tisdag 29 januari 2019

Halloween

If you would mention the name John Carpenter to movie nerds, i guarantee you that they will talk for hours. This is a true legend in Hollywood, who have made some really classic movies during the 70´s and 80´s. For me personally i have several favourite movies directed by John Carpenter. Let´s start with Escape From New York, released in 1981. This film gave legendary actor Kurt Russel one of his most iconic characters ever, known as Snake Plisken. The story takes place in 1997 in a maximum security prison in Manhattan Island. if you love science fiction movies and the style of John Carpenter, then you have to see Escsape From New York. Pick it up on Blu Ray if you can, and watch some really nice special features. Another really good Carpenter classic is the 1982 movie known as The Thing. This is actually a faithful adaption of the old cult film known as The Thing From Another World ( released in 1951 ). The Thing is a really well made Sci fi horror movie, that actually manage to use practical effects in a very effective way. Kurt Russel is in this film as well, and he gives another really good performance as the character R.J. McReady. The Thing is a must own on Blu Ray, and there are some really nice special features. One of the films that will always be seen as the biggest classic from John Carpenter, is of course the 1978 horror movie Halloween. This low budget horror movie is still today considered to be one of the best horror movies of the 70´s. The serial killer known as Michael Myers ( with a very special mask ) is still today one of the most iconic horror characters, and he clearly is hard to kill since we have a lot of sequels. Halloween also brought us another iconic character known as Laurie Strode, played by legendary actor Jamie Lee Curtis. Halloween is a very simple horror movie, but that is one of the reason why this is such a good horror film. John Carpenter used some really effective camera work, to make serial killer Michael Myers look very creepy. The sequels have turned out to be very divided on a film quality level. Some sequels are ok, while especially one of them is really bad known as Halloween: Resurrection. But it was in the year 2007 when we finally got a Halloween movie, that did everything right. Director Rob Zombie ( who have made some wonderful horror movies such as House Of 1000 Corpses and The Devil´s Rejects ). If you have not seen the 2007 version of Halloween, you should. It is really brutal, and bloody, but so damn good. If you can try and buy the 3 DVD disc release from America, filled with severl hours of special features. When we got the news that Jamie Lee Curtis was going to come back to a new Halloween movie coming out in October 2018, fans were really excited. For me personally i was a bit skeptical, since i know that good sequels are not easy to make. After the first screenings of the film, i realized that people were being positive. Since i have seen all the films in the Halloween franchsie, i had to check out this one as well. Is this a really good sequel, or a sequel that the film studio should have cancelled a long time ago ?

On October 29, 2018, Michael Myers who have been locked up for 40 years in Warren County Smith´s Grove Sanitarium, is about to be transferred to a new facility. Laurie Strode ( Jamie Lee Curtis is still living with the fear of being the only survivor of Michael´s brutal murders. She lives in a well protected house, still ready if he would show up. Laurie´s daughter Karen Nelson ( Judy Greer ) tries to communicate with her mother, that she must go on with her life and not worry about Michael anymore. To make something right, Laurie decides to try and have a better relationship with her granddaughter Allyson Nelson ( Andy Matichak ). At a family reunion to celebrate Allyson, Laurie breaks down in tears because of her emotional problems. Things are not about to get any better, when Laurie finds out that the transportation bus for Michael Myers is found crashed on the highway. Michael is out free again, and Laurie have no choice but to protect her family.

Since i heard some positive words about this sequel from movie critics, i had a feeling that this could not be a bad movie. And it is true, this sequel actually does have some positive twists and turns into this franchise. Of course, the traditional story is here as well, where we see Laurie Strode fight against Michael Myers, but this film also shows Laurie´s family, a new generation ready to fight against Michael. Another thing that this film also does, is make a surprise twist with Michael´s doctor from the mental institution that i did not expect. When you make a sequel to such a classic horror film as Halloween, you better have great characters. And this sequel actually manage to do this correctly. Of course, it comes to no surprise that legendary actress Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurel Strode is the strongest character of this film. She has a lot of trauma and pain inside of her, and she is prepared to meet Michael again. But we have some other names that we have to mention. Allyson, granddaughter of Laurie, is played by actress Andi Matichak ( who can be seen in TV series Orange Is The New Black ). This is my first time seeing her in a bigger role than usual, and she does a good job with her performance. Actress Judy Gear ( who you might remember from Jurassic World ) as Lauries daughter Karen gives a solid performance as well, and she have a lot of personal issues with her past. The plot is simple but still effective, as this feels like a sequel that pays respect to the franchise. I also love some of the brutal kills, when we get to see some close ups on victims found after Michael escapes the mental institution. Now, let´s get to some negative details. Even if this is a well made horror film, you miss out especially one important detail. There should have been some kind of backflash scenes to legendary actor Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Lois. There is a scene where you hear his voice, but with such an iconic character in this franchise as Halloween, we should have had glimpses of Donald Pleasence more than just his voice. The beginning of the film at the mental institution is not very interesting, and i would rather have seen a different beginning. Apart from these details, i would say that the latest chapter of the Halloween franchise is a good horror film. Director David Gordon Green have directed several really good films in the past, especially the independent film Joe ( one of the best movies i have seen Nicolas Cage do for many years ). I have to say that he have made a Halloween sequel that should be respected, since this feels like a homage to the classic original movie. If you love the Halloween movies, i know you are going to enjoy this one. Sometimes you need a serial killer to make sure that the party never ends.

Rating: DDD

måndag 21 januari 2019

Boy Erased

If we talk about religion, there are of course many different kinds of beliefs. We have Christians, Muslims, Jehovah´s Witnesses, Hinduism, Buddhism and many other religions. They all believe in many different things, while they all believe in different scriptures. One of the subjects that will always be sensitive to talk about in religion, is homosexuality. Every religion have different views on homosexuality, and i suppose this will always be this way. What is my personal opinion about homosexuals ? I have no problem with them, since i know some people who are gay. Will they end up in hell, as certain religions say ? I personally think that the ones who will end up there are pedophiles, and murderers. And there is a possibility that people who listen to Dansband like Lasse Stefanz will end up there as well, unless they convert into the wonderful songs of Korn and Slipknot. When it comes to films that bring up the subject about homosexuality and religion, there are a couple of films worth to mention. Let´s start of with the TV drama movie Prayers For Bobby. Based on the book Prayers For Bobby by author Leroy F. Aarons, the movie tells the story of the young man Bobby Griffith ( really good played by actor Ryan Kelley ) who is homosexual. His Christian mother Mary Griffith ( brilliant played by legendary actress Sigourney Weaver ) is doing all she can to make her son normal. With Mary´s extreme behavior towards her son, it ends up with Bobby killing himself. This is a very strong TV drama movie, and Sigourney Weaver did one of her best performances in years in this film. I suggest you buy the DVD, and show your family how brutal life can be. The other film i need to mention, is the drama movie The Miseducation Of Cameron Post from director Desiree Akhavan. This film tells the story of how a group of young people are send away to a Christian gay conversion therapy center, to make the teenagers normal again. This is a very good film, with some really strong performances from actors such as actress Chloe Graze Moretz, Dale Soules, Sasha Lane and many others. I have to say that The Miseducation Of Cameron Post managed to give a very interesting view on how gay conversion therapy camp works like. Director Desiree Akhavan clearly worked hard to give this film a very emotional tone, and she also managed to capture the time period of the 90´s. I have heard about another drama movie called Boy Erased, a film that also bring up the subject of gay conversion therapy ( based on a true story ) I was supposed to see the film in cinema, but watched the film on Amazon prime video. With a cast including Nicole Kidman and Russel Crowe, is Boy Erased a powerful drama movie, or not as good as i was hoping for ?

Jared Eamons ( Lucas Hedges ) is the son of Marshal Eamons ( Russel Crowe ) a well respected Baptist preacher and also a successful car dealer and mother Nancy Eamons ( Nicole Kidman ). He tell his parents one day that he is gay, and this completely destroy his parents from their religious beliefs. Marshal make the decision to send his son to Love In Action gay conversion therapy assessment program. Jared strongly believe that there is nothing wrong with him, while Love In Action therapist Victor Sykes ( Joel Edgerton ) make it very clear, that Jared and many other young people who is in therapy need to confess their sins and become a heterosexual. Will Jared turn his life around or will he fight against the therapy treatment ? 

If you did see The Miseducation Of Cameron Post, i guarantee that you want to see Boy Erased. Both films do include Christian gay conversion therapy, and give you a closer look of how this works. The difference between these 2 films, is that Boy Erased give you a deeper view from a family perspective. How do you deal with the fact, finding out your son is gay, when you are a preacher and wife in a Baptist church that goes against your faith ? The acting in this film is really good, and i have to say that the cast does a really good job portraying their characters. Actress Nicole Kidman as mother Nancy Eamons gives a performance that will affect you, and Nicole really tries to portrait the mother struggling to accept her son´s sexuality. Russel Crowe as the Baptist church preacher Marshal Eamons, is clearly having a hard time after finding out he is gay, and he will do anything to save his son. Even if Russel does not get a lot of screen time, he still give a good performance. Lucas Edges who plays the homosexual son Jared, manage to give a powerful performance of a man who is trying to be himself, but is not allowed to be gay. When you see how he suffer in some scenes, at the gay conversion therapy sessions, you realize that this so called therapy is not helping young people but hurting them instead. One scene especially when one of the young men, are being beaten with bibles to clean him from his homosexual behavior really made me angry. There is no excuse to beat up anyone, especially not if you think you will change a person that does not need to be changed. We have to mention two more actors in here. Flea ( also known as the bass player in Red Hot Chili Peppers ) as the Christian gay conversion therapy worker Brandon is amazingly good. I have never seen him act this good in a movie before, and every scene he is in makes you want to see him more. Not because he is a good human, because he treats these young ones as shit, and his performance fits really good with the character. Joel Edgerton ( who you probably have seen in the excellent movie Warrior, released in 2011 and of course in a personal favourite movie of mine called Midnight Special ) plays the gay conversion therapist Victor Sykes. This is exactly the kind of monster that should not be allowed to have therapy sessions, because he should be locked up instead of destroying people´s lives. The plot feels both very interesting, and the story manage to keep you fascinated about both gay conversion therapy and how this destroys people´s lives. Director Joel Edgerton ( who also acts in this film ) have managed to tell a very strong drama, that makes you question why these gay conversion therapy sessions even exist. Boy Erased will touch you emotionally and make you angry.

Rating: DDDD

lördag 19 januari 2019

The Demononoligist

I have so many wonderful memories of Stephen King movie adaptations that were made during the 70´s to the late 90´s. Of course there have been more movie adaptations made from Stephen King novels and stories in recent years, but the older films will always find a special place in my heart. I can´t tell you how many times i have watched The Shining, Misery, Pet Sematary, Salem´s Lot and The Green Mile. There are of course many other titles we could mention, but there is one movie i don´t hear much about anymore called Apt. Pupil. This film was different in many ways, since it did not include the same horror influences that many other Stephen King movie adaptations have. The story is about a young man named Todd Bowden ( played by actor Brad Renfro ), who blackmail his neighbor Kurt Dussander ( brilliant acting from legendary actor Ian McKellen ) not to reveal his true identity, a nazi war criminal. Apt. Pupil was more of a psychological thriller, ( with some horror influences ) that shows you that anyone can be a monster. I highly recommend you check Apt. Pupil out on DVD or Blu Ray, just to see a very different Stephen King movie adaptation that is actually good. Speaking of Stephen King, how many of you remember the 1992 horror classic known as Sleepwalkers ? This is the first time i remember seeing actor Brian Krause as the character Charles Brady. Sleepwalkers is one of those 90´s classics that you can still enjoy today, especially because of the performance of Brian Krause and actress Mädchen Amick. Let us talk some more about actor Brian Krause. I have seen him in other horror films such as The Toolbox Murders 2 ( also known as Coffin Baby ) and in the drama movie Miracle Maker. He continues working hard in the movie industry and there are plenty of other films to check him out in. Since i love to check out movie reviews on YouTube, i came across a review of Brian Krause new movie The Demonoligist on the YouTube movie review channel Screen Stars. The review of this film made me curious to check out The Demonoligist, since i like to watch cuddle warm hearted films, especially with Brian Krause of course. If you want to listen to good reviews, i suggest you check out Screen Stars on YouTube, this guy is clearly a B movie lover like myself. I got a chance to watch The Demonologist this week, and of course i was curious to see if this would be a pleasent surprise. Do we finally have a horror movie with satanic influences that will please fans of this genre, or is this movie a failure that should be avoided at all cost ?

Detective Damian ( Brian Krause ) gets a phone call about a murder investigation. At the murder scene, he meets his partner Detective Frank Garrison ( Dave Rhodes ). The victim have been carved in with a pentagram, and left with a card. More victims with the same pentagram carvings shows up, and Damian have no idea who is behind these gruesome murders. When one of the victims turns out to be very close to Damian, he realize that this is personal. He have no choice, no matter how far he needs to go, the truth must be revealed.

It is not very often you get to see a horror movie that mixes together a crime story with satanic murders these days. Since Hollywood usually go on the simple horror path, B horror movies is usually the way to go if you want to see something interesting. And this is where The Demonoligist make some extra points, for doing the opposite to what Hollywood does. This is a criminal horror movie that almost feels like a mixture of Arnold Schwarzenegger´s End Of Days and Rutger Haurer´s cult classic Split Second with a complete different plot. We have to talk about the lead actor Brian Krause and his character Damian. Now, it has been a long time since i have seen Brian Krause in a film, and i have to say that he does a great performance. To see him investigate the murders of satanic rituals, makes this film feel like a homage to classic satanic films of the 60´s and 70´s. Another actor that does a great performance as well is Dane Rhodes as Damian´s partner Frank Garrison. Dane is clearly dedicated to give his character a strong personality, and this becomes clear in the scenes where Brian Krause and Dane are working together to solve the brutal murders. They are a really good match on screen, and without a doubt the strongest characters in this film. I have to mention actor Thomas Francis Murphy ( who did a great performance in Free States Of Jones with Matthew McConaughey ) as the character Victor. He is only seen for a short while in this film, but i have to say that he leaves a great impact. I would have liked to see him more, since his character seems to have a lot of knowledge on satanic rituals. One of the things i did notice is that the female characters don´t get to show their characters a lot. The only one that stands out from them is clearly actress Manon Pages as Meredith. Even is her performance is not as strong as i would have liked to see, she still manage to give Meredith an interesting personality. Director J.M. Stelly ( who directed several films, and also worked as a still photographer on Jeepers Creepers 3 ) clearly have a passion for the old school satanic films of the 60´s and 70´s. And in these days where most films try to be modern and stylish, it is nice to see director J.M. Stelly follow his instincts and do something classic. Do i have anything negative to say about The Demonologist ? Maybe that i would have liked the murders to be more mysterious, and not reveal who is behind the murders too soon. If you enjoyed End Of Days and Split Second, i suggest you check out The Demonologist, even if the budget is lower. This is a film made for fans of old school horror cinema, made with a passion for classics we grew up with at the VHS store. One thing is for sure, if any demons come near me, i have my Hanson CD collection to scare them away. I heard this is their biggest weakness ( from a reliable source ).

Rating: DDD

torsdag 17 januari 2019

Aquaman

Let´s go back to the wonderful year of 2011. What made this year so special ? Well, you could say for different reasons, but this was the year when we got to experience Ryan Reynolds as the Green Lantern made a lot of DC comic fans react, mostly negative. This movie adaptation of Green Lantern turned out to be a failure for different reasons. For me personally this movie did not take the source material serious enough, and just tried to be a CGI feast. But not even the special effects could save Green Lantern, since the CGI effects were not well made either. Ryan Reynolds tried to give a performance as Hal Jordan, but he could not save this film. Director Martin Campbell ( who have directed some really good films such as The Mask Of Zorro and James Bond movie Casino Royale ) must have had problems while making this film, because you can sense that the plot is filled with mistakes. DC Comic characters continued to become movie adaptations, and we finally got a really good DC movie with Wonder Woman in 2017 with actress Gal Gadot . Wonder Woman managed to mix together comedy and action in a very effective way, showing that there is hope for DC comic characters. I have to mention also that Wonder Woman also gave us a really interesting portrait of a strong female character, something that is important to see in Hollywood. I am really looking forward to see Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman 1984, that is supposed to be released in summer of 2020. The same year as Wonder Woman was released in 2017, Gal Gadot would return as Wonder Woman in the DC comic movie Justice League, that includes a lot of DC super heroes such as Batman ( Ben Affleck ), Aquaman ( Jason Momoa ), Superman ( Henry Cavill ) and Cyborg ( Ray Fisher ). I loved the idea of bringing all of these comic book characters together in one film. And there were parts of Justice League that was entertaining, but the film could not deliver the quality level that fans expected. Gal Gadot os Wonder Woman saved this film from falling apart, and it was nice to see Jason Momoa as Aquaman ( who also gave a good performance ). Speaking of Jason Momoa ( who most of you have probably seen in Game Of Thrones or Conan The Barbarian ), when it was announced that he was getting his own movie, i was thrilled. Especially after it was confirmed that director James Wan ( director of the really good The Conjuring ) will be directing Aquaman. Since a lot of DC comic fans were dissapointed with Justice League, the expectations of Aquaman were becoming pretty big. As the trailer was released you could tell the whole world was excited. Do we finally have a good DC comic book adaptation on the big screen, or does Aquaman fall flat like Green Lantern did back in 2011 ?

In the year of 1985, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry ( Temuera Morrison ) rescue Atlanna ( Nicole Kidman ), the princess of Atlantis, during a storm. They eventually fall in love and have a son named Arthur, who is born to communicate with marine lifeforms. Atlanna is forced to abandon her family and return to Atlantis, entrusting to her advisor Nuidis Vulko ( Willem Dafoe ), the mission of training Arthur. In present day, one year after Steppenwolf´s invasion, Arthur ( Jason Momoa ) is now an adult. Arthur confronts a group of pirates attemting to hijack a Russian Naval nuclear submarine. Their leader, Jesse Kane ( Michael Beach ) dies during the confrontation while his son, David ( Yahya Abdul Mateen II ), swear he will revenge his father´s death. David later targets Atlantis at the behest of Orm ( Patrick Wilson ), where Orm see the attack as a cause to declare war on the surface World. King Nereus ( Dolph Lundgren ) of Xebel swears allegiance to Orm´s cause, but his daughter Mera ( Amber Heard ) refuses to aid them and travel to the surface to ask Arthur to help. If this war breaks out on the surface, mankind will never be the same again.

The DC universe have had some problems in the past, but i can tell you that this is something that Aquaman is not a part of. This is actually not a bad movie adaptation of the comic book character, and we get to see a much more personal view on the super hero of the ocean. Actor Jason Momoa as Aquaman is a really good match, and Jason delivers a solid performance ( who also have good comedy timing in several scenes. I have to say that he is also really good in the action scenes, where he gets to show his physical fysique, doing some great figthing ( especially in the beginning in a submarine. We have some other great performances to talk about as well. Actress Nicole Kidman who plays the character Atlanna ( the Queen of Atlanta ), shows once more why she is such a solid actress, giving a solid performance. Swedish Icon Dolph Lundgren as Nereus is a perfect match, and Dolph gives a performance so good, that you can almost cry of joy. There is no question, Dolph Lundgren is the greatest actor of Sweden ever, and we need to see him in more Hollywood movies. Legendary actor Willem Dafoe ( who have done some really good classics in the past such as Platoon, Mississippi Burning and Wild at Heart ) as the character Nuidis Vulko is another really good choice, and Dafoe shows once more why he is so good at developing a character in his own way. It is also really nice to see actress Amber Heard ( who you might remember from films such as All The Boys Love Mandy Lane and Machete Kills ) here as the character Mera. One of the things i really enjoy about this film adaptation of Aquaman, is the action scenes. This film is technically really well made from director James Wan, and he shows once more why he knows how to make quality films. The action scenes in the ocean are powerful, and looks really good in 3D ( i saw this film in 3D in Cinema, something you should do if you plan to see this film ). I also think that director James Wan have managed to give us a more personal look on the life of Aquaman. Even if Jason Momoa is great as Aquaman, there is one problem with this film. The emotional scenes does not work very well. It feels like they are not very effective, while trying to match up to the story of Aquaman. And this is such a shame, because there is an interesting story to be told here. With that said, i still Think Aquaman manage to deliver an entertaining comic book adaptation to the big screen. If you love comic books, and action, then this is the film to watch in Cinema. Once again director James Wan proves why there is still hope for Hollywood, as long as he is making solid films like Aquaman.

Director: DDD


tisdag 15 januari 2019

Assassination Nation

In these days, social media will follow you anywhere in this world. I use it myself, but only to a certain degree. I think there is some kind of limit of how much you want to tell the world about yourself, but clearly some people don´t draw that line. Growing up as a teenager in the early 90´s we had no cell phones, internet did not really come around until the middle of the 90´s, so we used to hang out and have actual conversations. It was during this time i started writing movie reviews, but not on a computer but on paper instead. I still think i might have some left somewhere ( basements are great to preserve old stuff ). Something i have noticed about teenagers today, cell phones are basically a big part of their lives. And that is probably the way it is supposed to be, with todays young generation. Speaking of the 90´s, there were a number of films that showed the lifestyle of teenagers in the 90´s. One of those films i remember is of course the 1995 film Clueless, directed by Amy Heckerling ( who also directed the cult classic European Vacation with Chevy Chase ). I would not say that Clueless is one of the big classics of the 90´s, but this film actually managed to capture the life of 90´s with both music and style. Alicia Silverstone gave a performance that most of us that grew up young during this time remember, and you could say that this is probably one of her most appreciated films in her career. I am pretty sure most of you have seen The Purge by now, a movie released in 2013 from director James DeMonaco ( who directed 2 more Purge sequels ). The concept of this film was a bit different from ordinary home invasion movies. The Purge tells the story of a family, who tries to survive a night at the annual Purge ( a night where you get to kill anyone you want, but only for a certain amount of hours ). Imagine putting Clueless together with The Purge, what would you get ? Well i think me might have an answer, because this is the way the film Assassination Nation have been described by some movie reviewers. And this was the reason i became curious about this film, not knowing much else.  I did notice that actor Bill Skarsgård is in this film, so that also caught my attention. A movie that blends very different styles together, is Assassination Nation a big surprise, or a failure we should all forget about ?

In the town of Salem, Lily Colson ( Odessa Young ) is a regular high school senior who hangs out with her best friends Bex ( Hari Nef ), Em ( Abra ) and Sarah ( Suki Waterhouse ). Their lives are filled with drama, but also with some really good times. Until one day, when Marty ( Noah Galvin ), a casual hacker, receives a message from an unknown hacker about Mayor Bartlett ( Cullen Moss ). There seems to be pictures of Mayor Bartlett wearing women´s underwear, and they would destroy his career. The pictures are leaked online, and chaos breaks out. It all ends with Mayor Bartlett killing himself, since he can not go on after this scandal. But it does not stop here, more pictures are being leaked online from ordinary people, including students at the school. When more secrets that are revealed, more people are getting angry across the city of Salem, and they are willing to do anything to find the people who destroyed their personal private lives.

I am shocked that this film never got a chance to be shown in Swedish cinemas. Because this film would have made Cinema visitors interested, in seeing a very different film than most ordinary Hollywood releases. Assassination Nation is not only a portrait of young women´s lives, but also how social media can destroy lives, including a whole city. We already heard on the news of stories such as former member of the United States House of Representatives known as Anthony Weiner, or former film producer Harvey Weinstein. In this film the sex scandals and the nude pictures can destroy many people lives, in just in a matter of minutes. But here it is not only the men who get their lives destroyed, that also includes some of the young women as well. I have to say that the acting in Assassination Nation is much better than i expected. Especially from the female cast, who deliver some really solid performances portraying young women who want to be confident and strong. Let´s start with mentioning actress Odessa Young ( who can be seen in the powerful drama movie The Daughter ). Her character Lily. She is a woman who is very clear about being proud of being a woman, and not afraid to stand up against the image of women as sexual objects. We also have actress Suki Waterhouse ( who you might remember from the funny horror comedy Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ) as Sarah. She also give a really good performance. Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård is here as well as the character Mark, and i have to say he also manage to give a solid performance. There are more great performances to mention, but let´s get into why Assassination Nation works so well. The plot is more intelligent than most movies that talk about young people. In a way a more brutal version of Lindsay Lohan classic 2004 movie Mean Girls,  You could say that this film is divided into two stories, mixed together. But this works really well, and towards the end of the film i guarantee you will feel emotional. Another thing that this film manage to do, is to tell the story of how vulnerable young women are being exposed online. There is especially a bathroom scene where Lily finds out that her personal videos have been leaked, and all hell breaks loose. Director Sam Levinson ( who directed the really good drama movie The Wizard Of Lies ), have made his best film so far with Assassination Nation. Not only does he manage to tell a story that fits right into todays society with social media, but also how people view young women as sexual objects. I am glad i started this year with Assassination Nation, and i hope you will check out this film also. A powerful movie that has a lot to say about how it is to be young in a modern world. 

Rating: DDDD

måndag 14 januari 2019

Leprechaun Returns

There are moments of the 90´s that will always be close to my heart. Especially so many B movies released within this time period, and there were some really good releases that i remember. Let´s mention a couple of them, and we start off with the B horror movie known as Ticks. Released in 1993, this film is a fun mixture of insect horror with cheesy dialogue and some really funny special effects. We have to mention that this film is directed by Tony Randel who directed the really good sequel to Hellraiser, known as Hellbound: Hellraiser II. The next film i am thinking about is The Dentist, released in 1996, In my opinion, this is one of the best movies that lead actor Corbin Bensen have ever done, as the mentally disturbed dentist Dr. Alan Feinstone. I can´t say i have seen any medical horror movie that feels as effective as this film, portraying the image of the dentist profession. if you have dentist fear, this is the perfect film to watch. We have to mention that actor Mark Ruffalo ( who plays The Hulk in the Avengers movies ) is seen in this film, and actress Virginya Keehne who was seen in Ticks is also found here in The Dentist. Corbin Bensen returned in The Dentist 2, but i prefer the first movie to be honest. Let´s mention one more film, and i have chosen the B horror movie Wishmaster. Released in 1997, this film tells the story of a demonic djinn, who is released from a opal red stone. Not only does Wishmaster look good, this film also have a really good cast of Robert Englund, Tammy Lauren, Tony Todd, Ricco Ross and Andrew Divoff. One of the franchises i grew up to enjoy during my teenage years, was Leprechaun. The first movie was realeased in 1993, directed by Mark Jones. This film was a delightful surprise with Willow actor Warwick David playing the evil Leprechaun, who is looking for his pot of gold. This was the film i first saw actress Jennifer Aniston, before she hit big success with comedy series Friends. The biggest reason why Leprechaun worked, was the combination of a great horror character and a plot that made sense with the Irish influences. Of course sequels were made, and i enjoyed The Leprechaun 2 and 3 as well, But when Leprechan 4: In Space was released in 1996, it was very clear that the franchise have lost the magic. I did not even the the next sequels Leprechaun In The Hood and Leprechaun: Back 2 The Hood, because they looked really bad from the trailers. Luckily the Leprechaun franchise took a long break, and returned with Leprechaun: Origins. I have not seen this film, but heard from reviews that it´s not a worthy sequel. Until i saw the trailer of the latest movie Leprechaun Returns, that seemed to be the right tone for a Leprechaun movie. Is this classic franchise finally back on track with the latest Leprechaun chapter, or is this franchise doomed for failure forever ?

Lila Redding ( Taylor Spreitler ) is travelling back to where her mother Tory Redding ( Jennifer Aniston ) lived in a cabin out in a deserted cabin. She meets local resident Ozzie ( Mark Holton ) who knows what happened at this cabin over 20 years ago, but he does not tell her. Lila meet some new people at this cabin including Katie ( Pepi Sonuga ) and Rose ( Sai Bennett ) who become friends. Ozzie know where The Leprechaun ( Linden Porco was killed in a well, as he goes back to the same location. Unfortunately the Leprechaun is awaken, and is once more looking for his pot of gold. Times have changed, but the Leprechaun realize that modern technology can also be used to his advantage. Nothing will stop him from reaching his precious gold.


I was a bit concerned that SyFy would mess upp the Leprechaun franchise, and not stay true to the franchise. But i have to say, this is one of the best sequels in a very long time. This film manage to be a sequel especially to the first movie, and manage to capture the magic of the Leprechaun character that we love. Of course actor Warwick Davis is no longer the Leprechaun, but i have to say that actor Linden Porco does a good job, taking over such a classic character in the horror genre. The Leprechaun make some funny scenes, while he is looking for gold coins ( a very important detail that is supposed to be a part of the Leprechaun franchise ). Another detail that i really enjoy about this sequel, is that the practical effects are not that bad. We get some really brutal kills, and this is something i was hoping for. Especially one scene when Leprechaun comes right out from a stomache, now that´s how you make an entrance. If you remember the first movie with Jennifer Aniston as the character Tory Redding, we get to meet her daughter here in Leprechaun Returns known as Lila Redding ( played by actress Taylor Spreitler ). And this is something i really appreciate, a connection to the first movie that actually works, because of the performance from Taylor Spreitler. But that´s not all, we also see actor Marc Olton ( who i especially remember in the cult classic Pee Wee´s Big Adventure ) return in this sequel, who played the character Ozzie in the original film. He also does a good performance. Actress Pepi Sonuga ( who you might have seen in TV series Ash vs Evil Dead ) is actually better than i expected. I have not seen her in any movies before ( except for in the TV series Ash vs Evil Dead ), but if she get a bigger role in the future i am curious to see what she will deliver. Since there have been some big problems with some of the Leprechaun movies in the past, director Steven Kostanski is clearly aware of this and make sure we get things correctly done this time. He clearly must have a passion for the original movie, since he manage to throw in different elements that reminds us what made The Leprechaun special in 1993. I will say this, that this is not the best movie i have seen director Steven Kostanski make, that is the wonderful gory horror movie The Void, a movie you must buy on DVD or Blu Ray. But that´s ok, since he still knows how to make great horror entertainment with Leprechaun Returns. If you loved the first 3 Leprechaun movies like i do, then i guarantee you will have a good time with Leprechaun Returns. It is nice to see that there is still hope for sequels of classic movies of the 90´s.

Rating: DDD

tisdag 8 januari 2019

This Spring, Lets Celebrate 25 Years Of Conan The Destroyer

Cheers everyone!

I hope you had a great Christmas, and a fun New Years Eve. I am working on more movie reviews for this month, and i got some very nice treats on the way. Now, the reason i am doing this post is because it will be 25 years this year of 2019, since Conan The Destroyer was released in 1984. I remember this film for many different reasons, but i thought it would be nice to celebrate 25 years since this film came out with a review this spring. I cant say exactly when, but maybe around March or in April. 

So yes indeed, let us celebrate 25 years of Conan The Destroyer ( the sequel that divided fans of the first movie Conan The Barbarian ) this spring. New movie reviews are on the way, and im looking forward to post them soon. Have a great week and remember the following Swedish words of wisdom...

Utan Dolph Lundgren Blir Världen Mörkare, Han Ger Oss Ljuset ( Translation :- Without Dolph Lundgren The World Becomes Dark, He Gives Us The Light )

Cheers from Daniel

onsdag 2 januari 2019

Galveston

Cancer should not exist in any form. Even if we wish that every cancer patient would be healed completely we know that is not the case. Hopefully when i am much older, we will be able to remove almost all cancer from the body with the help of science. This may sound impossible, but i believe that the future of medicine may have a lot more to offer, than what we have today. I have lost family members in cancer, i also had surgery for cancer. It was not a big operation for me ( luckily ) but of course i was nervous. I am happy i did the surgery, because they removed the cancer from the location of my body. I am aware that it could come back, and if it does, all i can do is win over the disease. When it comes to film that brings up the disease cancer, we have a lot of different titles to choose between. And i would like to mention two films that actually are really strong films about this disease. Let´s begin with the 2010 Movie known as Beginners. The story of a man named Oliver Fields ( played by actor Evan McGreggor ) who finds out his 75 year old father Hal Fields ( Christopher Plummer ) is gay. Their relationship becomes better, before Hal passes away. in cancer. Beginners is a heart warming film, and Christopher Plummer is absolutely brilliant, and he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2011. The second film that came to my mind is the comedy drama 50 / 50 released in 2011. The film 50 / 50 tells the story of a young man named Adam Lerner, who is only 27 years old when he is diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his spine, and must be treated with chemotherapy. This film is both sad, but also funny at times thanks to the cast of Joseph Gordon-Lewitt and Seth Rogen, who both do great performances. Right after Christmas while i was strolling around on VOD movies i came across a title called Galveston. Never heard about the film before, but the story sounded interesting about a man who is struggling with cancer. Since TV was showing only old classics during Christmas ( not even Kung Fury was showing on Christmas Eve, that should be a tradition every year in Sweden ), i decided to give an unknown film a chance. A thriller drama that is supposed to take place in 1988 with a great cast, is Galveston an unexpected highlight, or a film that no one will remember at all ?

Roy ( Ben Foster ) is a professional hitman who finds out that he is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. His life falls apart, and he have no idea how to deal with this. The only thing he knows is to do his job. One problem for Roy is that he is an alcoholic, that cause problems for him in his personal life. During a assassin mission, he is set up in a double-cross scheme. Roy survive the shootout, and find a trapped girl inside the house named Rocky ( Elle Fanning ). He takes Rocky with him on a road trip, as they also pick up her sister on the way. Rocky don´t know that Roy is seriously sick in lung cancer, while they continue their journey. Can this journey go on if Roy´s health gets worse, or will he be tracked by people who want him dead ?

Galveston is not only a movie about 2 very different personalities with a lot of personal issues, but also a story of a man struggling with cancer. To see a man who have lost so much of his time as a criminal, finding out he is diagnosed with cancer, is of course an enormous tragedy. And this is where Galveston becomes even more sad, seeing him trying to help a young woman and her little sister getting a better life, while his health is not in looking good. The journey we follow these characters is filled with destructive behavior, sadness and lost souls. The lead character Roy ( really good performance from actor Ben Foster, who also made a really powerful performance in Hell Or High Water ) is clearly a man with alcohol problems, and is stuck in his past. Ben Foster really manage to bring out the destructive behavior of this former convict. I also really enjoy the powerful performance of actress Elle Fanning ( as you may have seen in the movie The Neon Demon ) as the young woman Rocky, who have lived a very rough life of abuse. Galveston starts off as a a pretty ordinary thriller, but change direction and become a much better independent film than you would expect. And i have to say, the performances is the key to why Galveston manage to make such a powerful impact. I would not say this film is original in any way, since we have seen other films with a similar story, but this is a much more deeper story that will affect you. This film feels very realistic, when it comes to portraying people who have lived very rough lives. Director Mélanie Laurent ( known for her acting performances in films such as Beginners and the brilliant thriller Enemy with actor Jake Gyllenhaal ) have managed to make an independent thriller film that feels more intelligent than what the story might seem to be. She especially manage to make the characters very realistic, and give them a depth that will make you affected. Galveston may not find a big audience out there, but this is a film that should be seen if you love movies that shows how rough life is and don´t go with the typical cliches of Hollywood. I have no problem saying this, Galveston is a really good start for me this new year, and have a lot to say about how hard it is living with a disease and an addiction.

Rating: DDDD

Apostle

It is amazing how much Netflix has to offer to everyone, in all ages. It does not matter what kind of movies you enjoy, or TV series, because you can basically find anything on Netflix. Now, i have to be honest and say there are a lot of Netflix own TV series i have not seen. I have not seen all the Marvel TV series that they have made either, except for Daredevil and Luke Cage. Even if i do like these TV series, i just spend more time watching movies on DVD, Blu Ray or VOD instead, so i have a lot to check out in there. But i do have some really good recommendations of films that Netflix have made. Let´s start with the African drama Beasts Of No Nation, a really powerful and emotional movie about the brutal life of children soldiers, under the command of military leader Commandant ( brilliant acting from actor Idris Elba, one of his best performances ever if you ask me ). The film was critically acclaimed and touched many people, for the brutal portrait of how a military leader can destroy ordinary people´s lives for his own benefits. So you should definitely check Beasts Of No Nation Out on Netflix, a really good drama movie. Also in 2018 i watched The Ritual on Netflix, a horror movie The that turned out to be surprisingly good, that is supposed to filmed in the North of Sweden ( nice to see that they film quality horror films in my home country, if only Swedish horror films could be this good ). One of the reasons why The Ritual is a good horror film, is because of the creepy settings in the forest, where some kind of creature is watching them. Director David Bruckner clearly wanted to make a horror film that focused more on feeling creepy, than using the traditional jump scares that most horror films do. This is also a movie you should see on Netflix, especially if you love horror movies. I guarantee you will enjoy The Ritual. As there are a number of TV shows coming out from Netflix, and movies produced by Netflix as well, i try to check some titles out. And i came across a film that have been critically acclaimed called Apostle. A drama horror movie about an odd religious cult on a isolated island. One of the things that made me curious about this film, is to see actor Michael Sheen as a religious cult leader. I appreciate several of his performances in films such as Frost / Nixon and the emotional drama movie Beautiful Boy. I also noticed that this film is directed by Gareth Evans, who have directed both The Raid movies, two of the best martial arts action films in many years. So this is definitely a very different genre for him to explore. With such an amazing actor as Michael Sheen, and a very talented director on board, is Apostle a must see for all ages, or is this a film you might as well avoid ?

In the year of 1905, Thomas Richardson ( Dan Stevens ) travel to a remote Welsh island to rescue his sister Jennifer ( Elen Rhys ), who have been kidnapped and held for ransom by a mysterious religious cult. Not to reveal his true identity, Thomas pretends to become a new member of the church. He encounter the leader Malcolm Howe ( Michael Sheen ) who is waiting for the ransom money. Malcolm does not know the real reason Thomas is on this island, but it will be hard for Thomas to hide the truth. As he gets closer to the cult members, Thomas can tell that there are much more darker secrets on this island. What are they really doing here, what is their real purpose ?

Since i love cult religious movies for showing the insanity they bring with them, i have to say that Apostle is better than i expected. This film is really disturbing in many different ways. Most of all this film shows how easy it is to take power over people who don´t have any goals in life, and just let themselves be controlled by someone they believe is their leader. This film also clearly shows, how easy it is with a very sick individual who wants to control other humans, that he can use anyone he wants for his own advantage. Michael Sheen as the cult leader Prophet Malcolm is absolutely brilliant. He really goes full in for this character, and he clearly have some really big mental problems that he can´t control. It must have been a big challenge for Sheen to make this character believable, since there are so many different cult leaders out there in this world. But he clearly knows how to make his character feel like a disturbed cult leader. I also really enjoy the performance from actor Mark Lewis Jones as the cult leader member Quinn, who is just as disturbing as Prophet Malcolm. He also gives a very strong performance that will leave a big impact on you. At first you might think that this is a film that only portrait the cult in a very ordinary way, but this is where Apostle takes a completely different turn and go right inside a much more disturbing direction with a really dark and twisted tone. There are some scenes that reminds me of the Satanic cult movies of the 60´s and 70´s, and this is where Apostle manage to find the right tone to tell the story more effective. In fact i was reminded of The Witch Queen in the Vin Diesel movie The Last Witch Hunter, since there are some similar elements here when you see what is going on underneath the ground. Of course this works much better in the Apostle, since the settings looks much more evil and dark than in The Last Witch Hunter. The dark tone of this movie fits really good with the location of a crazy religious cult, especially when certain people are mentally unstable to operate a church. The costume design is also one detail i have to say works really good here, during the year of 1905. And the cottages where the cult members live is also well captured for this time period. Director Gareth Evans have clearly worked hard to make this film work as a religious cult horror drama, and he knows how to tell the story very effective with great acting and great characters. Apostle manage to be really effective as a horror film, and a powerful drama as well. Since the new year of 2019 has just begun, Apostle is a really good start to celebrate a new year ahead.

Rating: DDDD