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