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Movie review: Awoken (2020)

22 Monday Feb 2021

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I gotta say that I was pleasantly surprised by Awoken. I had prejudiced this Horror, Mystery, Thriller on face value because of its quiet film release here in Australia where it premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival and has been subjected to the Straight to Home Entertainment release.

This is an unfair judgement on my behalf though, as Awoken is one of those admittedly middle-of-the-road movies, but it does just enough to keep you hooked and entertained to its conclusion, which is a testament to Director Daniel J. Phillips and his writing partner Alan Grace.

Phillips chooses to keep his setting simple, predominately in one location and in doing so, can heighten the tension surrounding his key players, whilst keeping the budget low.

HIs storytelling is also strong, flicking from past and present with the use of old medical tapes that the research team slowly trickle through to gain an understanding of what they are up against.

And the choice of subject matter in Fatal Familial Insomnia is also one that sparks the imagination of terror in us all as this disorder affects the thalamus, part of the brain structure that controls our emotional expression and can lead to lack of sleep and dementia. 

With a select group of subjects, a small medical team, led by leading doctor, Robert (Erik Thomsen), go all flatliners and try to do some underground research in literally an underground laboratory in the hopes of finding a cure or a breakthrough to help those suffering from this condition. Robert has had previous experience in conducting similar experiments and serves as  the chief advisor and patriarchal figure of the group.

Our lead protagonist, Karla (Sara West – Ash Vs Evil Dead) is one of these medical students, who’s brother Blake (Benson Jack Anthony – Cleverman) suffers from the genetic insomnia condition and is subjected to this observation trial. The clue here is in the genetics component as it its revealed that their mother also had the same condition and was subjected to similar medical trials.

It is through their studies though that things begin to escalate. Cut off from the world above and incredibly sleep deprived, both patients and medics alike begin to hallucinate.

Is this the instabilities of the mind though? Or is there demonic possession at play?

The Prognosis:

Awoken doesn’t break new ground in the realms of science vs religion and suspected demonic possession, but what it does do well is construct a tight knit, well crafted storyline that drip feeds the tension whilst building up the paranoia and uncertainty of reality.

Some of the effects are a bit tried and tested, falling into the fairly predictable terrain, but Director Daniel J. Phillips has carefully positioned the audience into a false sense of security and then dialling up the entertainment level, whilst spinning a strong thriller that poses all the right questions towards a highly amped ending.

Surprisingly good and well worth checking out.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie Review: The Dustwalker (2020)

18 Thursday Feb 2021

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Having lived on this Great Southern Land for the past 16 years now, a land that I love to call home, I feel an enormous sense of pride when this country produces some of the stellar horror films that Australians can lay claim to. From The Babadook, The Loved Ones, Razorback, Killing Ground, Lake Mungo, Relic, Cargo, Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, Wolf Creek, and Patrick to highlight just some of the great films produced in the genre over the years.

So when I hear of a new Aussie horror film in the works, I sense that tingling of excitement that brims to the surface and the majority of the time, that feeling is met with satisfaction. More recently The Furies was a gloriously produced hell fire film and proved to have that wicked sense of humour that Australians relish and inject into their films to give them some sense of character.

I say all this to give you, the reader, a sense of my mindset when I approach these films.

So when I heard about The Dustwalker, set in a small isolated town in Australia. Nice.

Infected by an insidious bug. Double nice.

That turns the local residents into killing machines. And there’s the trifecta.

I was triply keen to see how this film would pay out.

Now the cast are no strangers to quality drama. Jolene Anderson (Harrow) plays the town sheriff, Richard Davies (Offspring) plays her deputy, and Cassandra Magrath (Wolf Creek).

So it’s not necessarily the players that are at fault here.

The director, Sandra Sciberras is also into her fourth feature behind the camera and armed with a bucket load of producer credits to her name is no stranger to the industry.

The film never really manages to lift itself off the ground though.

It had plenty of promise as a meteor crash lands and we get our first victim, who comes across the object and is immediately infected. 

As the locals slowly become infected, our leads try to figure out what is going on, but the issue arises in the weakness of the writing.

The script offers nothing for the actors to work with, reduced to simple dialogue and when charged with an action sequence, only have it fizzle out into nothing.

I really wish the film was packed with vigour to keep the pace high and the entertainment levels projected up alongside what we are so used to with the calibre of talent that Australians have on show, but the ending says it all as we’re left scratching our head and wondering what it was all in aid of.

It’s hard to tell if Scribberas was trying to pay homage to sci-fi thrillers of yester-year, such as The Body Snatchers, or Tremors to a degree, but she unfortunately misses the mark on so many counts and the audience is left stranded with little or no connection to the movie.

The Prognosis:

It’s a bitter pill to swallow this one.

Lots of promise, but ultimately there’s no sizzle or bite for any appeal to originate from.

A bland story that could have been so much more.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Becky

09 Wednesday Sep 2020

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For some, this movie will be hard to get past the casting of Kevin James as its lead villain, a man synonymous with lukewarm comedy, but given that fellow comedian, Simon Pegg had been initially touted the role for, one can start to see that the filmmakers never intended this film to be an out and out horror/thriller and would have their tongues firmly planted in the black comedy buccal. The fact that Community’s Joel McHale is also attached to the film only supports this notion further.

There are the subtle comparisons to Wes Craven’s Last House On The Left with its home invasion at the hands of some escaped convicts, but perhaps the better differentiation is that of Home Alone with the DIY skills wretched up to some gloriously gory and macabre moments.

The premise of the film rests solely on the darkly disturbing Becky, a character that relies on the strength of the performance from Lulu Wilson (Ouija: Origin of Evil, Annabelle: Creation, House On Haunted Hill), who’s calibre of movies alone should tell you that she’s no stranger to mayhem and dread. Wilson owns this film and appears to relish her turn as bratty, teenager with a broken heart, and flipping to ‘seriously don’t fuck with me’ menace. I’ll admit that I had my reservations, especially for a time when the film appeared balanced on her grief and pain from the loss of her mother. So easily it could have walked the path of predictability, but the killer switch comes from that ‘eye for an eye’ moment in the film when everything turns on its head and you believe her inner rage and turmoil as it is ejected to the surface. 

From there on in, you’re along for the ride and just want her anarchy to reign supreme.

The premise of the film has Becky going away with her estranged Dad (McHale) to her old family lake house retreat, only to be welcomed by her Dad’s fiance, Kayla (Amanda Brugel – Jason X) and her son, Ty. Let’s just say that Becky isn’t a fan of the suggested idea of a blended family, but that’s the least of her troubles when escaped prisoner and Neo-Nazi (as if to make James’ role more intimidating), Dominick and his crew come knocking for some hidden trophy.
There are some great moments towards the beginning of the movie where the captured images portray Lulu’s life in juxtaposition to the life of an inmate, suggesting her imprisonment from the world around her. It is this wall that she has placed around her to protect her or isolate her from everything that will be torn down, bit only in the wake of some devastating ordeal.

It’s the anarchic moments that truly lift this film from revenge flick doldrums however, as directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion amp up the special effects and bring home the gore, and with it unleashing Becky’s zealot for death and destruction, serving as an outlet for her inner rage. Peppered with Nima Fakhrara’s kicking score, these moments are a mix of camp and gross out horror, the pick of the bunch going to a certain outboard motor. 

The Prognosis:

Don’t necessarily judge the book from its cover.

Becky may appear to be your usual revenge home invasion flick but its pulse is beating pure mayhem and delight that will suit fans of gore.

Kevin James may not fit the bill as the film’s villain, but this is Lulu Wilson’s movie and she owns her titular role as the teenager on the brink of rage and turmoil.
When she is unleashed, there is no holding back.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Lords of Chaos

22 Monday Jun 2020

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Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund has been slowly carving up a career looking at suitably unhinged characters and the psyche of the human mind throughout the few feature films he has heralded so far.
These in turn were built on the shoulders of numerous music videos, working with talents such as Prodigy, Metallica, Madonna, and Rammstein, so it was of little surprise that in 2018 he would turn his attention to some music roots closer to home albeit with his neighbouring country, Norway and the birth of the black metal scene that surfaced in the early 90s.
Metal has always been synonymous with horror films, so it seems fitting to have a film that circulates these two themes as the cornerstone of its narrative. 

From the get go Åkerlund throws in the caveat that the story is about truth and lies, allowing him as the creative to have free license around the events that unfolded between Euronymous, Varg and the Black Circle.
As he weaves in the real-life characters who strive for infamy whether that is through music or political empowerment, inner turmoil surmounts to a place that can only result in destruction.
The question remains for those not familiar with the history, is whose destruction will it ultimately be and at what cost?

Watching Rory Culkin’s performance as the narrator and mastermind behind Mayhem, Euronymous, I’m once again reminded of the strength of his performance as an actor as he sways from likeable, annoying, disturbing, and back to likeable again with chameleon-like ability on-screen.
In many ways, Culkin is the centrepin of the film, resting on the need for the audience to engage with his actions, whether it is with disgust or delight as he attempts to carve out a trajectory that will transport him into fame and beyond. 

The true horror of the piece lies within the extent to which all the characters will go to in order to not only outperform but shock each other for the cause.
The further they descend into hell, the murkier the original cause becomes and no matter how much Euronymous tries to salvage the situation and maintain control, anarchy has already been unleashed and too many fractured actions will inevitably splinter the group.
The focus primarily being between newcomer Varg and his ambitions to direct Norway away from christianity and toward Odinism. 

The delivery of the film is also nicely off cantor, so that feeling of unpolished actions resonate strongly, especially as the characters are always on the brink of implosion, which invariably brings about panic or stupidity and Åkerlund never shies away from exposing those moments of mindlessness.

The Prognosis

There are moments of pure joy, anarchy and Mayhem throughout the film that highlights the plight and peril of a deliberately disorganised association’s attempt to resurrect a new medium into the world, only to stare at the horror and destruction that unfolds around them in the process.
The damned will be doomed.

There is no salvation.

Just the remnants of what once stood before them.

Burn the walls down and cut away at life’s obstacles and you fear exposing the frailty of humanity beneath it all. 

Director Jonas Åkerlund manages to do this while providing an engaging storyline, supported by some great performances, grounded in the reality of the environment and all the more harrowing that it is based in truth… and lies of course.

  • Saul Muerte

Lords of Chaos is available to view via Video On Demand
or buy from Umbrella Entertainment.

Movie review: I Trapped The Devil

07 Sunday Jun 2020

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Built as a supernatural horror film, I Trapped The Devil pits a highly interesting premise for a directorial feature debut, and Josh Lobo’s passion project certainly aims high in what is essentially a strong drama-led piece. 

The premise follows a couple, Matt and Karen who pay a visit to Matt’s brother Steve, a man who is clearly troubled following the death of his wife, Sarah. Steve is also harbouring a secret… he claims to have imprisoned the devil himself in his basement, but is this a figment of his imagination as he slips into the recesses of a depraved mind, or has he somehow managed to actually ensnare the prince of darkness?

For a film that is weighted in dialogue and exposition on the realms of power, control, action and inaction, it requires someone with the acting prowess to pull off the gravitas of the piece. So, one of Lobo’s masterstroke is in the casting of mumblegore alumni, AJ Bowen (You’re Next, The Sacrament) as Matt, who molds his character to the scenario and makes the predicament a believable one, and produces genuine reactions arising out of his performance. He is also ably supported by Scott Poythress as Steve and Susan Theresa Burke as Karen, and the trio provide enough of a hook to keep you engaged during the grittier moments. 

Too often though, there are gaps in the drama and these wallowing moments in the film feel stagnant at times, as though we’re sinking into a quagmire of gloom. Visually this can be hard to connect with the storyline and sends the audience adrift as a result. 

With a bit more experience I feel that Lobo could generate more ambience out of those lull moments, but in this case, he papers over the gaps with music to stimulate or invigorate mood.

The prognosis:

The shifts and changes in drama are the strongest component in this film with a superb cast and Lobo ably plays with the psychology and past of three characters and how they interplay with one another when thrust into a strange and surreal situation, ramping up the tension.

It does suffer from the downbeats in the movie though and as such can be a struggle to watch.

  • Saul Muerte 

I Trapped The Devil is available to view via Video On Demand
or buy from Umbrella Entertainment.

Movie review: The Wretched

18 Monday May 2020

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I gotta say that before I begin to cast my thoughts on the film, I am definitely not of the right demographic age-wise. The film is aimed primarily towards Gen Z and with that zest for life comes the rekindled imaginations of yester-year. 

Much like Disturbia did for the Millenials, The Burbs for the X Generation, and Rear Window did for the Baby Boomer generation, we have a protagonist predominantly placed in his home where he witnesses foul play going on next door. In this instance, we follow Ben, “a defiant teenage boy” who has been sent to stay with his father during the summer. His parents are currently going through a divorce which lends some weight as to why Ben has started to go off the rails. During his stay, Ben slowly discovers that all is not as it seems in this marina town, and not only that but appears to be possessed by some weird demonic witch like creature from the woods that we later learn to discover is a cross between Black Annis and the Boo Hag.

There are some genuinely decent moments in here for the hardened soul and the creature fx are believable enough to blend into the landscape, but the fear itself is often all too “twee” and never stirs the heart.

Despite this, the performances and characters are engaging enough for you to care about Ben’s plight with some decent twists in the mix, that on face value surprise and delight, but on closer inspection, doesn’t necessarily add up. Sometimes the MacGuffin is enough to change or suspend disbelief that you forgive its faults, but here they jar and the smoke and mirrors are left in plain sight, shattering any vague illusion that the director was hoping to achieve.

The Prognosis

Another sugar coated saccharine sweet horror film that lives in the shadows of exceptional movies without offering an ounce of originality.

If you like fluffy, light hearted horror, then by all means give this a whirl, but from this writer’s perspective, The Wretched struggles to lift itself above a mediocre horror… just.

  • Saul Muerte

Wretched is screening now until 18 July in Foxtel Store 

In selected Cinemas 25 June onwards – Cinema List below 

VICTORIA & TASMANIA
June 25 Nova Carlton, VIC
June 25 Wallis Mildura, VIC
June 25 Peninsula Cinemas Rosebud, VIC
June 25 Horsham Centre Cinema, VIC
June 25 Ararat Cinema, VIC
June 25 Metro Cinemas Bernie, TAS

NEW SOUTH WALES
July 2 Griffith Cinemas
July 2 Bathurst Metro Cinemas
July 2 Metro Cinemas Lake Haven
July 9 Laurieton Plaza Cinemas
July 9 Saraton Theatre Grafton

QUEENSLAND & NORTHERN TERRITORY
June 25 Alice Springs Cinema, NT
June 25 Cineplex Hawthorne, QLD
June 25 Cineplex Redbank, QLD
June 25 Cineplex South Bank, QLD
June 25 Cineplex Victoria Point, QLD
July 16, Malanda Cinemas, QLD

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
June 25 Wallis Mitchem, SA
June 25 Wallis Mt Barker, SA
June 25 Wallis Noarlunga, SA
June 25 Wallis Piccadilly, SA
June 25 Esperance Cinema, WA

Available to rent On Demand from 2 September 
via Google Play, Fetch TV, Microsoft &  Apple TV 

Movie review: Butt Boy

03 Sunday May 2020

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Butt Boy trailer

On face value, one could easily dismiss this film as a cheap and crass view of the criminal underworld that speaks to those trapped in an anal retentive phase, but if tou were to look up the defintion of someone that fits that description, you’ll discover that it is a scientific stage of psychosexual development and can originate in something as simple as orderliness and the need for all things fitting in its right place.

Butt Boy may have started out as a joke concept, but director, writer and actor, Tyler Cornack and his creative team soon developed a deeply thrilling and dark ride into the recesses of our human mind at its infancy.

Central to this rectal fascination is bored IT Engineer Chip, who is stuck in a dead-end marriage with no sexual drive, that is until he has a routine prostate exam that ignites his sexuality and sends him on a journey of self exploration into dark territory.
The twist in this tale is that it soon develops into a crafty and quirky cat and mouse game, as police detective, Russell Fox, is hired to uncover the disappearance of a child at Chip’s place of work. Fox is ruthless and will stop at nothing to get his man, even if it means going where no one dares to go. His theory is wild, but he may have good reason to suspect the mild-mannered Chip has been harbouring everything where the sun doesn’t shine. Only problem is that he has no proof, he’s a reformed alcoholic, and his sponsor just so happens to be Chip.

The key to Butt Boy’s success as a story is that it heralds tw excellent leads in Tylers’ Cormack and Rice, but above it all is that the whole thing is played straight. Think of the time that De Niro went head to head with Pacino in Heat in the way that two icons go head to head in a game of wits but set in the bowels of depravity. Each character is fighting to exist and seeking some sense of satisfaction and prove something of themselves and this tightly gripped drama with explosive consequences.

The Prognosis:

Make sure you don’t turn the other cheek when you encounter this feature. Embrace the film for what it is. A smart, entertaining drama that is bold enough to tackle some of humanity’s fantasies rear on, that doesn’t hold back until its thrilling conclusion.

Butt Boy should be celebrated for its originality and bold approach to the crime drama genre, marking it as one of my favourite films of the year.

  • Saul Muerte

 Butt Boy is available to view via Video On Demand from Wed, 6th May

Movie review: Come To Daddy

31 Tuesday Mar 2020

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As sons, we always have unfinished business with our fathers. So I thought, ‘What would happen if that unfinished business came looking for us?

Ant Timpson – Director

These words surmise the kernel of Ant Timpson’s vision and directorial debut feature, Come To Daddy and its this beating heart that drives the narrative forward and compels you further into what is essentially a dark and twisted comedy. 

Visually and choreographically, this is a simply glorious film, with a beautifully hypnotic and enchanting score by Karl Stevens, that infuses old school 70s espionage thrillers with an eerie, unearthly bass-fuelled playfulness that is the perfect accompaniment to the narrative.

Come To Daddy encloses some of our greatest fears and trepidations by tapping into a family divided by place and time, but connected by blood and loyalty and this becomes tested by opening up Pandora’s Box to be faced with uncertainty and morbid curiosity.
What lies beneath the surface may be better left untouched, and for those that probe and tweak a little further, can herald some unpleasant surprises. Timpson had a clear vision in mind for his feature, drawing from a personal account with the passing of his own father as his inspiration.
This is evident throughout the film and gives the storyline the much-needed gravitas to direct the audience through the wild and strange happenings that occur and explores the relationship of father and son.

When Norval (Elijah Wood), a ‘privileged man-child’ receives a letter from his estranged father of thirty years to come and visit him. Seeing this as a chance to rekindle their relationship, Norval is surprised to find that his father may not be who he had envisioned. And what’s more, carries some baggage that he may not necessarily wish to inherit.

There’s something quite remarkable about off-kilter, independent films that despite appearances play a tune that is so perfectly in sync with its equilibrium and defies expectations and in this case, Timpson belies his novice attempt at a feature and you’d be forgiven for thinking that he was a veteran in his craft.
The notes and beats are flawless as Norval’s trials and tribulations play out on screen to the delight of its audience. Despite its macabre storyline, Come To Daddy peppers along with much amusement as it playfully dances with our hearts in the most dire of situations and keeps us guessing about the fate of Norval.

Wood is fantastic as the lead and is chameleonic in that way that he brings life to the character with his curious eccentricity, both physically and mentally, showing the flaws and humanity, which is both refreshing and ultimately rewarding as we follow Norval’s journey.
Wood’s performance is even more elevated by his support players, who are a real treat to watch, from Stephen McHattie’s suitably unbalanced Gordon, to the always fantastic Michael Smiley as Jethro, and Martin Donovan’s all-round solid delivery of Brian, make this an ensemble cast that would make most directors proud to be involved with.

The Prognosis:

So many ingredients that combine to make this a gem of a movie. 
It’s not something I can pigeonhole, if I’m honest.
Is it a quirky, yet intriguing independent feature? Yes
Does it produce some high quality visual treats in harmony with scintillating audio stimulation? Yes
Does it tickle the darkest humour of the human psyche? Yes
Does it prove Ant Timpson to be a master of his craft with an array of stellar talent? Yes.
So, what are you waiting for? Head over to Umbrella Entertainment and treat yourself to a superbly entertaining movie, that will not disappoint.

  • Saul Muerte

 Come To Daddy is NOW available to view via Video On Demand

Blu-Ray & DVD from June 2020