th-century England. There are several reasons why this is such a great film and let me begin by saying i love that this film is filmed in black and white. It gives the film a completely different look and there are some quite funny scenes in this film as well, proving once more British comedy is usually more funny than the Americans. The fact that the horror elements works well in this film combined with comedy just makes this film more entertaining. The acting is top quality from the whole cast and i would highly recommend everyone to watch A Field In England if you want a different film experience, no matter if you rent the film on VOD or buy a physical copy. Speaking of British films there is one film this year i have been waiting to see simply called Starve Acre, a folk horror film from director Daniel Kokotaljo ( i really enjoyed his full feature directorial debut film Apostasy from 2017 ). I am a big fan of British horror in general so i try to check out the most interesting titles and Starve Acre caught my attention right after i saw the trailer. I decided to get the UK blu ray release of this film to see, is this possibly one of the better movie releases this year in general or is Starve Acre not as good as you might expect?

Richard ( Matt Smith ), an archaeologist, and his wife, Jules ( Morfydd Clark ), lives with their son Owen ( Arhtur Shaw ), who claims he have been hearing some whistling sounds. So Richard starts to investigate mythic folklore about an ancient folk tree on his land. During his investigations, a dark and sinister force pursues his home.

I really love when a film grabs you by the neck and makes you feel like you don´t want the hand to let you go, and this is exactly what Starve Acre does from beginning to the end. This is such a dark, sad but really fascinating film dealing with the loss of a child. How do you as parents to a child deal with the grief, the anger inside knowing your child is no longer with you and there is nothing you can do about it? Only a parent who have lost a child can only understand how painful this must be and how you try to go on in life. This film manage to capture the emotional hell parents in this horrible tragedy have to go through, where nothing has no meaning anymore. Of course a lot of these emotions and facial expressions are brought to us in a very powerful and realistic performances by lead actors Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark as the parents Richard and Juliette. The beautiful folklore influences in this film matches perfectly into the very effective horror story that we are presented with. As we find out that Richard´s father was not only a mentally unstable man we also see how deeply rooted he was in a reigious cult. It is amost like the British landscape is filled with death wherever you go, as if it is a perfect environment for eternal suffering. There are several details that make Starve Acre such a unique film experience with everything from excellent camera work, the grieving tone that the whole film perfectly shape surrounding the main characters and the disturbing past of British history that grows deeply underneath your skin. I also feel that the cinematography from Adam Scarth is really detailed filled with passion. Director Daniel Kokotajlo proves once more why he is the future of independent cinema with another exquisite film that will easily land on my list of best films of 2024. Starve Acre show that there is still hope for quality films and i am really looking forward to the next script that Daniel Kokotaljo lay his hands on. This is without a doubt a must buy in your film collection and a film to show future film students how a quality film should look like.

Rating: DDDD

The Critic

Let´s go back to the year of 1993 when i was 16 years old. This was the year when i got interested in movie reviews through the movie review TV show known as Ronnys Rullar with Swedish film critic Ronny Svensson on Channel 5. Every single week i would watch every show where Ronny reviewed the latest cinema releases and also reviewed films he watched on exclusive film festivals such as Cannes Film Festival. Since i went a lot to the cinema during these years i would remember what ratings Ronny gave certain cinema releases and i would see if i agreed or disagreed on his rating score. I remember when he reviewed the 1994 sci fi action thriller Timecop with Jean-Claude Van Damme and actually gave the film a good rating while Swedish newspaper Expressen gave the film 1 out of 5 bees ( yes Expressen have always used bees as a rating tool ). It was nice to see Ronny Svensson appreciate what Timecop was trying to do, show a more serious side of Jean-Claude Van Damme actually trying to act. It was during the 90´s i started writing reviews myself by using paper and pencil and i would let my mother Lena read some of them and it was actually Swedish film critic Ronny Svensson who inspired me to start writing reviews. So when i started this movie review blog back in 2011 i always had Ronny Svensson in my mind as an inspiration for doing this blog and i actually met him in person in 2014 at the world premiere of The Expendables 3 in Stockholm. That was a big day for me personally and i told him he inspired me to write and i could tell that made him happy. So after many years of writing reviews im still here as a film critic and i have learned several things. It´s ok if not all people agree with you regarding your review, it´s not a personal attack on anyone if you don´t like each film it´s just an opinion. For the most part i try to see something positive in each film i review or at least try to find something positive to say. Of course i am always happy hearing from some people sometimes who really enjoyed my review, i always appreciate positive feedback. Speaking of film critics i have heard for some time about a thriller drama film telling the story of film critic Jimmie Erskine ( played by legendary actor Sir Ian McKellen ) in the British film The Critic. It´s not everyday we get to see a film telling a story of a film critic so the story surrounding this film fascinated me since i am a film critic myself and i was very curious to see if i would enjoy The Critic. Is this a must see during the Christmas holidays or is this unfortunately not as good as i was hoping it would be?

London theatre critic, Jimmie Erskine ( Sir Ian McKellen ), is very well respected at his job as the newspaper Daily Chronicle. After watching a theatre show and reviewing the performance of actress Nina Land ( Gemma Arterton ) in her latest theatre play The White Devil. Jimmie does not enjoy her performance and write a negative review that´s published in the newspaper. Nina take this very personal and confront Jimmie personally on the street as he tries to tell her how she needs to think differently, to be able to perform more powerful. The two of them start getting to know each other while Jimmie has to hide his homosexuality from the public. But the negative review forces Daily Chronicle owner David Brooke ( Mark Strong ) to end Jimmie´s review career from all the negative feedback, unless he changes his style of writing. Jimmie does take this seriously but he also see an oppurtunity to take advantage of Nina to save his own skin.

Even though i have enjoyed so many acting performances of Sir Ian McKelllen in the past i am so pleased that he actually made this film. Since this film tells a story regarding a critic and how one can make an impact writing reviews on theatre plays, that alone show you that they actually made an attempt to do a different kind of film than we are used to see. The Critic tries to give us different perspective from the eyes of a theatre critic while we also get a glimpse of how he deals with people who disagree with his reviews. I can only imagine how professional critics wil be treated sometimes just because they didn´t like a theatre play, a musical or a film. I think this film does a really good job capturing both the audience opinion while we clearly see where critic Jimmie Eskine stand and he doesn´t like being silenced for his opinion. But this film also dives in how it was being gay in the 1930´s when this was considered to be criminal. Just imagine not being able to show openly who you truly love in public without being seen as disgusting. This is a very important detail that this film show in a realistic way while also showing that it´s ok for 2 men to love each other. Just because someone is gay doesn´t make them bad people, sometimes they have bigger hearts than you can imagine. The acting from legendary actor Ian McKellen is outstanding and his portrait of the critic Jimmie and the character becomes very fascinating with his strong personality. Much of the dialogue scenes from Ian lands so smoothly in this film that it feels like you can listen to him talking for hours. The twist later on in this film that Jimmie might not be such a nice man after all definetely makes the storyline more interesting. Actress Gemma Artertori ( who is worth checking out in The King´s Man ) gives a lovely performance as theatre actor Nina and i do feel she have great chemistry with the main character. The Critic may not only give us a powerful view into the world of a famous critic but also the flaws that even a critic may carry within himself. Director Anand Tucker have without a doubt given us one of the better films released this year. The Critic is a must see for us who appreciate true quality films.

Rating: DDDD

Kill ´Em All 2

There was a time in history when action films on VHS was a big hit at the VHS rental stores. You would usually see the big muscles and big guns on the VHS cover and you already knew this was not going to be appreciated by extreme feminists. This was during the time when it was ok to make masculine action movies without being ashamed about it. I used to rent a lot of action films back in those days and i would especially look at action films with Michael Dudikoff, David Bradley, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Billy Blanks, Jackie Chan, Brandon Lee and i even enjoyed the 1991 action film Stone Cold with Brian Bosworth, Lance Henriksen and William Forsythe. If i wanted more martial arts action combined i could trust martial arts actor Billy Blanks to deliver a good time. Is every action film he did in the 80´s and 90´s really good? No, but in general i think he managed to deliver solid martial art films that was made for fans of this specific genre. For example the 1993 sci fi action martial art film TC 2000 is a fun cheesy action film about the future, talking environment issues while people kick ass future style. In this film you also find martial art actors such as Jalal Merhi, Matthias Hues and of course Bloodsport actor Bolo Yeung incuded. Since i mentioned Bloodsport the 1988 martial art classic, there are so many great films to choose between with legendary martial arts action star Jean-Claude Van Damme. No matter if you love Kickboxer, Cyborg, Lionheart, Double Impact or Universal Soldier, even until this day i watch all of his classics every year. Since the early 2000´s Van Damme have released most of his films straight to DVD and blu ray except for a couple of titles who did get cinema releases in certain countries. Some of you might remember the 2017 action film Kill ´Em All? Well here we have a sequel that no one expected ( at least not me ) to the original film. Being a true fan of Van Damme is this his best film in many years or is Kill ´Em All 2 one of his worst films since the 2002 action film Derailed?

7 years have passed since Phillip ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ) survived the hospital shoot out and is now returning to his home village in Slovenia with his daughter Vanessa ( Jacqueline Fernandez ). A gangster criminal under the name of Vlad Petrovic ( Andrei Lenart ) have been looking for Phillip since he killed his brother. He manage to locate Phillip and want him dead, this is a fight that can only lead to death.

I don´t demand much from a low budget action film. All i am asking for is some fun action scenes, some fun fighting scenes and the main character should be developed enough to work with the plot. In the case of Kill ´Em All 2 i can honestly say this has to be the laziest character development i have seen in one of Van Damme´s films. If you remember even in films like Cyborg or Nowhere To Run you at least had a character where Van Damme matched well, even though we all know his acting wasn´t always fantastic. Van Damme´s character Phillip have no personality at all, he basically just talk and give different facial expressions but without any passion. This is such a shame because we all remember that he can make great characteers such as Lyon in his classic Lionhheart. Im not saying you have to reach the same level as his true classic films because i understand he is older and more limited what he can do, but i know he can act if he wants to. And this is where i feel like Van Damme doesn´t go in fully hearted into this role, yes he does some of the fighting scenes but only limited to what he is able to do at his age. What i mean by fully hearted i would have liked him to show his more dramatic side since i know he has to adjust to where he is in life at this moment. A few fighting scenes are ok but you see his stunt double´s face several times during certain fight scenes and i feel they should have filmed in a different angle so you don´t see the stunt double´s face. What about the plot itself? Very basic action standard and that´s ok i don´t have a problem with it. I have to mention the performance of actress Jacqueline Fernandez as the character Vanessa. I am sure she is a lovely woman in real life but her performance in this film is terrible, no other way to say it. Legendary actor Peter Stormare is in this film but far too little, he should have been in a much bigger role. The few positive notes is probably some of the action scenes looks ok as well as some fight scenes. Other than that i can´t say much more positive about Kill ´Em All 2, it´s a very generic forgettable action film that we have seen so many times before. Director Valeri Milev did direct the really funny action film Bullets Of Justice in 2019 so he can do great films in this genre. Unfortunately it feels like he didn´t feel very motivated making this sequel and it shows. Not a terrible action and actually better than the original film but very easy to forget and too predictable.

Rating: DD

What I´m Hoping For In 2025!

Cheers everyone!

November is getting closer to the end and we all know what that means. We look back at the whole year of 2024 and remember the films we loved, the films we thought were ok and of course the films we disliked. Overall i would say that 2024 have brought us some great titles such as Godzilla Minus One ( maybe my favourite Godzilla film so far? ), The Iron Claw ( a really well made wrestling drama, should have gotten more respect ), Abigail ( a ballerina vampire, what else do you need to have a great party? ) and many more films. I will say that 2023 probably had some bigger Hollyood releases in 2023 with brilliant films such as Oppenheimer from director Christoper Nolan, but i am still pleased with the year of 2024.

Now, i wanted to make a post about what i am personally looking forward to see in the year of 2025 and there are especially three films that i am hoping will be good.

# The Black Phone 2

I really enjoyed the horror film The Black Phone from director Scott Derrickson who managed to capture the 1970´s with the right colors and the right atmosphere for the time period. Most of all this film worked so well thanks to the performance of Ethan Hawke. The Black Phone 2 will not only reunite both Scott and Ethan from the first film, they did work together on the really good horror film Sinister as well from 2012. I am hoping that The Black Phone 2 will not only be better than the first film i am also hoping that this film will have even more effective horror scenes than the original film.

# Predator: Badlands

Anyone who know me personally know i love the original Predator movie from 1987 and i even love the 1990 sequel Predator 2 as well. I actually really enjoy the 2010 film Predators with Adrien Brody and feel this film didn´t get the respect it deserves. The 2018 film The Predator did not turn out to be as good as i hoped so the 2022 action sci fi film Prey surprised me. Sure it´s not on the same level as Predator and Predator 2 but definetely a step in the right direction. So in 2025 we are getting Predator: Badlands and i really hope they will keep the quality level of Prey or even surprise me in a positive way.

# Skyline: Warpath

Anyone remember the sci fi acion film Skyline from 2010 who did pretty well at the box office considering the films low budget while dividing film critics? I think the first film is ok but i really enjoyed the sequel Beyond Skyline with Frank Grillo and martial arts actor Iko Uwais. I also enjoyed the 2020 sequel Skylines and heard that a 4th film will be coming our way this time with martial art action actors Scott Adkins, Iko Uwais and Vayan Ruhian well known from The Raid films. With a cast like this and you have aliens included with guns, fighting scenes and science fiction combined, that´s all i need to know this is exactly for me. I am really hoping that Skyline: Warpath will be the best film in this franchise.

So there you have it 3 films i am really looking forward to see in 2025. I am sure Marvel fans are surprised that i didn´t even mention the upcoming Captain America film but im going to be honest, superhero films are not that interesting anymore which is my opinion so i rather look forward to completely different films. I will end this year with a bunch of reviews and i hope you all enjoy the remaining weeks of 2024.

Cheers from Daniel

Afraid

Technology seems to deveolpe just as fast as My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell´s pillows. I swear whenever i see Mike Lindell´s commercials it´s like he have developed the most advanced TV commercials that this world have ever witnessed. No matter if he is selling his masterpiece products of towels or the most advanced slippers ever made you know Mike Lindell is a step before everyone in technology. Speaking of technology i think most of us have seen how much A.I. technology have developed over the years. Not only do we have A.I. robots serving our food you can also have sex with A.I. robots, have them clean your house or let them drive you to any destination you want. In my world that is a bit scary when we allow A.I. technology deeply into our private lives, especially in our sex lives. What happened with just having sex with human beings? I have no problems with sex toys because that´s not a negative thing, i just find it hard to see myself having sex with an A.I. robot. I can assure you this will never happen, i would rather go old school with Playboy magazine if i had to choose. When it comes to films bringing up A.I. technology one of my personal favourite films in this genre is the 2004 sci fi action film I, Robot from director Alex Proyas ( director of the original The Crow film ). This film turned out to be a clever sci fi film regarding what could go wrong if we let artificial intelligence take over control over the world with great special effects, nice looking action scenes and Will Smith in the lead role as the character Del Spooner proved once more hes a really good action star. If you pick up a physical copy on DVD or blu ray of I, Robot i suggest you listen to the commentary track for some interesting information. Speaking of AI technology this year we had a horror film released inspired by artificial intelligence technology called Afraid from director Chris Weitz ( who directed one of my favourite Hugh Grant films called About A Boy and the excellent Netfix drama thriller Operation Finale with legendary actor Ben Kingsley ). Even though i knew reviews of Afraid have not been very positive i decided to give this film a chance, just in case i might actually like it. Is this a horror film to watch this upcoming Christmas or should Santa Claus bury this film underneath the snow?

Curtis ( John Cho ) and his partner Meredith ( Katherine Waterston ) have three kids, a teenage daughter, Iris ( Lukita Maxwell ), and their two sons, Cal ( Isaac Bae ) and Preston ( Wyatt Lindner ). At Curtis computer engineering workplace, Curtis is notified by his boss Marcus ( Keith Carradine ) that a company is designing a new A.I. and wants to pitch it to their company. Curtis does not trust the growing A.I. technology but agree to go to meet the team of the company, Melody ( Havana Rose Liu ), Lightning ( David Dastmalchian ) and Sam ( Ashley Romans ). They intoduce Curtis to the A.I. which is named AIA and asks if he can test it so they could increase their marketing. Curtis agree to try AIA at his home to see if his family will like it as well. In the beginning it seems AIA almost becomes like a family member, but everything that looked so good is about to take a completely different turn.

Some of you might have seen the horror film known as M3GAN released in January of 2023 about a young girl named Cady ( played by child actress Violet McGraw ) who becomes best friend with an atificial intelligence ( A.I. ) dolll named M3GAN. This film may not be nowhere near as good as the 2004 film I, Robot but i did enjoy it for trying to bring a different perspective on A.I. technology with the help of a doll. Afraid is of course a horror film that tries to bring in A.I. technology in an ordinary American family home where a smart home A.I. suddenly start to manipulate the family. I think the idea on paper is intresting and i appreciate that they didn´t try to repeat something similar to M3GAN. However, this film deals with a lot of issues and i do feel i have to talk about some of the flaws that Afraid clearly struggles with. This is supposed to be a horror fim and there is not one single scene i felt anything scary happening. The only scene i would call something horror related is a car crash scene but not even the smart home A.I. scenes deliver anything with horror influences. I don´t mind the design of the smart home A.I. but it feels like they don´t use the technology in a effective way in this film. If you are going to make a horror film connected to new technology you should probably find a way to tell a great horror story and not rely on the voice on the smart home A.I. to find the right strings. I have to be honest and say this film is a lazy attempt to try and be modern but doesn´t really have much to offer. The acting is ok for some of the characters but most of them are not really interesting or change the fact that the plot is weak. If i have to pick a character who i enjoyed more than others i would probably go with Curtis ( played by actor John Cho who is great in the 2018 psychological thriller Missing ). Afraid have done terrible at the box office and i can see why, this is a film that will most likely be forgotten and there is a good reason for that. Not terrible all the way but director Chris Weitz clearly missed the mark what he set out to do with this film. Afraid may be something for you if you love A.I. technology, i suggest you watch the 2018 film Searching with actor John Cho instead.

Rating: DD

The Bouncer

In my younger years i went out dancing at clubs in the 90´s and early 2000´s. Usually it was here in Sweden or when i travelled to Greece, Spain or Turkey i would try the night life on different bar streets. I remember especially on one of my trips to Greece ( i have been there 4 times so far, last time in 2018 ) and this happened back in the year of 2001. I was on the island known as Corfu and me and my friend Michael were out on the bar streets and we ended up in a nightclub at the end of the bar street filled with beautiful greek women. In fact it seemed like we were two of the only tourists in there and we found out why. This turned out to be a private birthday party we walked into, a big greek family rented the whole club ( must have been very expensive ). As we entered there were 2 big greek bouncers asking:- Are you members of this family? Of course we were not so they kindly asked us to leave. Unfortunatly my friend Michael was a bit drunk and basically said:- How much do you want to let us in bald head? He should not have said that the greek bouncer threw him out on the street and i was told to help my friend up. Michael was pissed and wanted to fight but i calmed him down. We ended up in a beach bar that night and got drunk there instead. Speaking of bars and night clubs there are a lot of criminal films or action films where you have bars included. For example if you have seen the 2016 crime thriller The Trust from director Benjamin Brewer ( who also directed the 2024 post apocalyptic horror film Arcadian ) starring Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood and Jerry Lewis, you see the two main characters Stone and Waters meeting privately at the bar called Peppermill. They are cops investigating a drug invasion and stumble upon a mstious bank vault. If you enjoy heist films in general or criminal films The Trust could be something you would want to watch. It´s not original in any way but do remind us of classic heist films from the past. Since i mentioned bouncers earlier at a night club i got an oppurtunity to watch a new action film called The Bouncer. This film seemed to be like a throwback to action films of the 80´s and 90´s so that was definetely a sign this could be something in my taste. Is this an action film you should enjoy this upcoming Christmas or should look for something different to watch instead of The Bouncer?

In Bucharest, Romania, night club bouncer Frank Sharp ( John Ozuna ) is only taking this job to save money to help his ill mother. He have a bad past as he is hiding out after fleeing a murder charge in the U.S. After saving a young woman at the club from powerful mobster Kane ( Costas Mandylor ), this will only cause more trouble for Frank and he already have enough problems in his personal life

When you enter a film such as The Bouncer you should probably know this is not going to be a film that sensitive, prude people will enjoy. This is definetely a film inspired by 80´s action films where we get plenty of violence, gun shootings of course and we even get some fun dialogue as well. But there is also a serious side to this film as well as we learn more about the character Frank ( played by actor John Ozuna who i remember from the film Death Bitch  ), how hes doing his best to get enough money for his mother´s illness while working hard as a bouncer. I personally feel that it was a good idea to bring in a more serious side of this story, because it shows that every family will go through hard things in life no matter who you are or what kind of work you do. Life is difficult but we have to do the best we can to deal with ordinary day life. This is something i feel actor John Ozuna does well in this film as the character Frank, one moment he is a professional bouncer and at the same time he is human like everybody else. There are especially two other acting performances i enjoy in this film and that is from actors Simon Philips and Costas Mandylor ( known from the Saw franchise and the vampire horror film Bloodthirst ). I have to say Costas playing the crime lord Kane is one of the true highlights of this film, he really capture the personality of a women abuser. The martial art scenes may not be many but when we do get some fights where i enjoyed myself. Since i grew up watching martial art action films in VHS stores in the 80´s and 90´s i can clearly see that The Bouncer is inspired by that time period. Anything i feel could have been better? I think when it comes to a film such as this it´s ok if it´s not perfect since there are several details i appreciate. The Bouncer is a love letter to the beloved VHS stores that my generation remember where action films made an impact. With the serious tone of the film and classic action ingredients this film have to offer, i have a feeling The Bouncer will be appreciated by the audience who remember the macho VHS covers we all loved seeing at the rental store. Director Massimiliano Cherchi delivers a film that gives hope to keep independent action films alive for a new generation to enjoy, The Bouncer finds it´s rightful place within this specific genre.

Rating: DDD

Salem´s Lot

I believe that most horror fans all over the world can agree that author Stephen King have written some of the most classic horror books ever. If you woud ask fans of his books which one is your personal favourite i guarantee you will get a lot of different answers. One of my personal favourite Stephen King novels is known as Misery ( and i really love the film adaptation with legendary actors James Caan and Kathy Bates ) and i usually don´t read the same novel more than one time. When it comes to Misery i have actually read that novel three times and that does barely ever happen. Over the years i have read a couple of Stephen King novels although i know i have plenty of them that i have not read yet. It´s the same thing with me everytime i start reading a book, i only read a certain amount of pages and then it can take weeks before i continue. However i am planning to read more of his noves closer to my retirement ( i have at least 20 years left to work, so always good to have something on the bucket list ). Since we are talking about the novels of legendary author Stephen King let´s dive into one of his books known as Salem´s Lot released in 1975. I have not personally read this book so far ( but it´s going on my bucket list i promise ) but i have seen the legendary TV mini series released in 1979. Now, if you are a fan of vampire horror films in general i have a feeling you will enjoy this TV mini series ( 3 hours long ). The story takes place in th small town of Salem´s Lot where author Ben Mears ( David Soul ) return to his hometown to write a book regarding a very mysterious house known as the Marsten House. The owner of the house Richard Straker ( James Mason ) is a local antique shop owner in Salem´s Lot and Ben is suspicious about what is happening in the Marsten House after people suddenly disappear. They later return but in the shape of a vampire. Salem´s Lot is a very well made horror TV mini series and have some really good vampire make up effects as well as a solid story considering running for 3 hours. Great acting as well especially from legendary actor James Mason ( who Alfred Hitchcock fans remember from the classic North by Northwest ). A sequel came out in 1987 called A Return To Salem´s Lot and to be honest it´s not good. A TV mini series remake of Salem´s Lot came out in 2004 with a great cast such as Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland and Rutger Hauer. I enjoy this remake even though i prefer the 1979 version. So, after many years and much buzz regarding a new film adaptation of Salem´t Lot it have finally been released on MAX. A new film adaptation of the classic novel, is this latest version better than i expected or is this not what fans of Stephen King film adaptations asked for at all?

Writer Ben Mears ( Lewis Pullman ) returns to his hometown of Jerusalem´s Lot to write a book about his childhood. He befriends and starts a romantic relationship with Susan Norton ( Mackenzie Leigh ), a local who has an overbearing mother and dreams of leaving town. In this town a strange European man called Richard Straker ( Pilou Asbaek ) opens up an antique store and moves into the long-abandoned Marsten House. When children and other people in town suddenly vanish Ben starts to investigate more what is going on, and it seems that the Marsten House is connected to this mystery.

I think we should be fair and say that taking on a new film adaptation of such a beloved book such as Salem´s Lot is not easy to do. You have to respect the fans of the book as well as try and tell a story that feels like something similar to the original story and still be able to make some changes. When it comes to this laterst version i will say this, first of all i think the film crew did a great job capturing the time perion of the 70´s. Everything from the costume design to hair styles and especially the town itself looks like it is during the 1970´s and to me that shows they actually made an attempt to make the time period look correctly. The sountrack does include songs from the 1970´s and one song that really fit in well is Gordon Lightfoot´s classic 1974 song Sundown ( a perfect choice for a vampire movie right? ). I am impressed by the children actors in this film and they reminded me a bit of the chemistry the children had in the 2017 horror film IT ( not as good acting wise as the children in that film, but still surprised me ). Lead actor Lewis Pullman ( who you have to see in the lovely film Bad Times At The El Royale ) as author Ben Mears delivers a solid performance and it´s nice to see him return to the horror genre. The vampire design looks alright i suppose but it is the vampire lord Kurt Barlow ( played by actor Alexander Ward ) who steals the show. I do like the performance from actor Bill Camp as the teacher Matthew, a small town rebel who don´t like bully´s. If i have to say something negative it might be that it takes a while before the film really finds it´s rightful place. That doesn´t mean this makes the film bad in any way, maybe i just wished that the horror atmosphere would have been more creepy regarding the vampires. I also feel certain details are left out sinc this is over an hour shorter than the TV mini series. Either way i have to say for a remake i enjoy this film and i am actually surprised how well they pulled this film off. It does have some flaws but if you are a vampire fan and prefer old school films in this genre i think you might actually appreciate that they tried to make this film feel like vampire films of the past. Director Gary Dauberman ( who directed Annabelle Comes Home as well ) have done a great job with this remake and in my opinion this is better than Annabelle Comes Home, a film i was disappointed in back in 2019. His version of Salem´s Lot manage to stand on it´s own and still pay respect to the 1979 TV mini series. If you love vampires you should watch this film on MAX for sure, nice to see someone trying to bring back this genre back on it´s feet.

Rating: DDD

Lore

I still remember one specific camping trip to Norway back in 1989. I was 12 years old at that time and we travelled with our school class to hang out with Norwegian children our age over a couple of days. The idea was we were supposed to learn about survival in nature and they had prepared different tasks that we were meant to do together with our new Norwegian friends. I remember we built tents out of trees and other material such as spruce twigs instead of the ordinary tent material.  We had plenty of canned food and water but we were also supposed to learn what mushrooms we could eat. During one of these days we were told that today we would fish and if we got enough fish for everyone we will barbcue it over an open fire. I remember that we at least managed to get enough fish so we could share meals and 2 of the children walked through the woods with a teacher to find firewood. This was a good week right before the real autumn started and it was probably the biggest camping trip i have done in my life so far. I also remember at this trip during the evening i would take out my portable Sony Walkman cassette player listening to Johnny Hates Jazz abum Turn Back The Time. Even until these days i do go to lake trips sometimes and just take a whole day there enjoying food over an open fire, swimming, doing some reading in the sun. Speaking of camping there are loads and loads of horror films where the story is connected to a camping vacation or a camping story. I have seen plenty of horror films in this category since the 80´s and even in more modern times we do get camping horror films released. One film i can recommend is the 2016 Australian horror thriller film Killing Ground from director Damien Power. It may not be a very original film but as a camping horror thriller i feel that Killing Ground have enough powerful nature scenes to please fans of this specific genre plus most of the acting is really good. I should probably say that the film jumps around in the timeline but i still enjoy it. You can probably find it cheap on DVD or blu ray if you want to check this film out. Speaking of horror films with camping one film i have been wanting to see for a while is the horror anthology film known as Lore. I remember seeing the movie poster of this film and it looked quite interesting. Since i am a big fan of the genre known as anthology horror i decided to give this film a chance. Is Lore one of the most interesting films in this genre this year or is this a total disaster from start to finish?

Four hikers gather for an "immersive" experience in the wilds who is set up by mystical Darwin ( Richard Brake ). During their first night together Darwin suggests that each one who joined on this experience will throw a totum ( a sacred piece of wood ) into the fire and tell their story for everyone. Each story will not only bring chaos and terror but also learn these hikers a lesson.

When it comes to horror anthology films i always have a specific rule if you are going to make me enjoy your film. You have to have some interesting stories to tell, at least most of the stories have to capture my attention. Because if you don´t make an attempt to make most of the stories interesting then the idea behind a horror anthology film falls to the ground pretty quickly. In the case of Lore i can at least say that this is not a bad film in this specific genre. There are certain details that help Lore function well as a horror film so let us begin with what i enjoy most about this film. I would say that there is not one bad story in these segments, each one brings something to the table. Are there segments better than others? Of course, i believe this is a personal taste since each story is very different from each other and i appreciate the diversity. This makes the anthology horror idea surrounding this film more enjoyable to watch. Let´s get into what i feel works best with Lore and i have to say legendary actor Richard Brake ( who is definetely worth seeing in th 2008 horror film Outpost, worth picking up on DVD ) as the character Darwin. I have to say he is the best casting choice for this film as the camping leader. The way he tells stories and capture the audience with his magical screen presence fits very well with his character. There are so many characters in this film in all the segments but let´s talk about my two favourite segments of Lore. And that is the very first story called Shadows from director James Bushe. A simple story that may look like criminals fighting but have an unexpected twist. The second favourite segment is the religious cult story Cross Your Heart from director Greig Johnson, that´s actually pretty brutal and fun. To the negative i would probably say that the segment The Hidden Woman had an interesting idea but lacks of lazy story telling. I also feel that certain characters in the segment The Campire felt quite boring to listen to. Other than that i do feel Lore have anough to offer fans of this specific genre and i do think the film looks good from a technical perspective. Each director of Lore proves that you can make a quality anthology horror film on a limited budget. Definetely worth a watch if you love camping stories and practical effects as well combined, Lore hits the right spot with me for sure.

Rating: DDD

The Train Of Death

Travelling can be quite rough if you have to drive for many hours. Sure, you can stop and rest along the highway but if your journey takes about 12 hours it´s not like you are excited about driving that long. I rather travel by an airplane, bus or on a train if i am travelling a long journey. Of course you will travel with a lot of strangers but i don´t mind, if i feel like being alone i can just listen to a podcast or watch a movie on my computer. Even though i enjoy flying to other countries the most comfortable way to travel has to be travelling on a train. You can move much easier than on an airplane or a bus and they even have a restaurant you can visit if you need a snack or a lunch. Even though i have travelled many times on trains here in Sweden i have also tried travelling on a train in both Scotland and Spain. There were some differences and i would say that the Spanish trains were a bit more modern than the train i travelled with in Scotland. Nothing wrong with the train journey itself in Scotland but they didn´t have any real restaurant on board the train just a breakfast wagon. I would like to try another train trip in Europe in the future, perhaps in Italy or France would be nice? Speaking of trains there are a lot of movies taking place on a train. You have action star Steven Seagal fighting terrorists on board a train in Under Siege 2 - Dark Territory and you also have horror movies such as the zombie film Train To Busan. I would highly recommend the South Korean horror film Train To Busan because it is really intense and very well made from director Sang-Ho Yeon. Not only are the zombies creepy but the atmosphere surrounding this zombie invasion is really intensive. Watch this film on streaming if you want a fun horor night. Speaking of horror films on trains i have heard about an Indonesian train horror film known as The Train Of Death, a title that sounds exactly what i would call if i travelled on a train with Meghan Markle. I have seen several good Indoniesian horror fims so i was quite curious about this one. Is this a must watch before Christmas arrives or is The Train Of Death just as terrible as Prince Harry´s novel Spare?

A brand new railway line is about to take off to Sangkara Resort, a tourist complex located in the middle of the forest. What most of the passengers don´t know is that during the building of this railway line a lot of railway workers myseriously disappeared for unknown reasons. On this trip they are about to face some of these workers spirits on board this train.

Making a horror film on board a train is actually a good idea as long as you have an intresting story and horror scenes that function as well. In the case of The Train Of Death this is a ghostly horror film in many ways and there is especially one thing that happens in each tunnel the train passes a tunnel, one wagon at a time is disconncted that the ghosts themselves manage to do. This makes the whole train journey far more complicated of course. In the past i have seen some impressive Indonesian horror films and i would probably say that The Train Of Death lands somewhere in the middle between the Indonesian horror films that i remember, i would call this pretty serviceable horror film. The best part of The Train Of Death is without a doubt to see the demonic ghosts attacking passengers and especially when it gets reallly bloody and gory. There is also a nice friendship story between the sister characters Purnama and Kembang, both payed well by actors Hana Masalan and Zara Leola, where one of the sisters is dying from a terminal disease. I do think the practical make up effects on the demonic ghosts looks good and especially one of them look creepier than i expected. Ok so we might as well dig into something i felt could have been better with this film. It takes a whole hour until something really starts to happen. We do get glimpses of the demonic ghosts but they don´t really attack until the film have crossed the 1 hour mark. This means there is a lot of dialogue scenes and in some scenes you really don´t care about certain characters on this journey. On the plus side i do think this film is well acted for the most part and looks good. I believe that if you love horror films in general i think this film could be worth checking out if you want a different take on a ghost story. Director Rizal Mantovani have made a horror film that actually feels like an old school idea while adding some more modern ingredients into the mix and manage to give us a film that´s completely fine. The Train Of Death may inspire you to travel by trains more often and i have to see that as a positive sign for this enjoyable horror film.

Rating: DDD

Alien: Romulus

Everyone have a favourite film that they can rewatch over and over again. A film that have a very special meaning for you, doesn´t matter what the reason is but you simply love that specific film. Some people love old classics such as the 1972 drama known as The Godfather from Francis Ford Coppola while others love more violent classics such as the 1976 masterpiece known as Taxi Driver from legendary director Martin Scorsese. Now i will admit that Taxi Driver is one of my absolute favourite films of all time and i can´t remember how many times i have seen it. I do remember the first time i saw this film and i must have been 12 years old at that time in 1989. My school friend Nicklas ( who collected all of Clint Eastwoods films on VHS mostly ) bought Taxi Driver on VHS so i borrowed it from him. It´s one of those rare films that have a very powerful story and absoutely fantastic characters. Not only that but this film have some brilliant acting performances as well included, especially Robert De Niro as the insane taxi driver Travis Bickle. If you for some reason have not seen Taxi Driver i highly recommend this film no matter if you watch it on streaming or physical media. One of my other favourite films of all time is the 1986 sci fi horror action film Aliens from director James Cameron. This is honestly one of the films i never get tired of and watch it every year. I really do enjoy the original film from 1979 but to me Aliens is the best film in this franchise. This film have spectacular action scenes, the alien costume design looks fantastic, so many great characters that get screen time and of course Ripley ( played by Sigourney Weaver ) is one of the greatest female characters of all time. I have seen every single Alien film so far in this franchise and most of them i enjoy, while Alien 3 was honestly disappointing. Director Ridley Scott returned to the Alien franchise with 2 films Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Even though i enjoy these films for different reasons it felt like the Alien franchise needed a different director to give us a different look into this legendary sci fi horror universe. So here we are with the latest film in the franchise known as Alien: Romulus who this time is directed by Fede Álvarez ( director of the really good Evil Dead remake from 2013, a must see ). Since i am always curious  what a new film in this franchise would give the audience of course i had to give Alien: Romulus a chance. Is this a surprisingly good sequel or does this film prove that it is time to stop making more film in this franchise and do something more creative instead?

In 2142, a Weyland-Yutani prob recovers a large cocoon from the wreckage of the USCSS Nostromo. Months later, at the rundown Jackson´s Star colony on the perpeturally dark LV -410. orphaned colonist Rain Carradine ( Cailee Spaeny ) learns that her work has been forcibly extended by Weyland-Yutani. Determined to escape, she joins a plan with her brother Andy ( David Jonsson ) - a malfunctioning android reprogrammed by her father - her ex boyfriend Tyler Harrison ( Archie Renaux ) with a group of other young people. The group commandeers the hauler Corbean IV to reach Renaissance, a Weyland-Yutani  split into the modules Romulus and Remus to steal cryostais equipment. Once they go onboard the Renaissance they will soon find out this station is not abandoned.

I have to say that there is especially three details that we really should appreciate with Alien: Romulus. First of all the set design of all the futuristic buildings. I get the feeling that director Fede Álvarez might have been inspired by the 1982 sci fi classic Blade Runner in some ways, while you can tell he is clearly inspired by James Cameron´s Aliens rather than the original Alien film. The futuristic look of certain locations match well with the story that Alien: Romulus is trying to tell us. I think if you are going to make a film such as this then this is exactly one of the details you should think about, make the spaceship look cool as well as the futuristic buildings. The chemistry between the main characters Rain ( played by actress Cailee Spaeny ) and Andy ( played by actor David Jonsson ) is surprisingly good. Their scenes together give these characters some charming scenes while they also go through rough times together like family members. I especially think David Jonsson manage to act quite well as an adroid. The space scenes are really beautiful and capture the right environment surrounding this spaceshift crew in a very stylish way. Ok so i have to mention some negative details specifically one character i did not like at all. And that is the annoying character known as Bjorn ( played by actor Spike Fearn ), I understand he attacks Andy because his mother was killed by an Android in the past, but the way this character deliver dialouge and show off his personality just don´t work for me. Every time he showed up i just felt annoyed and wished he wasn´t in the crew. I also feel that the story is very similar to other Alien films in the past and i kind of wished they would try something more original with this film like an unexpected twist. With that said this is a great looking action horror film and the practical effects is of course something i really appreciate. The alien design is quite effective as well and reminds me more of the 80´s design. I would probably say that Alien: Romulus is one of the better sequels compared to Alien 3 and Alien: Covenant considering there is a lot of details to appreciate about this film, especially if you love the 1986 film Aliens. Director Fede Álvarez shows once more he knows how to make great horror films and he definetely proves he have passion for this specific genre. If you are a true fan of Alien in general i think you will have a good time with Alien: Romulus.

Rating: DDD

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Whenever i hear a young generation of people discuss films in today´s society i can clearly see that they have no idea what the 1980´s brought the whole world when it comes to iconic films. I remember specifically sitting at a café downtown where a young woman in her early 20´s who works in health care just like myself talked about what films she thought might inspire others such as herself. Her example was that she brought up the original Twilight film from 2008 and she thought that maybe my generation from the 80´s appreciated this film as well. I laughed in her face without being disrespectful and said:- Oh dear, you clearly have not seen The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China or They Live from director John Carpenter. She looked at me and said:- John Carpenter, i have neve heard that name before. When she said that i knew it was up to me to help her learn very important knowledge of film history, after all we all need to experience these classics no matter what age we are. So while we had coffee i showed her pictures of the posters of all of these 3 films and she actually became curious. She had not seen any films from the 80´s that she could remember so i was in one way her guide into the magical time of the 80´s. As we were going through a list of 80´s films we came across a posters of 80´s film she noticed a poster of the film Beetlejuice. She asked me about this film and i told her what the film was about and specifically told her about the director of this film Tim Burton. I don´t know if she saw Beetlejuice but i personally have seen this film several times. It is truly one of the all time classics from director Tim Burton and the film does have a very unique style from start to finish. Not many horror comedies that talks about death in such a way as the film Beetlejuice does and of course the character Betelgeuse ( played by Michael Keaton ) turned out to be very charming. Since this film came out in 1988 it has a very big cult following worldwide for over 30 years and a lot of horror fans consider this to be one of their favourite Tim Burton films. Who would have known that they would actually make a real sequel but here we are in 2024 with the film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice from legendary director Tim Burton. I actually never thought they would make a sequel so of course i simply had to see if this film would be any good. Considering what at classic the original film is, does this sequel manage to capture the magic of the original film or is this just a desperate cash grab just to sell tickets?

In 2024, Lydia Deetz ( Winona Ryder ) hosts the supernatural TV talk show Ghost House. While taping an episode, Lydia halllucinates seeing Betlegeuse, the demon who tried to marry her 36 years earlier, in the audience. Shortly afterwards, Lydia´s stepmother, Delia Deetz ( Catherine O´Hara, informs Lydia that her father Charles, had been eaten by a shark. Since Lydia is no longer close to her daughter Astrid Deetz ( Jenna Ortega ), the loss of Astrid´s father will of course not make the situation any better. They all travel Winter River, Connecticut, for Charles funeral. Lydia finds the attic where the previous owner built a scale model of the town. She also finds a flyer of Betlegeuse ( Michael Keaton ) when Lydia enter to prevent Astrid from saying his name three times. However, things get complicated when a ghost named Jeremy Frazier ( Arthur Conti ) tries to trick Lydia into the Afterlife to use her as a sacrifice to bring himself back into the real world. Lydia have to stop him and have no other option, she have to bring Belegeuse back to save her daughter from being trapped in the underworld.

There is always some big risks to take when you make a sequel to a beloved film from the 80´s and this film could have been a completely disaster ( just look at the sequel to Coming To America known as Coming 2 America, a film that failed completely ). The good news is that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice manage to bring back both some nostalgic feelings while adding some nice surprises, especially in two new characters. So let us talk about what works with this sequel and i have to say the Afterlife world bring some charming scenes in this film and to be honest i actually had more fun here than in the ordinary world. In the Afterlife world there are especially two characters known as Delores ( played by actress Monica Belluci ) and Wolf Jackson ( played by legendary actor Willem Dafoe ) who especially bring out some of the most enjoyable moments of this sequel. Im not saying Michael Keaton is bad in this film as Betelgeuse, he does deliver some great scenes. But the mystery and powers of the character Delores is without a doubt one of my personal highlights of this film. When it comes to other characters we do get to see Lydia back here ( of course played by Winona Ryder ) and we also get to see actress Catherine O´ Hara return as Delia who you remember from the first film. Both of them are just fine in this film but i have to say young actress Jenna Ortega gives this a different approach with her character Astrid. It comes to no surprise that director Tim Burton knows how to do horror and there are some funny scenes here that feels like they belong among dead people in the Afterlife. There is also other throwbacks to the original film while adding some new details as well. So is this film just as funny as the original film? Honestly no, at least not for me personally. I feel that this was a missed oppurtinity since the original film did have some really funny scenes. To be honest i don´t think this film will be as nostalgic as the original film, it´s almost impossible to reach the same level as the 1988 classic. Overall i will say i still had a good time with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice thanks to great characters and the entertaining scenes in the Afterlife. Director Tim Burton knows how to combine horror and comedy and proves this again with his latest film. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a film for true fans of Tim Burton and the original film as well, just don´t expect too much or you might be disappointed.

Rating: DDD

A Halloween Special: Girls Nite Out ( 1982 )

A lot of people worldwide celebrate Halloween weekend in many different ways. Some love to dress up as their favoutite horror characters such as Leatherface, Jason Voorhees or Senator Ted Cruz ( i should warn you, anyone coming close to Ted Cruz might be so scared that they actually run in fear ). And then you have people who carve pumpkins or loves to go trick or treating across the street hoping to get some candy. I personally have one favourite way to celebrate Halloween weekend and i dress up as congress woman Marjorie Taylor Greene and sit with a sign that says:- Im stopping climate change by sitting on this wall. I personally feel that this is the most brilliant Halloween celebration anyone have ever done in history and i am pretty sure no one have ever done this before. I do enjoy to have coffee spiced with pumpkin flavor while watching a horror film, because everyone knows this is the big horror weekend of the whole year. Over my 47 years living on this planet i have seen so many horror films im trying to remember as many as possible. Luckily i do have several recommendations for Halloween weekend and for example i would recommend 3 horror films from the specific year of 2007 and they are known as Dead Silence, 30 Days Of Night and the antholohy Halloween horror film known as Trick ´r Treat. If you manage to watch these 3 films on streaming or on physical media during Halloween weekend i guarantee you will have a lovely time. If you would rather watch something older from let´s say the 1980´s then i would highly recommend director Tom Holland´s classic vampire horror film Fright Night from 1985. It is one of those vampire classics that definetly holds a very special place in the hearts of horror fans worldwide. Not that long ago i was asked to do a special Halloween movie review of a horror film that one of my readers picked. As you all know i am always grateful to be asked to write about any film they would like to see me review. The film that was chosen is the 1982 horror film known as Girls Nite Out, a film i have not seen before. Is this a perfect film to enjoy during Halloween weekend or is Girls Nite Out not the fun experience i was hoping it would be?

At a remote Ohio college, a killer dressed in the school´s bear mascot suit stalks several  young women participating in an all-night scavenger hunt.

If you remember college movies of the 80´s where sex and acohol was a big part of that period i can tell you that Girls Nite Out makes sure we have both of these ingredients included. I would imagine that if a Swedish Feminist would see this film in today´s society she would definetely not be happy, but luckily i am happy instead. You see i happen to enjoy this light hearted sense of humour where everything is not meant to be taken seriously. The 80´s was a time filled with lots of nudity, sex and alcohol so why would Girls Nite Out try to do anything differently? If you can accept all of this i think you might actually have some fun with this film. There are some really wacky characters in this film that would probably be thrown out a party if things would get too wild. For example the characters Charlie Keiser ( played by actor Larry Mintz from the 1986 classic Tough Guys ) and Ralph Bostwick ( played by actor John Didrischen ) are exactly what we need at a college party where limits does not exist and you just live for the moment. Wonderful to see legendary actor Hal Holbrook from classic anthology horror film Creepshow in this film as well as the character Jim MacVey. When this film changes direction later on and become a traditional slasher film we do get some blood and violence included. I wouldn´t say that the slasher scenes are very frightening but maybe it´s because i have seen so many horror films that it takes quite a lot to affect me personally. One thing i do feel Girls Nite Out manage to do quite well is combine college comedy with slasher horror scenes. The plot isn´t anything you will remember much of and that´s completely fine, not all slasher films need a complicated story to function. So anything negative to say? To be honest this is not a film that we are supposed to think too much about and just have fun with it. Director Robert Deubel deliver a college horror film that knows what audience it was made for and give us a simple but fun time for fans of the slasher genre. Girls Nite Out is a pure nightmare for Swedish feminists and that´s good enough for me to recommend this film. Party on people im going for another whiskey.

Rating: DDD

A Halloween Special: Bram Stoker´s Dracula ( 1992 )

If you go back and read about horror stories from the past you will find out that people used to believe in a lot of things. For example in Scandinavia people believed that trolls actually existed while in countries like Austria they believed that the Christmas demon known as Krampus was in fact real. But then we have historical horror stories that actually happened in real life such as The Villisca Axe Murder House in Villisca, Iowa, USA. In the year of 1912 at this house there were six children and two adults brutally murdered by having their skulls completely crushed by an unknown perpetrator with an axe. You can actually stay at this house if you dare, where they say people have heard screams from children. Let us move forward to a completly different country and let´s talk about a very special author who grew up in Ireland. We are of course talking about author Bram Stoker who in the year of 1897 released his world famous gothic horror novel Dracula. If you talk to horror fans worldwide about horror novels regarding their favourite books in this genre, there is a big chance that this classic novel will be in the top ten of that list. I have read this book myself right after the millenium in the year 2000 when i bought myself a copy. This is an excellent novel that you should read if you love horror in general. It may be very old but it still very effective and very well written by author Bram Stoker. It was this novel that inspired the character known as Dracula to become a horror icon in cinema for many years and i have seen the 1931 horror film Dracula with legendary actor Bela Lugosi, a film that basically gave this character a franchise for many generations ahead. In my opinion the really good Dracula film that got me hooked up on this character was the 1958 horror film Dracula with legendary actor Christopher Lee as Count Dracula. There were plenty of sequels made with Christopher Lee as Dracula, some were ok while others were not as good as i was hoping they would be. Since then the Dracula franchise continued on in many different versions but it was in 1992 when director Francis Ford Coppola ( director of classic films such as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now ) really wanted to bring the novel of Dracula to life with his adaptation of the novel called Bram Stoker´s Dracula. I saw this film in cinema in early 1993 and fell in love with the film. It´s been quite some time since i revisited this film so decided to do a special review of Bram Stoker´s Dracula for the upcoming Halloween weekend. Is this still a very solid horror film or have this film aged more than i expected and lost some of the magic it once had?

In 1462, Vlad Dracula ( Gary Oldman ) returns from a victory in his campaign against the Ottoman Empire to find his beloved wife Elisabeta ( Winona Ryder ) has commited suicide after his enemies falsely reported his death. A priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church tells him that his wife´s soul is damned to hell for commiting suicide. Enraged, Vlad desecrates the chapel and renounces the Christian God, declaring he will rise from the grave to avenge Elisabeta with all the powers of darkness. He drives his sword into the chapel´s stone and drinks the blood that pours from it, becoming a vampire. In 1897, solocitor Jonathan Harker ( Keanu Reeves ) takes the Transylvanian Count Dracula as a client from his colleague R.M. Renfield ( Tom Waits ), who have gone insane and is now an inmate at Dr. Jack Seward´s ( Richard E. Grant ). Jonathan travels to Transylvania to arrange Dracula´s real estate acquisitions in London. There, he meets Dracula, who finds a picture of Jonathan´s  fiancée Mina Murray ( Winona Ryder ) and believes she is the reincarnation of Elisabeta. He leaves Jonathan trapped at his castle with some female vampires while he travels to London to make Mina his Elisabeta.

It doesn´t take very long until we see that Bram Stoker´s Dracula have a very erotic tone in this film. Especially where the almost completely naked vampire women show their bodies and manage to set the right tone for this film, where lust and passion becomes one with these creatures of the night while they feed on fresh human blood. I do think this gives the film strength daring to cross over some of the typical Dracula ingredients we have seen in much older film adaptations, where nudity feels like a much welcome detail that matches really well with darkness. There are so many different details that i appreciate with this film adaptation based on Bram Stoker´s classic book. For example the costume design in this film is really well designed, you can tell they really made a big effort to try and capture the right look for each of the most important characters we meet in this film. I also feel that the background story of  Count Dracula is told very well with some fascinating details regarding his life as a human in the past, as well as we get a sense of how hes struggling being the monster he is transformed. We have to talk about the acting in this film and i have to say, Gary Oldman as Count Dracula is not only one of the best acting performances i have seen Gary Oldman do in his career but i also feel that his portrait of Count Dracula is extremely powerful, emotional and very effective. Especially in the scenes where he show himself as a vampire beast, the make up effects are absolutely brilliant to his incredible performance. Legendary actor Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing doesn´t need any introduction, right from his first scenes as this character you feel his presence by his powerful dialogue. Cary Elwes is here as well and it comes to no surprise he´s just as good as you would expect him to be. What about the horror influences, do they match well with this film? I would say for a vampire film this may be one of the best looking films in this specific horror genre. There is no doubt in my mind, this is definetely the best film adaptation of Dracula we have so far and it may be the greatest we will ever have. Director Francis Ford Coppola really proved with this film that it is possible to make a very powerful vampire film with all the right ingredients. A must see if you want to see a true horror vampire classic, Bram Stoker´s Dracula hits all the right notes.

Rating: DDDD

The Crow

I have been told in the past by my mother Lena that i have a very good memories of years, especially what happened during the 80´s and 90´s in our own lives plus big events that took place during these time periods. I will admit that some things have been more difficult to remember from the early 80´s but when it comes to the 90´s i can mention quite a lot of things. But not all things that i remember are positive and there is espcially one date in the year of 1993 that i will never forget. I even remember what i did that day when i heard the news on April 1st in 1993. I was watching morning news before going to school that martial art action actor Brandon Lee have been killed while filming his latest film The Crow on set on the night of March 31. When i arived at school this was something everyone was talking about in my class, everyone was really shocked. One of my school friends Mathias went down on the lunch break to the closest super market to buy the Swedish newspaper Expressen so we could read about this horrible tragedy. I remember as we sat down in the school cafeteria we started talking about the roles of Brandon Lee and Mathias mentioned classics such as Showdown In Little Tokyo and Rapid Fire. I had seen both of these films on VHS back in the day and i even owned Showdown In Little Tokyo on VHS from the UK ( since the Swedish VHS version was censored ). After a couple of months we found out that the Swedish ciname date for his last film The Crow was announced and it was November 18 that year. I went to see this film on the premiere weekend in my local town and all of my friends loved this film. The Crow turned out to be something completely different from what we have seen before based on a comic book character. Brandon Lee was brillant as the character Eric Draven and the film felt very epic with beautiful city scenes and dark images. Director Alex Proyas delivered a film that not only looked really good but worked really well as an action film. After this film we had several years of different sequels and even a TV series with martial arts action actor Mark Dacascos. The sequels were not good but the TV series was ok at least. After many years there was a buzz in Hollywood about doing a remake. In one way i wasn´t surprised but it didn´t feel like we needed one. Not only because the legacy of Brandon Lee but also because that film was meant to be left alone as it is. But here we are in 2024 with the new The Crow remake starring Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven. 

At a rehab center for addicts we meet Eric Draven ( Bill Skarsgård ), a young man who is not popular at all and pretty much spend most time on his own. The new rehab patient Shelly ( FKA Twigs ) find herself falling in love with Eric as she not only find him fascinating but also his dark poetry and paintings. They are slowly building a relationhip where nothing can tear them apart. One day while spending time together Shelly finds out people from her past are visiting the rehab center to get her, Eric understand that her life might be in danger. They both escape the facility and make it to the city. Unfortunately crime lord Vincent Roeg ( Danny Houston ) knows how to locate people with the right connection and find them both. Roeg´s men kill them both but Eric wakes up in another world where he meets Cronos ( Sami Bouajila ) who tells him he is in a purgatory-style halfway house where he have been given a chance to get Shelly back to life. He must revenge those who killed her or it won´t work. Eric have no other option than to revenge her death to rebuild a future with the love of his life.

I personally don´t have a problem with a remake as long as it is done in a professional way with great performances and a solid story. It depends on what category the remake belongs to and there are actually remakes that turned out to be better than i expected ( especially the 2003 horror remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a film i revisit now and then still to this day ). When it comes to this latest modern version of The Crow you might think that they would be respectful to the original fim from 1994 knowing it has a huge fan base worldwide. To be completely honest i have some big issues with this remake and i will get into why i don´t think this remake is not that good. First of all this film have no depth or any similar darkness that surrounded the original film and made it so unique. This film feels more like a Dollarstore copy of The Crow that was just made to look cool for a younger generation. I think what they should have done is at least made an effort to make this film look cool in a more updated version as well as keep the mystery and darkness surrounding the character Eric Draven fascinating or at least interesting. Another detail i feel this film lacks off is very boring dialogue. It is almost as if most actors are just saying what they need to say but without any effort or passion in delivering dialogue. If you have seen the original The Crow film you remember that dialogue was a detail that was important since Brandon Lee actually did deliver dialogue that matched the story so well. Here in this latest The Crow remake it is almost like Bill Skarsgård is just waiting for his coffee break instead of caring about the character. The love story between Eric Draven and Shelly ( played by actress FKA Twigs ) doesn´t feel as deep as i would have liked it to feel. The music selection is quite strange with for example Joy Division when i feel Black Light Burns song Lie would have been a much better choice. Ok so to the small positive things and there are a few action scenes i can accept, especially the Opera scene that´s quite violent and fun to watch. The horror influences could have been much more effective in this film to be honest. We do have legendary actor Danny Huston as the main villain Vincent Roeg, at least hes more fun to watch than most other characters. At the end of the day this is not the remake i was hoping to surprise me. It is boring, pretty lifeless to be honest and nowhere near the quality of the original film. Director Rupert Sanders did give us the entertaining adventure fairytale action film Snow White And The Huntsman in 2012, but his attempt to give The Crow new life for a new generation doesn´t have much to offer. A few action scenes saves this film from getting the lowest rating i have but i still can´t recommend this one. See the original film instead, that´s the best advice i can give at this point.

Rating: DD