Movie review: Death Note

12 Friday Oct 2018

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Before I dissect this movie, I should stipulate that I came into this cold. I had no preconception of the Japanese manga series that it was based upon. On occasion, I delve into the source material to immerse in the world and its creation, but in this instance I went in fresher than a pillow with a mint on it.

Directed by Adam Wingard (Blair Witch, You’re Next) sans his usual writing partner Simon Barrett (Temple) attempts to weave the story of smarter than smart high school student Light Turner who discovers the gifted/cursed book Death Note in a Western setting of Seattle, US.

The book in question holds a unique spell whereby if a person’s name is written into it whilst visualizing their face, certain death will bestow upon them. With the original owner, a demon named Ryuk acting as an Iago of sorts chirping into Light’s ear and willing him to enact a godly vengeance on those who’ve wronged him.

Light initially sees the book as force of good, as he takes on a vigilante style quest to put all the criminals who have somehow escaped justice, behind bars.
Inevitably, fate will play the upper hand and steer Light towards a conclusion where they may be no turning back.
As far as the story goes, it peppers along with a fairly decent pace, but it has a strange pop-esque vibe to it that tears away at the narrative with little regard for sense or structure. This surprised me as I’m a big fan of Wingard’s other work, so I wonder if it was more of a case that the Death Note story was simply to big to harness everything into one movie. Yes, Wingard does leave the door open for more ventures down the track, but since watching the movie I was compelled to look back at the source and can see that it was rich in content and therefore always going to be tricky to pull off and get it right.

Most of the movie has a fluffiness to it, including the leads, Light, (played by Nat Wolff), and Mia, (played by Margaret Qualley who proved far more interesting a performer in The Leftovers). My interest was drawn more towards Shea Whigham (Light’s Dad) who always seems to deliver and Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out) in another stand out, quirky performance as a specially trained detective with a sweet tooth, L.

 

The Diagnosis:

The film is definitely watchable and enjoyable enough, but fans of the original may be sorely disappointed.

Death Note strikes a flat chord that is strangely disjointed and out of sync.

 

– Saul Muerte

Movie review: The House With A Clock In Its Walls

10 Wednesday Oct 2018

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Here’s the interesting thing with horror – it is easy to do, but hard to get right.

It’s a stance taken in various guises on this website alone, but for a quick reference as evidence, I would point you to the myriad of online horror flicks that look like they are a film school graduation project. And then write down how many of them are any good…

But I digress. If horror films are hard to do right, then you can imagine the extra layer of challenging you get when you have to make them PG as well!

On the surface it may seem an oxymoron, but there are plenty of great examples of TV shows & films that straddle the enviable line of embracing (and paying respect to) 2 tastes without offending one or the other.

In this case, adult content that is equally entertaining for children and vice versa.

In terms of kid’s comedy with serious dramatic elements, the UK series Press Gang instantly springs to mind. In terms of horror for a pre-teen audience, you also have Goosebumps (and the soon to be released sequel) plus there is the 2009 film The Hole.

Although now that I type this out loud, I didn’t think Goosebumps was any good. And The Hole was quite good…but for the life of me I can’t remember a thing about it. So maybe these aren’t great examples of PG horror.

But what about The House With A Clock In It’s Walls?

Set in the 50’s, it follows 10-year-old Lewis who is recently orphaned (which is very Up – OH UP! That’s a great example of an adult AND kid friendly film!) Anyway, he is taking a bus to live with his uncle Jonathan, who he has never met before, but seeing as he’s being played by Jack Black, he’s probably a lot of fun.

And Uncle Jack’s next-door neighbour is Florence Zimmerman, who is being played by Cate Blanchett, so you just know she’ll be awesome. Which for the most part she is. Especially at the beginning, as the banter between her and Black drives the movie and is the biggest highlight of the film (from an adult point of view).

Soon young Lewis – who is played by Owen Vaccaro, who has passable chops as the film’s protagonist (but is mostly whiny and annoying) – wakes up in the middle of the night in Uncle Jack’s house (which is old style and creepy) to the sound of a mysterious clock *tick-tocking* in the walls.

Jack Black roams the halls trying to locate it, as it seems to move from night to night, and when he thinks he’s found it, he tries to get at it. With a fire axe. Which is a little terrifying for a 10-year-old to witness…but he soon puts that all behind him when he finds out Uncle Jack is an everyday Warlock, and neighbour Cate is an exceptional Witch.

And from there the supernatural spooky (and PG) hijinks ensue.

Does it do well?


The Diagnosis:

No. Not really. THWACIIW is pretty safe fair, where the scares are pretty bland, and the ideas are just fine. Not even a super magnetic acting force like Blanchett can punt it over the bar, but in terms of colour & bounce it may appeal to kids. But for that you’ll have to go to the Junior Surgeons of Horror Website for the children’s review of The House With A Clock In It’s Walls.

PS: There’s no such website.

PPS: Yet.

 

  • Antony Yee

Movie review: Temple

10 Wednesday Oct 2018

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Back in 2011, writer Simon Barrett along with his collaborative partner, director Adam Wingard, carved a remarkable entry into the mumblegore scene at the pique of its movement with You’re Next.

It’s a partnership that served them well and has established a following of fans hanging out for their next venture, (myself included), which at this stage looks likely to be the remake of I Saw The Devil.

So imagine my delight when surfing through Netflix when I cam across this little-known movie Temple, written by Barrett. The fact that it had fallen by the wayside should speak volumes about the movie, but I’ve never let that deter me from a movie experience and with Barrett’s name attached, I was eager to go on that journey.

In many ways, Temple tries to tap into some J-Horror territory shrouded in mystery, horror, and dark spirits that made the Ring a household movie franchise in the genre.

Before the story unfolds we are introduced to a bandaged, wounded man who is in hospital and on aided with a life support system. He is wheeled in from of a professor and an interpreter as they try to pry some information on the whereabouts of a missing woman.

The man begins to recount his tale of backpacking trio of Kate, her boyfriend James, and her friend Chris in a thwarted love triangle, as they seek out a mysterious Japanese temple.

Most of the screenplay centres on the threesome as some background ekes out into the narrative and lures the viewer in enough to know that all is not well as jealousy and sexual tension rises. The closer they get to the temple, the more unhinged they become. The trek takes them into the heart of the wooded area by a boy from the village, with warnings of not to stay out after dark, (which of course they do when Chris is injured). By this stage, there are elements of Blair Witch coming in, another project that Barrett had worked on for the remake and may have been buried in his subconscious at the time of writing this screenplay.

Night does indeed fall and all hell breaks loose including a fox-human hybrid guardian and some creatures that live beneath the temple’s foundations.

The film’s conclusion leaves you wondering what exactly happened, whom do we believe, and if indeed any of it was real.

 

The Diagnosis:

The venture is across rugged terrain that is all too familiar but unstable, and leaves you wondering whether the journey was worth it. If you’re feeling inclined to explore some of Barrett’s work, then take the trek, but be warned, it may not meet your expectations.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Les Affames aka Ravenous

08 Monday Oct 2018

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With zombie films such as Train to Busan or The Girl With All The Gifts along with TV shows such as The Walking Dead or iZombie offering new slabs or takes on the genre, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Z train must surely be running out of steam sometime soon, but they just keep on trucking. Sure you might get your Day of the Dead: Bloodline movies to contend with but amongst the trite and bloodied guts of the genre, some shine and offer a glimpse of hope, proving that there still maybe signs of life yet to come.
The latest in the mix is French/Canadian horror film (now available on Netflix) that is witty, charming, harrowing and unnerving. And what’s more, you actually give a shit about the characters.

We gradually meet the characters one by one as they scramble and fight for survival in a rural town in Quebec during an apparent zombie outbreak.

There’s Bonin and Vézina, the jokers of the pack, quipping as they coolly dispatch a zombie horde; Céline, a hardcore woman who would give Michonne a run for her money in the badass department; the elderly couple, Therese and Pauline; Tania, the heart of the movie who has been bitten but swears that it was by a dog; Zoé, a little girl; the wise Réal, and young crack shot Ti-Cul. All of who cross paths on their post-apocalyptic journey. One of the gems of this movie is that as we warm to each character, the rug of comfort will be pulled out from under our feet and not necessarily when or with whom you expect it to be from.

Director Robin Aubert leans towards a minimalistic approach to his work, which allows the actors the freedom to stretch their talents and delve deep into their characters. This coupled with some amazing cinematography that allows the beautiful scenery to be captured with stunning shots that breathes life onto the screen. This works in stark contrast against the claustrophobic tension-filled scenes when the zombies choose to attack, which they almost do with animalistic ability, hunting their prey and luring them from safety before ripping them apart or going on a feeding frenzy.

The zombies are also to be commended, as they don’t fit your usual traits. They appear to have smarts and a sense of community attached to them, often being territorial in places. They come with their wails or screams ale Invasion of the Body Snatchers when they see potential victims, but also come with an ethereal oddity when stacking furniture to impressive sights with these structures reaching to the heavens as they all gather round and stare at their creations. This is never explained and compliments the mystery and oddity to the virus that has swept mankind.

 

The Diagnosis:

A zombie film with heart as well as brains that is played out with dramatic integrity and draws you in deep enough to care for the characters before swiftly delivering a killer blow.

– Saul Muerte

Movie review: The Amityville Murders

07 Sunday Oct 2018

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Back in November 1974, Amityville was shocked to hear the news of 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr., who murdered his parents and four younger siblings by shooting them in their sleep.

There have been some curiosities surrounding these murders as all victims were killed in the space of 15 minutes with a shotgun around 3am, but no one heard any gunshots and it would appear that none of the family members had responded to any noise at all, having all been found lying in similar positions on their stomach. There was no evidence of drugging either.

The swiftness that DeFeo Jr was able to kill his family led some to suppose that a second shooter was there on that fatefull night. It doesn’t help that DeFeo Jr’s account of that evening has changed so many times, ranging from a Mafia hit to hearing voices that drove him to murder. The latter stuck in the news and lent to the bizarre case. It also fuelled the next chapter of 112 Ocean Avenue where the murders took place when the Lutz moved in the following year, only to leave after 28 days has passed citing strange happenings and paranormal phenomena. It was this incident coupled with Jay Anson’s novel, The Amityville Horror and the subsequent feature released in 1979 that projected this story across the globe and cemented the name Amityville into the horror genre and spawned 21 movies in its name.

The latest venture, The Amityville Murders attempts to go back to the original source and the murders that were commited by DeFeo Jr.

Director Daniel Farrands, who is no stranger to the macabre with numerous documentaries based on real-life and fictional murders on his resume, tries to take his interests in shocking crimes in his first drama feature, but too often it feels like he is dragging the story along by filling in the narrative with some over-saturated and stylised dialogue. It feels a little forced and unnatural, which jars the viewing, throwing you out of the picture. The acting is left wanting and feels a little like made-for-tv movies back in the 70s or 80s before directors knew how to handle the medium with any art or integrity.

It’s only as the drama intensifies and DeFeo Jr becomes more unhinged that this choice of direction starts to slip into place and become unnerving, which is exactly as you hope to feel. Actor John Robinson, who was thrust into the limelight as an actor when he was cast in Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, (a movie based on the Columbine shootings), starts off a little one-note in his performance, but as he taps into DeFeo Jr’s alleged depersonalisation disorder becomes more believable and haunting to watch. In fact, his performance at this stage keeps the viewer watching as everyone is pale and painful in comparison.

Farrands clearly knows his source material well, but he is let down by trying to weave in a dramatic storyline to the facts and feels weak as a result. Let’s hope he learns from his work on The Amityville Murders as his next two films are following a similar path looking at Sharon Tate and Nicole Brown Simpson.

 

The Diagnosis:

Yet another instalment to the Amityville universe… and yet it fails to provide the same impact as the first time these tragic events shocked the world. Once sensationalised and then desensitised with its numerous retellings that its hard to capture that same feeling again and unfortunately director Daniel Farrands fails to administer a blip on the heart monitor. No doubt, more attempts will follow, but I’m not sure if willing to go back there again.

– Saul Muerte

Movie review: Terrifier

04 Thursday Oct 2018

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Back in 2013 Art the Clown was first introduced to our screens in all his shocking glory as part of Damien Leone’s horror anthology, All Hallows’ Eve.

Thanks to Dread Central, Terrifier was given a limited theatrical release, but this unfortunately didn’t include Australian shores.
Instead, Terrifier came across my bloody and broken radar through the horror vine thanks to some tuned in people after my own heart.
It harkens back to the days of video stores when you come across a gem of a movie, enticed by the vhs cover, in this case gloriously shoving the fucked up clown front and center. It’s his movie after all and boy does he own it.
In some ways it feels like Leone decided to let go of the leash and let his twisted creation run amok without a moments hesitation. The end result is sheer bloody mayhem that would turn those with a weak disposition into a quivering wreak and no doubt reaching or should I say retching into their vom bag.

All this should send the hardcore horror fans into a state of ecstasy at the mere thought of a horror film that isn’t afraid to go dark and push the boundaries of taste in the gore department. No doubt most of you are already aware of this movie.

For those yet to be imitated, Terrifier starts off with a television journalist interviewing one of Art’s victim, scarred beyond recognition but has lived to tell the tale.
We also learn of Art’s disappearance from the morgue, setting up the notion that he is on the loose.

With a shock moment unleashed, the story picks up proper with two female characters, Tara and Dawn who are stranded in the city after their car has a flat tyre.
The warped journey as only just begun though as they encounter Art at a dodgy kebab shop, who takes a shine to Tara before marking his territory.
Feeling rightfully unnerved, the girls seek out rescue from Tara’s sister Vicky, who they entice out to be their saviour.
But will she make it to them in time, or will Art unleash his next canvas using their mutilated bodies?

The Diagnosis:

Terrifier is balls to the wall gross out fun that isn’t for the faint of heart. Sure, there are some shaky moments throughout but this makes the movie all the more gritty. For those eager to delve into a world of gore and brutality, Art the Clown is your perfect remedy.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Cargo

03 Wednesday Oct 2018

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Cargo is a zombie film – supposedly filled with gore, scary bits, and tension. Which it is. However, unlike your stereotypical low budget Z movie, Cargo has some real, raw emotions presented by all the characters; accompanied by some absolutely stunning shots of rural Australia. Some scenes in this film are beautiful – human beautiful and scenic beautiful.

It starts with a family of 3, Andy (Martin Freeman), Kay (Susie Porter) and their baby daughter Rosie (played by something like 4 separate babies, because child labour laws exist for a reason).

We find our threesome slowly flowing down a waterway on a riverboat, which (it is soon implied) is not theirs (ie: they’ve knicked it). They then discover another young family camping on shore, with the father being played by Andy Rodoreda; the actor who portrayed Martin Freeman’s character in the original Tropfest short that THIS film is based on.
Which must have been a weird experience for him, but if he wanted to hold onto his part, he should have been more famous. Its called show business and not show charity for a reason…

Anyway – from Andy & Kay’s dialogue and various other tell-tale signs – like Rodoreda threatening Freeman off with a gun (probably because he stole his role…) we get the impression an apocalypse of the Z kind has happened, and humanity is hanging by a thread with survivors quickly running out of options.
That’s when “the incident” happens (which you just KNEW it would) that changes everything between Andy and Kay (and their daughter). And soon incredibly tough decisions of the “what would you sacrifice” kind have to be made. What would you do? And perhaps more importantly…what wouldn’t you do…?
It is this theme that fuels the movie, and it takes a powerful performance to pull it off. With Freeman they get it.

Set against the backdrop of Australia’s unique beauty, it is clear that a lot of thought has gone into the cinematography. From a native plant in the corner of the screen, to the sun accentuating the features of the actors; every frame is truly a painting.

The Diagnosis:

Cargo is a well thought out, beautiful, tension filled zombie film that will do something very few horror flicks can, because whilst the best ones make you scared or tense, very few can also make you cry. Cargo will do all three.

  • Charlie Owen.

Movie review: Amityville: The Awakening

01 Monday Oct 2018

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From all accounts the feedback that I had received about this movie weren’t exactly glowing, so I went into watching this with low expectations. It can’t be that bad, surely?

The Amityville franchise is the curse that keeps on giving. Now with 18 movies in based on the Amityville hauntings and another movie with an imminent release, it now boasts the most movies of a horror movie franchise, so it’s little wonder that the response is lacking as the filmmakers search the bottom of the barrel only to find grease and grim with little hope of any originality or substance.

Starring Bella Thorne as Belle who unwittingly moves into the infamous Amityville house with her mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh), her younger sister, and her twin brother who is brain-dead and on a life support. There are the usual trappings of inner turmoil amongst the family members that has caused a rift and pushed Belle to explore her gothic leanings. Of course once in the cursed abode, strange happenings occur namely around the twin brother James as he is deemed to be a weak vessel for the entity to exhume.

As with these kind of movies, there is a tendency to stick to the usual tropes to scare and delight but director Franck Khalfoun offers nothing new to the fold. The script does try to go “meta” with deliberate acknowledgment to the original movie and the others that have been inspired to go to the Amityville source, this attempt just falls flat on its face. As for the scares, they fail to materalise and as such we are left wallowing with the characters, hoping for something, anything to happen to make the 87 minute running time worth it.

The diagnosis:

This movie was D.O.A. Whilst it tries to resuscitate the Amityville name for a new generation, the offer is weak and boring to watch. At least Jason Leigh’s ring in performance keeps you hanging in there… but even that is a struggle.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Camp Death 3 in 2D

27 Thursday Sep 2018

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Matt Frame is a director after our own heart.

Not only does he wear the Friday the 13th franchise on his sleeve, but in Camp Death 3 in 2d, he slices and dices our beloved Jason movies, spilling its entire guts on the campfire and rebuilds as a glorious homage with tongue firmly placed in cheek.

This movie is jam-packed full of overly eccentric characters where the actors are permanently delivering their performances to the max. To some viewers they may find this too grating, but for those that can bear the pace, and don’t mind the wackiness of the shots will no doubt enjoy the ride.

There are plenty of in jokes and nods to both the horror and sci-fi genre especially in the Star Wars realm. In one case, we see the “Jason” character (who in this instance is called Johann Van Damme) in a 74-Z speeder bike chase through wooded terrain with hilarious consequences.

The concept behind Camp Death 3 in 3d is a simple one. Camp counselor Todd Boogjumper intends to reopen Camp Death along with potential love interest Rachel (who harbours a dark past), and his crazed uncle Mel. Lo and behold, Johann Can Damme turns up and joyfully dispatches our campers, who just so happen to be a little unhinged themselves. There’s even a “Crazy Ralph” character in the midst too, which was pretty cool to see.

The highlight though has to be some of the upbeat musical numbers that pop up on occasion in the movie, which adds to the whole surreal style that Frame had intended throughout the film. Chief among them were from Jesus Hernandez Jr. attempting to show a softer side to his tough exterior.

The Diagnosis:

It’s college humour at it highest and most ridiculous. Think Police Academy on crack.

– Saul Muerte

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Has The Predator become the second best film of the franchise?

20 Thursday Sep 2018

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Let’s face it, the original will always be a tough task to match with it’s testosterone fuelled, action-packed 80s masterpiece that triggers the nostalgic ammunition of our hearts.

Since then, we’ve had Danny Glover’s “Too old for this shit” Dirty Harry impersonator tackle the Predator in the suburban jungle and Adrien Brody play an unusual take of your typical hero on an alien planet pitted with other elite warriors in order to survive, and the least said about the Alien/Predator crossover, the better.

Check out our podcast on the afore-mentioned movies in our Predator franchise podcast discussions.

All of this leads to the current instalment, which after a couple of trailers left this writer a little puzzled about the direction it was taking.

Whilst the end result was far from perfect, it did offer some interesting moments that elevated the feature to a higher standing in my mind.

Once again, the lead hero, Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) was a little questionable at first as he grimaced, guffawed and packed plenty of punch in his first alien encounter but by the films conclusion, he manages to hold his own impressively.

McKenna is thrust into a world of warring predators, one of them appears to be our usual antagonist, but the other is a taller, bigger, leaner beast.
It seems like Hollywood always needs to go bigger when it comes to continuing a franchise and in this case director Shane Black (who also starred in the original film) decides to go with this and in places it feels like overkill with his choices along with the amped up special effects.

The glue that keeps this together though comes in the ensemble cast, who all complement each other and some time is taken for us to actually care about them all by the time the final encounter takes place.

The comedy balanced nicely among the action sequences and this is thanks to Olivia Munn, Keegan-Michael Key, Augustin Aguilera. Chief among them and surprisingly so, is Thomas Jane who proves he’s not just a one-tone actor with his comedic timing getting his fair share of laughs too.

Hats off to Black and writing partner Fred Dekker, for the engaging screenplay.

The Diagnosis:

There are times that the amount on display attacks the senses, but Shane Black provides an engaging fun ride, with great character development. This ultimately lifts the film and makes you care about the outcome.

It won’t set the world alight but the journey is worth it.

– Saul Muerte