Alien: Rubicon

If you ask most people about what their favourite flight action drama film is in Hollywood history there is a slightly big chance that most people would say the 1986 film known as Top Gun. Most people have seen this film at least in my generation of people who were kids back in 1986. I personally don´t mind Top Gun for what it is, a macho tribute to the American Naval Fighter Weapons School with some fun flight scenes. But if im being perfectly honest i actually prefer the 1986 action flight film known as Iron Eagle. This is a much more fun film than Top Gun, it may be more cheesy, have a smaller budget than Top Gun but this is the film where legendary actor Louis Gossett. Jr plays his iconic character Colonel Charles "Chappy" Sinclair and we also have legendary actor David Suchet ( the best Hercule Poirot actor if you ask me ) as the terrorist character Ministry Of Defense Colonel Akir Nakesh. Iron Eagle is a simple but great 80´s action film that should be seen. Speaking of flight action films how many of you remember the 1991 action comedy known as Into The Sun with actors Anthony Michael Hall and Michael Paré? If you rented VHS films in the 90´s there is a chance you will recognize the VHS cover, it almost looks like a Top Gun rip off with a couple of differences. I remember enjoying this film back in 1991 for what it was, an entertaining flight action comedy where the chemistry between actors Anthony Michael Hall and Michael Paré was what made this film especially enjoyable. Let´s stick to actor Michael Paré for a while and he have done a lot of movies in his very long acting career. To be honest i have not seen all of his films, there are plenty i need to check out at some point. One film you should see him in is the 2018 horror film Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich ( one of the best Puppet Master films in many years ) where he plays the character Detective Brown. I recently sat down to watch one of the films that Michael Paré was included in last year called Alien: Rubicon produced by legendary B movie company The Asylum. Is this a film you should put up on your watch list this spring or is this sci fi action film not worth your precious time at all?

A series of alien spheres land on planet Earth destroying everything in their path with ease. It´s up to scientist Dr. Jeff Morrow ( Preston Geer ) and President McCoy ( Michael Paré ) to find a way to stop the alien invasion.

As most of you know by now i have been a fan of several films produced by The Asylum such as Planet Of The Sharks and Empire Of The Shark in the past, and then we have the titles that´s definetely not worth a watch such as the 2013 film Atilla ( i promise this is a terrible choice ). I can happily say that Alien: Rubicon is definetely not one of The Asylum films that doesn´t have any qualities. In fact there are a couple of things i especially appreciate about Alien: Rubicon and let us begin with the rubicon sphere itself destroying buildings and military veichles. I wouldn´s say the CGI effects look great but at least the spacecraft looks good enough for this type of sci fi action film. In a way this film reminded me several times of the 1996 sci fi action classic Independence Day in certain scenes. Obviously this is nowhere near as good as that classic but i still found myself enjoying the battles between the rubicon spheres placed in different cities worldwide fighting against human kind. The best part of this film is without a doubt Michael Paré in this film playing President McCoy and this is the most fun acting performance i have seen him do in several years. I really like to see him as the actual President of the United States and i feel he does a good job portraying this character, it´s almost as if i want Michael Paré to be President in real life ( please consider running a campaign Michael ). Actor Preston Geer is also in this film, some of you might recognize him from another The Asylum film called 4 Horsemen: Apocalypse. I would say his character Dr. Jeff Morrow is functional in this film and he does bring some charming moments. In general the flight action scenes looks ok, at least for a low budget film like this. On the negative side i have to say it´s too bad we didn´t get to see more of the actual aliens attacking, that happens towards the end when they storm out of a rubicon sphere. If they would have more battles between humans and aliens this film could have been even more fun to watch. In the end i do feel Alien: Rubicon is enjoyable enough if you are a fan of The Asylum films such as myself. If you just want a simple alien invasion film then this might be what you are looking for. Director Adrian Avila uses all the classic B movie tools you can imagine and it works, Alien: Rubicon shouldn´t have a problem finding it´s way to your watch list on VOD.

Rating: DDD

Homestead

Every now and then there are films that no one expected to blow up the box office charts and defeat big budget films. When Hollywood think they have a created a film that everyone wants to see, that is not always the case and there are plenty of titles to mention to prove that. A perfect example of this was the summer of 2023 when you might expect that Transformers: Rise Of The Beast would be the big ticket seller. That was not the case and instead a criminal thriller drama known as Sound Of Freedom would become the big surprise that none of the bigger film studios were prepared for. Sound Of Freedom only had a budget around 14 million U.S. dollars and ended up having over 250 million U.S. dollars in ticket sales. If you do the math of these numbers you will clearly see that this is an enormous profit for the film. I remember when i heard that this film had reached over 200 million U.S. dollars and that alone was incredible. But the fact that it managed to climb even higher i seriously don´t think many of us expected that to happen. I did see Sound Of Freedom when it landed on VOD here in Sweden and i did review this film. This film did bring up a very important subject and that is the fight against human trafficking that´s happening worldwide. I personally don´t know if this film is really based on true facts regarding the main character Tim Ballard ( played by actor Jim Caviezel ) but i feel this film is very important because it really brings up the importance of fighting against human trafficking. A well made thriller that the production company Angel Studio got a lot more attention worldwide for releasing this film, because of the controversial subject of human trafficking. A film you should see no matter if you buy a physical copy or rent it on VOD. Speaking of Angel Studios last year they released a film called Homestead, a film completely different from Sound Of Freedom that seemed to bring up the subject of what could happen if a country is attacked by a foreign country. Interesting topic considering the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine for example and people being worried over World War III. Is this a film worth watching or is Homestead not as good as i was hoping it would be?

A nuclear bomb detonates in Los Angeles, causing widespread chaos and societal collapse across the United States. Families flee their homes, seeking refuge from the devastation. Among them are Jeff Eriksson ( Bailey Chase ), a former Green, with his family. They are drawn to the Homestead, a fortfied compound owned by billionaire Ian Ross ( Neil McDonough ) and his wife Jenna Ross ( Dawn Olivieri ), rumored to be a safe haven. When the gates of Homestead gets flooded with families asking for help the pressure is on Ian to try and keep stability. If they give away too much food they won´t survive very long. But the food supplies is not only their problem, not knowing what will happen outside the gates is even more problematic.

If you have been wanting to see a very American patriotic film where you can both taste and feel the American soul all across your TV screen, then this is the film you have been looking for. Homestead is without a doubt a film made to be a tribute to the country of America as well as to true patriotic Americans who believe in carrying their guns, who are always prepared for war against everyone who hates America and in this case also have contacts of doomsday preppers ( where they saved a lot of supplies if the Apocalypse arrives,  possibly World War III ). Now, since i am not an American i will pretty much tell you what i think about the movie itself without getting too political ( even though this film does have several political messages ). Let´s talk about the positive parts of Homestead and i think it´s great this film tries to tell you the importance to be aware if something serious happens in this world and you know what to do. Where you should go to protect your own family and what supplies you might need. The importance of having your own food supplies. The people that gather at Homestead have different opinions about what´s more important, help people on the outside and i think this is a good approach, we all have different views on what really matters in real life. The image of being attacked by a foreign country is of course very possible and this film show the impact of that, especially in the beginning of this film. I also feel that this film also tries to show us how important it is to help each other in society, that everyone can do something no matter what you are able to do. Actor Neil McDonough ( who i especially enjoy in the TV series Legends Of Tomorrow ) is the actor who gives the strongest acting performance in this film. On the negative side i think the patriotic image becomes a little bit too much, doesn´t really make the film look more powerful. Like the armed patrol cars going all over the Homestead property becomes a little bit too cheesy. As a drama film i would say overall Homestead is a film that will be appreciated if you want a film that talks about the importance of humanity and supporting each other. Not as powerful as Angel Studio´s mega hit Sound Of Freedom but a descent choice if you just want a solid drama film.

Rating: DDD                                                           

The Witcher: Sirens Of The Deep

You can not deny that Netflix have not produced both really good films or especially wonderful TV series. Every year we get to see a lot of different categories no matter if you prefer criminal TV mini series, documentary films or perhaps a horror film. The positive thing about a streaming service such as Netflix is that you can always find something to watch. One of the TV series i would definetely recommend is the criminal TV series Mindhunter, especially if you like TV series that brings up real well known criminals from the past. Mindhunter basically tell the story of FBI agents Holden Ford ( Jonathan Groff ) and Bill Tench ( Holt McCallany ), who works together along with psychologist Wendy Carr ( Anna Torv ), who operate the FBI´s Behavioral Science Unit within the Training Division at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Together they launch a research project to interview imprisoned serial killers to understand their psychology with the hope of applying this knowledge to solve ongoing cases. Mindhunter is not only very beautiful to look at with the cool 70´s look but i really feel that the chemistry between the main characters Holden and Bill works really good in this TV series. I also feel that Mindhunter is interesting for trying to give a different approach on the subject of understanding how a serial killer function. The fact that legendary director David Fincher is one of the executive producers is of course a very good sign that this is a quality TV series and you should definetely watch both seasons of Mindhunter. Speaking of Netflix TV series one very popular and beloved TV series for several years is the show known as The Witcher. Based on the book series of author Andrzej Sapkowski, this series tell the story of the monster hunter Geralt of Rivia ( played by actor Henry Cavill ). I have seen two seasons of this TV series and really enjoy it, of course Henry Cavill left this show after the third season. We have had an animated film released in 2021 called Nightmare Of The Wolf as well as a prequel miniseries called The Witcher: Blood Origin. So early this year Netflix released a new The Witcher animated film called Sirens Of The Deep and i decided to give this film a chance, even though i don´t watch animated movies very often. Is this worth checking out on Netflix or should you stick to the TV series instead?

Hired to probe seaside village attacks, mutant monster hunter Geralt of Rivia ( Doug Cockle ) unravels and age-old conflict between humans and sea people that threatens war between kingdoms. Aided by allies, he sets out to solve the mystery before hostilities escalate.

I think it would be fair to say that this is the kind of animated film that true fans of The Witcher tv series would enjoy, or perhaps fans of animated action film that has a similar style from MANGA classics. This film almost feels like it´s been inspired by animated classics such as Blood - The Last Vampire, even though they barely have nothing in common at all other than certain details from the animation and similar styles in action scenes. The Witcher: Sirens Of The Deep does not hold back on the violence in this film and i personally feel that this is a very good idea. If you ask me i think an animated film about The Witcher should be very violent since the TV series did have some wonderful violent moments. The animation looks good for the most part and i especially enjoy some of the monsters in this film. Voice actor Doug Cockle ( who does the vioce for the character Geralt of Rivia in the video game The Witcher 3:- Wild Hunt ) does a great job capturing the right kind of personality of Geralt. Another animated character i appreciate in this film is the female character Yennefer of Vengerberg ( with voice actor Anya Chalotra who plays the same character in the TV series of The Witcher ) The battle scenes between monsters and Geralt are fun, well made and there are some scenes where i found myself surprised over a few unexpected surprises. The plot is pretty easy to follow and i think they did a good job capturing the spirit of the character Geralt in an animated version. Anything negative to say? I would probably say a few attempts of being funny in this film doesn´t really work. At least i didn´t find myself laughing but of course others might find these scenes funnier than me. In general i would say that The Witcher: Sirens Of The Deep is good enough to recommend, especially for fans of the TV series and if you like this style of animation that this film uses. Looking for an animated action film for a lovely popcorn night? Then this might be a good pick if you appreciate lots of violence, just like i do.

Rating: DDD

Nosferatu

I have always loved standing on a high view at night, looking out over a city or over a small community underneath the night sky. Watching all the stars in the skies and hearing different sounds with no people around, it is without a doubt relaxing and makes you think about many different things. Some people fear the night not knowing if there is anything out there among the trees, if they walk along a path there might be an animal looking at them. When i visited my grandfather´s cabin on the West Coast of Sweden i could take a night walk along the small forest walking path towards the ocean. I never felt any fear but actually felt like the night helped me appreciate the darkness, respecting it as well. Most people fear of something no matter if it´s being afraid of the unknown or if you are afraid in general for the dark itself. What if there is something out there that might actually harm you if you enounter a truly evil personality? Whenever i think off the novel Dracula by author Bram Stoker i always feel that this book definetely capture that kind of description of what true evil might look like. This is in my opinion one of the best horror books i have ever read and still to this day remains as one of my favourite novels. Not only is this a very well written novel but i also feel this book explain the fascination we have for the darkness and the fear we might feel for such a evil personality as Dracula. Most of you have probably heard of this story before ( based of the Wallachian prince Vlad The Impaler ) and some of you might have seen the 1922 silent film Nosferatu: A Sympathy Of Horror or perhaps the 1979 remake known as Nosferatu The Vampire. One of my personal recommendations on horror films based on the novel Dracula is the 1958 horror film Dracula from director Terence Fischer. This was the first film legendary actor Christopher Lee played the character known as Dracula and it is a true classic. The best film adaptation so far based on the novel of Dracula is without a doubt Francis Ford Coppola´s 1992 horror film Bram Stoker´s Dracula. This film have everything you could wish for, powerful acting performances, lovely costume designs, very well made practical make up effects and really effective horror scenes. The performance from Gary Oldman in this film is absolutely timeless, one of his greatest acting performances in his career. If you have not seen either Dracula from 1958 or Bram Stoker´s Dracula from 1992 you definetely need to see them. So here we are with a new film adaptation of Nosferatu and this version is directed by Robbert Eggers ( mostly known for his 2015 horror film The Witch ). I picked up a physical copy of this film to especially see the extended cut of Nosferatu since i love to see longer versions than the cinema release. Is this one of the horror films you need to see this spring or have they made a new version of Nosferatu that doesn´t really offer anything exciting at all?

The year is 1838, Ellen Hutter ( Lily-Rose Depp ) lives in Wisborg, Germany with her husband, Thomas Hutter ( Nicholas Hoult ), an estate agent. Thomas, eager to secure a lucrative deal, accepts an assignment to sell a crumbling castle in Wisborg to the enigmatic Count Orlok ( Bill Skarsgård ), unaware that this arrangement is a part of a sinister pact between Orlok and his employer, Herr Knock ( Simon McBurney ), Despite Ellen´s ominous warnings, including a confession of a pre-wedding dream in which her bridegroom was Death, Thomas departs to Orlok´s castle in the Carpathian Mountains, leaving Ellen in the care of his friend Friedrich Harding ( Aaron Taylor-Johnson ). This decision to travel will soon prove to be the biggest mistake Thomas have ever made in his life so far.

If you are familiar with other films from director Robbert Eggers you know he is a very talented film maker and he makes that very clear in Nosferatu as well. Not only is this a really beautiful dark film but this film also manage to capture the true feeling of Dracula that true fans of Bram Stoker´s novel is familiar with. Since i have seen several versions of this novel in different film adaptations i can say that Robbert Eggers version of this classic novel may be one of the better versions in modern years. This film looks so elegant with all the darkness floating around and the colors matches so well in this time period filled with misery and pain. There are other details i must mention that makes Nosferatu such a lovely film experience. Just look at the beautiful costume design this film have and how well it matches with the time period. I feel that the horror influences is very well crafted where you get a sense that true evil may be surrounding each corner, there is no real escape from the dark forces once you encounter it. The acting in this film deliver a lot of really solid performances, especially from actor Bill Skarsgård ( who most of you horror fans are familiar with through the IT films as Pennywise ) as Count Orlok. Now, i have to be honest he is anot as good as Gary Oldman is in Francis Ford Coppola´s film Bram Stoker´s Dracula, but this is still a very powerful performance and show that Bill can take on very challenging characters. Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter is another perfect example of really good casting choice where Nicholas proves hes become a better actor over the years ( especially since Jack The Giant Slayer ). Legndary actor Willem Dafoe is no big surprise that he nails his performance eactly how i would have imagined, delightful and charming as well. I must mention legendary actor Simon McBurney as well, i promise you will be pleased by his performance. Nosferatu may not carry a lot of new ingredients compared to other film adaptations but this is definetely a worthy remake of a true classic. Thanks to really effective horror influences and very professional film making, this latest version is full of details that matches the ground material so well and make this film a exquisite cinematic experience. I am impressed how well director Robbert Eggers managed to make this film look so good as it does. Not as good as Bram Stoker´s Dracula but still a lot better than most modern horror films i have seen in quite some time, Nosferatu should be picked up on a physical copy and be placed next to your Dracula collection. 

Rating: DDDD

Wolf Man

In the summer of the year of 2001 i was having a Universal Monster movie marathon Saturday with my high school friends Patrick and André in my apartment. Since none of us had seen a lot of the old monster movies released by Universal Pictures i decided to rent some of them at one of our local DVD rental stores. I picked out 3 very well known horror classics and that was The Mummy ( 1932 ), Phantom Of The Opera ( 1943 ) and finally the film The Wolf Man ( 1941 ). All of the DVD cases looked cool and we watched all 3 films over one night. To this occasion i actually baked us an apple pie because i knew these guys would drink lots of coffee ( we always did at movie nights in my apartment ) and they definetely enjoyed the pie. Looking back at this Saturday night i remember we all enjoyed each film for different reasons. I believe Patrick enjoyed The Mummy most of the films because he loved the more modern The Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser, which was why he was curious to see the original The Mummy film. One of the films i especially found fascinating of these three titles was The Wolf Man, a film i have heard about many years in my youth but didn´t really watch it until then. The Wolf Man tells the story of Larry Talbort ( played by legendary actor Lou Chaney Jr. ) who returns to the ancestral home in Lianwalley, Wales, to bury his recently deceased brother and reconcile with his estranged father, Sir John Talbot ( played by legendary actor Claude Rains ). Larry falls in lover with a local girl named Gewn Conliffe ( Evelyn Ankers ) who runs an antique shop. It is in this sop that Larry buys a walking stick decorated with a silver wolf´s head. What he doesn´t know is that this walking stick is carrying a curse. The Wolf Man is without a doubt a true werewolf classic that may look a bit silly to some people today ( considering how werewolf practical make up effects have improved since then ) but i think considering the time period they did a great job making the best they could with the budget. In 2010 director Joe Johnston delivered a a remake simply known as The Wolfman, This film definetely had a different take on this classic story with great acting performances especially from Anthony Hopkins and actress Emily Blunt. I actually prefer the 2010 film over the original film for personal reasons, while i still enjoy the original film. So here we are in 2025 and have another film adaptation of The Wolf Man and this time from director Leigh Whannell ( who most of you remember from the original Saw film ). I simply had to see this film to see if i would be surprised since i always try to watch new werewolf films. Is this the best Wolf Man adaptation we have so far or does it not succeed to reach the same level of quality as the previous films?

Blake Lovell ( Christopher Abbot ) lives in San Fransisco with his daughter Ginger Lovell ( Matilda Firth ) and workaholic wife Charlotte Lovell ( Julia Garner ). Blake is having problems controlling his temper, which causes conflicts in the marriage. One day, he recieves a death certificate for his father Grady Lavell ( Sam Jaeger ), who went missing, and the keys to his childhood home is sent to him inside the death certificate. Blake have not seen his father for many years so he ha no close connection to him. However, he decides to travel back to his childhood home and take Ginger and Charlotte with him there, so try and spend time together as a family and rebuild his marriage. Seeking directions, they encouter a local, Derek Kiel ( Benedict Hardie ), who leads them to the house as the sun sets. Before they arrive, a creature drives them off the road, scratches Blake´s arm and kills Derek. They manage to escape into Blake´s childhood home as the beast seemss to be waiting outside. But the wound Blake had seems to change him, he´s not the same man he used to be.

Since i am a very big fan of director Leigh Whannells film Upgrade from 2018 i was really excited seeing his take on this classic movie monster. I will start by saying this, Leigh is a really talented director using a lot of really effective camera angles, especially in certain scenes that captures the fear of knowing there is a dangerous beast out there. I love the scenes where you only see glimpses of the beast and don´t reveal the whole look, it keeps the mystery alive and the fascination for the beast as well. I think this is a smart move since you don´t want to know too many details from an early start and just keep the creepy horror elements build up tensions along the way. I love the fact that this film tries to tell the story from two different angles, you have the fear from what is waiting on the outside but then you have the fear of the main character Blake who is turning into a beast himself. This gives the film a completely different level of tension that i didn´t expect. When it comes to the relationship between the father Blake and his daughter Ginger i have to say both actors Christopher Abbot and Matilda Firth did a great job capturing that magic between a father and a daughter. Actress Julia Garner proves once more her actings skills matches with her character. I have to mention the practical make up effects because i am a huge fan of films who goes old school and show us flesh wounds that´s not CGI. This is definetely important when it comes to a film where you have two werewolves showing since the best films in this genre used practical make up effects as well. The werewolf design is definetely a throwback to the original film with some differences. I appreciate that this film is mostly focused on one location which is the old house, it makes the atmosphere surrounding this old forest match very well with the story.I honestly don´t understand the negative reviews of Wolf Man because i actually enjoyed this film. Director Leigh Whannell is a talented horror director and he knows how to make a horror film look good, choose the right kind of characters and bring life into this genre that needed a good werewolf film. I definetely recommend Wolf Man for true horror fans and i will be picking up a physical copy to my werewolf collection ( yes i do have a love for this specific genre ).

Rating: DDD

Piglet

Let us for a moment travel back in time to the magical year of 2003. This was the year when Welsh rock band Stereophonics released their third studio album You Gotta Go There To Come Back ( that incudes their huge hit single Maybe Tomorrow ) and American rock metal band Limp Bizkit released their third album Results May Vary, an album that´s very different from their previous records ( perhaps a reason why this album have divided a lot of fans ). 2003 was also the year when iconic action actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was inaugated as Governor of California while one of the biggest movie releases this year was without a doubt director Peter Jackson´s film The Lords Of The Rings: The Return Of The King ( an epic final chapter in The Lords Of The Rings trilogy ). 2003 was my 4th year working in health care and i had already managed to try many different jobs at different health care homes. I can´t talk about the patients themselves but i remember going with a patient to a film he really wanted to see and that was the animated Disneytoon studios film Piglet´s Big Movie. At that time i didn´t really watch a lot of animated movies in my pesonal life, unless it was MANGA films or something similar. So for me to see an animated film in cinema such as Piglet´s Big Movie was definetely unusual. I have seen animated cartoons of Winnie The Pooh as a child so i was familiar with the character known as Piglet. So how was this film you might ask? For an animated family movie i would say it´s watchable, there are some positive details i feel this film manage to capture both the imagination of the world of Winnie The Pooh while also teaching some important things for children. I have not watched this film since i saw it in cinema back in 2003 but i have come across the Winnie The Pooh universe ever since they created the low budget slasher films Winnie The Pooh Blood And Honey ( where the sequel is so far the best ). It seems that this has become a trend in modern days to make horror films of well known children book characters. I don´t mind films such as this as long as they make fun horror films. So here we are with a film called Piglet, clearly inspired by the pig character from Winnie The Pooh and thrown into a slasher film. Is this far better than i expected or is Piglet a perfect example why some low budget horror films shouldn´t be made at all?

On Kate´s ( Alina Desmond ) 21st birthday camping trip, her friends encounter Piglet ( Alexander Butler ), a monstrous human-pig hybrid who brutally murders one of them. They uncover Piglet´s origin and Kate must confront her past to survive the relentless killer.

I understand what the low budget slasher Piglet was trying to do, spin the Winnie The Pooh universe around and put focus on the character of Piglet into a horror tale. It could have been a fun idea if they actually made an effort to make the idea work. Unfortunately, this film is a perfect example when you are not creative enough and basically make a film just to make money from a well known character. Right from an early start in this film i could feel how little effort they made to make this a fun slasher film. Remember last year when i reviewed a low budget slasher film called The Mouse Trap and mentioned how awful that film was? Piglet is not as awful as that particular film but this is still a really bad slasher film. Just the fact that they didn´t even try and make a cooler looking killer mask than the mask we see in this film of Piglet just shows that they are only interested cashing in on the product. Ok so i will mention two positive details compared to The Mouse Trap, in this film you at least get to see some bloody kills so that´s at least positive. If you are going to make a slasher film at least show some bloody body attacks if you are going to make me happy, so we do get some scenes of this in Piglet. I also find the home of Piglet to be kind of fun, it looks like a Redneck nest that´s never been cleaned for a thousand years. But that´s where the positive ends for me regarding the positive details of the film Piglet. What we are left with is in the end is a slasher film that doesn´t have anything interesting to bring to the table in this genre. The acting in general is terrible, the plot is not something you really care about and the character of Piglet is in my opinion wasted in this film, they really should have tried to do an interesting background story of him. Director Andrea M. Catinella ( director of the low budget horror film Island Of The Dolls 2 ) should have put in a lot more effort to make Piglet a fun slasher film, because there is a fun idea incuding Piglet as a killer. It´s such a shame he didn´t do much more to make this a B movie gem and now we are only left with a slasher film that will most likely be forgotten. If you want to watch a more fun slasher film watch Winnie The Pooh Blood And Honey 2, that film actually did entertain me compared to Piglet.

Rating: D

Werewolves

On my several journeys to Scotland i have some really lovely memories. Not only of the wonderful hospitality the Scottish people welcomed me to their homes but the amazing Scottish highlands especially how beautiful it was to experience the incredible landscape. I remember on my second journey to Scotland i woke up one night at the Bed And Breakfast hotel we stayed at up near the Scottish highlands and i stepped outside to get some fresh air. It must have been around 3 a.m. and the moon was shining bright. It was while i was standing there i looked over to the other side of the road where a local pub was closed. I couldn´t see the pub sign letters completely but it was clearly a very old fashioned sign. It reminded me of a pub sign in legendary director John Landis 1981 classic horror comedy film An American Werewolf In London, when the American men visits a pub called The Slaughtered Lamb. Not that it was called something similar but the shape of the sign was similar and was made out of wood. Standing there with such a bright moon i instantly thought about werewolves, how could i not after seeing that pub sign up in the Scottish highlands? Most horror fans know the classic horror comedy An American Werewolf In London and there are other werewolf classics such as Dog Soldiers ( you should own a blu ray release of this film from distribution company Second Sight Films ). When it comes to werewolf films there is both some good releases worth checking out, but there are some terrible werewolves films as well. Who remember the awful 1995 film Howling: New Moon Rising ( the 7th film in this franchise ) ?. One specific title i can recommend though that is worth watching in the werewolf category is the 2014 horror film Late Phases from director Adrian Garcia Bogliano. A blind war veteran is forced to survive against a werewolf while he is prepared to kill the beast. Late Phases is a simple werewolf film but have an interesting plot and the fact that the main character is blind makes this film more interesting. Worth renting on VOD or picking up on a physical copy. Speaking of werewolves late last year was the release of the horror action film known as Werewolves that looked like a fun tribute to B movies of my childhood. I decided to rent the film on VOD since i am a fan of action actor Frank Grillo and i was curious to see him in a horror film. Is this a must see this spring or is Werewolves more terrible than i ever would have imagined?

One year ago, during the supermoon, humans transformed into werewolves who came in contact with moonlight. In response, humans are preparing for another supermoon event, barricading their homes with weapons and self-defense traps. Whatever you do, make sure you are locked inside and do not come in contact with the moonlight.

I might as well be honest and say that Werewolves is a film that is clearly made for B movie lovers, and if you are not a fan of B movies then this is definetely not for you. However, if you love old school monster films we used to get on VHS back in the day at rental stores then you are going to have fun with this fim. This is basically like a mixed combination of The Purge and the Underworld franchise, where werewolves is the main enemy. There are several details to appreciate about Werewolves so let´s start talking about what i appreciate most. The fact that anyone can turn into a werewolf just looking at the full moon is a pretty cool concept, since this is supposed to be a supermoon that only comes out one specific night. I also like the idea that society prepare themselves like this is something similar to a purge night, and try to block doors and windows not to get the moonlight shining in and keep the werewolves outside. When it comes to the characters we have a mixed bag here but the main character Wesley ( played by action actor Frank Grillo ) is a great lead character for this film. He is tough, not afraid to risk his own life while he is worried about his dead brother´s wife and their daughter. Frank Grillo proves once more that he knows exactly how to handle action scenes and it´s fun watching him battling werewolves with actress Katrina Law as the character Dr. Amy. Nice to see legendary actor Lou Diamond Phillips in here even though i wish he had more screen time. The action scenes may not be the greatest i have seen but i think Werewolves manage to balance both horror and action together in a positive way. The werewolves look cool enough to enjoy if you are a werewolf fan. On the negative side i would probably say that this film could have been more brutal, with more brutal body attacks where bodies are ripped apart. Other than that i had fun with Werewolves for being a throwback to action horror films of the 80´s and 90´s. Director Steven C. Miller ( director of the great 2012 Christmas horror film Silent Night ) clearly had fun making Werewolves and he show that by giving us a tasteful B movie treat filled with tasty details. If you want a pizza night with cold beer at home and don´t know what to watch, Werewolves should be the perfect choice for a VOD rental evening.

Rating: DDD