Hold the Dark (2018)

Rage; isolation; canines

By: JWBM

"Hold the Dark" takes place in a particular area of Alaska that becomes a character in itself. It's cold, it's harsh, it's remote: it attracts a variety of different types that adapt to a degree, or transform into something else entirely. The sleepy town gets turned up side down when a researcher gets called to look into a local woman's child who was recently visited by wolves.

At the forefront of this feature, the atmosphere and pacing has a certain grip that squeezes tighter and tighter. It's intense, somber, and transfixing—wanting to see more and be involved with these particular people and this particular place. It's as dark, moody, and violent as a thriller at select times, while also being heavy on the mystery, and sporadic with knives-raised, guns-drawn action. It's full of bizarre behaviors and motivations that'll make you cock the head to the side, and then possibly lock a few doors just in case. On the one hand your brain has a hundred and one questions, but on the other you feel the sheer ferocity and emotional impact of the moment. The film has so many bizarre aspects going on as to be its own form of an alternate reality that goes back and forth between rightfully teasing your sense of disbelief to making you question its take on rational viewpoints. The story is layered in enough elusive directions that it might take two viewings and some clever discussions with your friends to unravel it all.

"Hold the Dark" comes across as a mix of mental illness, supernatural hints, animalistic behavior, and forgotten/neglected locals who've lost their way. There are times where you have something to follow; there are other times where you are led astray to have a surprise that hits you broadside. The film is methodical and carefully paced—crafting and developing a certain scene before moving on to the next sensation. The story isn't going to take the place of other features with richer character development and more dramatic moments you can sympathize with. Though it took something you've probably seen before and gave it a unique, more aesthetic spin. In other hands it could have been a complete, convoluted mess from so many angles and tone shifts.

What's interesting is with or without the mystery angle, it still works as a cold-blooded, unmerciful revenge thriller involving the woman's husband who's returned from war with a cold, unflinching demeanor and a dangerous set of skills. As often seen, the person goes through a transformation, but there's never a clear cut winner on either side. Just fragments of emotions with jagged corners that still manage to cut and sting when reflected on.

Rating: 7.5/10

Director: Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin; Green Room)
Actors: Jeffrey Wright; Alexander Skarsgard
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

When Angels Sleep (2018)

Crossing the line

By: JWBM

This Spanish made thriller is essentially about a perfect storm of events leading up to someone getting hurt from one bad choice after another. It doesn't outright lay its cards on the table, but it instead requires you to individually process the situation by leaving room for interpretation to some debatable aspects: from an over-worked society, trying to be everywhere at once for your family, to not accepting responsibility. No one in this film is capable of listening, asking for help, or following the rules. It's like watching a preventable, horrific train wreck from a little thing called stubbornness we often succumb to.

What's different over your typical story is it blurs the lines between good and bad. There is no hero or better person, though there may be a villain in some form of the definition. There may be someone to root for, or nothing they may do may be relatable in the slightest and get on your nerves. It depends on your patience, morals, or stand points to analyze and pick apart the layers. Sure, the police and the courts would have something to say about it, but it's at a gray point where things turn into a tangled mess. It reminds me in some ways of the beginning of "Breaking Bad," though with different people in different circumstances. Specifically where the character initially crosses the line, and then after is locked into creating his own framework that's at a complete 180 from the societal norm for the sake of his family.

The majority of the film takes place in rural areas at night, so attempting to watch this with any shred of light in the room and you may end up squinting. Its mode of action starts to shuffle itself back and forth with driving this way, running that way, or fighting over here. The performances—I'd recommend the Spanish language version over the dubbed—from the two leads gives this a certain divide, where oh-crap-I-messed-up desperation meets I-took-some-scary-drugs panic. Some of the latter was amped up to the extreme to further the narrative. While possibly true to the state of confusion and distortion of reality, it still can come across as about as fun as attempting to argue logic with your aggressive, drunk friend.

While not a perfect execution of its more action oriented scenes or its more complex themes, the film—while also not a pleasant or appeasing experience in the normal sense—is still worth a go if you're looking for a challenging debate between your friends.

Rating: 6/10

Director: Gonzalo Bendala (Asesinos inocentes)
Actors: Julian Villagran, Ester Exposito, Marian Alvarez
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

Ánimas (2018)

Family, friends, and loved ones

By: JWBM

This Spanish made film is a deep-rooted, psychological look at a connected group of relationships, but unlike any other you may have seen before. In a creative twist, it deals with moving on from negative aspects of family, moving away from old friends holding you back, and moving closer to new ones that may bring on a shimmering hope of light to all of the enshrouding darkness. One can only dream.

This maintains an overall downbeat vibe with a mix of symbolism and hidden meaning: such as material objects and sense of time playing tricks. The film is strange and allusive; with interactions and dialogue that are as slippery as tap shoes on ice. Though it's also well-crafted in that it moves with a sense of grace and allure. It's part drama, mystery, and thriller, with the intention to alternate tones in order to peel back the bruised layers and get to a more ripe resolution. It's more show than tell, delivering a share of slow burn atmosphere that causes your thoughts to mainly linger around a particular evolving apartment complex that takes on a life of its own. One can hide or seek help.

"Ánimas" maintains a great balance between being artful, emotional, and stirring all at once. While this has some thrilling moments to rile the senses, this is far from action oriented in order to become intimate with the characters and settings; it flows more dream-like, bordering on nightmarish at times than anything else. The main star, Alex—played by Clare Durant—delivers a dynamic performance: from self-loathing, to caring of others, and then looking for a sense of need and purpose related to her family and best friend Abraham. Ultimately, the obscured though measured messages in the film tend to stay with you. Such as showing us the careful balance of being alone and in our own head growing up; pessimism is a rain cloud that will eventually blow away, but, even with help, it's up to us to take charge and make that change. One can do more than just dream.

Rating: 8.5/10

Director: Laura Alvea, Jose F. Ortuno
Actors: Clare Durant, Ivan Pellicer
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

#SquadGoals (2018)

Death by scholarship

By: JWBM

On its surface, this is a day in the life story of some articulate, mature, and personable high school students about to head off to the next phase of their life. Underneath, an uglier side lingers that might threaten their future outlooks when some fellow students die in strange ways. Adults never listen and it's up to the head school reporter to unlock the truth.

As a drama-light this works to a degree with some decent acting chops and natural chemistry between the characters, though as a mystery/suspense film the premise never gets over being preposterous to fully get behind its darker side. It has long enough stretches in between its more thrilling moments in order to get to know the individual roles, but at the same time it causes you to put your guard down and then never put it up again. Its delivery is more on the safe side than it is crass, menacing, or blood-thirsty; more like a sarcastic/self-aware, tongue-in-cheek tone than anything else.

Sure, "#Squadgoals"—aka "Deadly Scholars"—is charming to an extent and some trying things happen for kids that age, but it's also not daring or adventurous enough to make this a two-times over watching experience. It feels like your everyday, by-the-book TV drama that decided to throw in some attempts of a crazed person angle, but both end up jiving like a shark hunting prey on land. It's got that we need to explore everybody's feelings and let that simmer angle, with the putting you on the edge of your seat for something that will keep you up at night side screaming to get out. It's hard to tell who this would be targeted at, but it's not to say that the filmmakers and performers didn't put some effort into what they were given.

Rating: 4/10

Director: Danny J. Boyle (Killer Assistant; Abduction of Angie)
Actors: Kennedy Lea Slocum, Sheryl Lee, Corey Fogelmanis, Alexa Mansour, Peyton Clark
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

All Light Will End (2018)

Thrillers: weekend retreat killers

By: JWBM

A woman—who suffers night terrors from childhood—debates going on a trip to her home town for her brother's graduation. She finally makes the decision and a group of her friends gear up for the road trip to head to her parents' cabin. There, the culmination of her nightmares rears its head.

The film drops pieces to the puzzle and delivers some mood with dreams and flashbacks, though it's to the point where the mystery angle becomes unbalanced and it turns into a giant string-along. I mean, we get to see the lead's day-to-day, which is often a numbing, withdrawn experience as she's haunted by something inexplicable. Either from lack of direction or an undeveloped character, her face is like a pretty backdrop that rarely changes expression. Her dad—the local Sheriff—has a strange investigation going on around the small country town with his inept, out-of-place, comic relief back up that stands around cracking sarcastic jokes.

The story is so vague and rough around the edges for a portion of its duration that by the time it decides to pull out of a lower gear to create tension and suspense, they lost you to a maze of vagaries. It's far from predictable, yet it's like the writer went back in the script and took out every related clue that would have given away the twist. But at the same time it took the wind out of its sails and made the ride somewhat obscured, directionless, and head-scratching related to some segments after the fact. It's a prime example of just how challenging writing and then, in turn, telling a well-rounded mystery can be; it requires gravitating characters and a layered story you can get behind more so than crafty manipulation or smoke and mirrors. Eventually there's a violent finale in the vain of a horror showdown, however without the intricate motivations to make this reality believable, it comes across as shake-the-head ridiculous. 

"All Light Will End" has fragments of potential that might have instead worked better as a short mystery/thriller to keep the experience flowing like a well-greased machine. As a full length feature it lacks the kind of consistent and intriguing content to keep your eyes wide and your brain searching in the right directions.

Rating: 2/10

Director: Chris Blake
Actors: Ashley Pereira, Sarah Butler, Andy Buckley
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

House of Deadly Secrets (2018)

She makes a killer cherry pie

By: JWBM

A mother and daughter move into a new house that turns out to have a dark past. Meanwhile, one of the neighbors—a kind of Betty White meets Norman Bates—has the intention to see that they get out no matter the consequences.

This has the look and feel of a stepping stone movie where almost everyone involved already has their sights on the next project. It's somewhat dry and boxed in at times; the difference of a peak at a real home versus a department store catalog one. For a story about deep rooted issues related to obsession and dual personalities, it feels awfully pedestrian and like they were imitated from other fiction. Instead of having the character act out her motivations, she often narrates out loud and takes the punch right out of her supposed dark actions. I'm all for stories taking their time to build up suspense and character development, though it strikes too much of a balance in that she's able to conveniently recognize her own behavior as normal or strange when it suits the story. They made her jaded but sympathetic, which seemed like the only focus to details.

This is not an experience to constantly jolt the senses—it's more basic story-telling that explores one aspect at a time and then leads into the next progression. Though even with that, its layers are as easily visible and exciting as a glass ant farm with a few ants moving about and every now and again something happens that would alter their course. Minimalist stories can work either through mood, pacing, or the performances to keep the senses awake, yet this still feels somewhat lacking in an overall gravitating immersion that instead requires a few pauses and stretches to get through it.

The actors tend to read their lines and meet their marks without bridging that into something more than the script called for. For instance, the whole shaky relationship angle between mother and father felt slapped in for some forced drama; the reasoning was just a weak excuse to have resolution. The mother and daughter also acted more as a catalyst to the events than characters with layers or backbone. One of those, "I don't know what's going on, but this is crazy" kind of casual observers you see at the scene of a crime rather than someone with more stakes and involvement.

While the film was professionally made to an extent, the story was too easy at times. Watch it on a sleepy, rainy afternoon, though don't expect it to make your Saturday night more alive.

Rating: 3.5/10

Director: Doug Campbell (Locked Away; Bad Sister)
Actors: Patty McCormack, Angie Patterson
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube trailer

My Teacher, My Obsession (2018)

There is no "us" or "we"

By: JWBM

Many adolescent girls or boys generate infatuations from a limited world view. While those fantasies often never materialize, in a way they help us formulate what we may or may not want to strive for in future relationships. Once we mature, we realize it's a give and take. Though with a handful of others, something never clicks and puppy love takes a dark and controlling turn.

A ruggedly handsome English teacher—Chris—and his late teen daughter—Riley—move to small town suburbia for a fresh start. Riley soon meets Kyla: a smart, pretty, and determined gal who quickly connects from her attentive and confident nature. Kyla says all the right words, but has other schemes in mind when she sets her eyes on the muscle-bound teacher who's an older and single man. Soon we find out how emotionally manipulative Kyla is to get her way at the expense of others. Nothing is mutual, self-less, or genuinely giving—it's all feigned in a desperate effort to satisfy fantasies and dominate someone else's needs and feelings.

While this didn't have any glaring or outright confusing flaws with the initial story, it still feels somewhat careful and safe as an overall experience. It takes on taboo topics, though the mode of storytelling keeps it simple by analyzing one aspect at a time. It doesn't leave room for surprises or to keep your mind going in different directions, other than what you can somewhat predictably guess will happen next after taking a gander at the trailer. It's about as transparent as a freshly cleaned window on a bright day; not giving the actors much to work with behind the boxed in scope.

"My Teacher, My Obsession" is more a family and relationship drama than it is pulse-pounding thriller. The performances—while not award winning to begin with—were often undercut by over explanation on motivation and feelings, leaving little for the audience to take away after the fact. Instead of centering on the teacher, it keeps him more in the background to further the story by making him oblivious and have mental blocks to put the obvious pieces together of practically anything in front of him. I mean, the guy is an English teacher with perspective and analytical skills. This is not "Fatal Attraction" with a back and forth, cat and mouse game. Instead we get to watch Kyla's step by step planning—behind the scenes and in front of others—making any bit of daring bite the narrative could have had never break the skin.

Rating: 4.5/10

Director: Damian Romay (Below the Surface)
Actors: Lucy Loken, Rusty Joiner, Laura Bilgeri
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link 

Cam (2018)

A world your ad blocker never lets you see

By: JWBM

Welcome to the world of online cam girls, where there's a melting pot of the weird, erotic, and downright playful. Looks, attitude, and going along with anything thrown your way by lonely men desperately tapping away on their keyboards will bring your ratings soaring to the top.

Things are going well for a south west gal who goes by the handle of Lola. Her friends and family might be uptight and clueless, though that doesn't stop her from transforming her apartment and evolving her day to day life around being successful at what she does. Right when she's lapping up a series of praises and tokens from her eclectic clients, someone takes over her account, pretending to be her to an unmistakable degree. In an online make-believe world of superficial friends and relationships, few may care that an imposer stole her identity, or that it's not actually her still one-upping herself.

Being a subject matter on the "darker" side of the web, this manages to keep it rated R with some light nudity and more of a fun and suspenseful environment, rather than being something as daring as, say, "9 Songs." Though there is an actual story to tell about something few might care to talk about after the fact. The film does a decent job setting up its premise, showing how this all works, then keeping your interest as the mystery unravels. The drama portion was somewhat light on its feet to tackle the double identity portion of it, or to show not all of it can be glamorous. The tension of it can be boiled down to a single, mostly predictable scene and then reset after that. The lead actress—Madeline Brewer—can be both bubbly and naughty to flesh out her Lola persona, while then transitioning to being tenacious to her work, to then getting herself back on track no matter the stakes.

The thriller portion, while it kept up a consistent pacing, and had some smooth transitions from one scene to the next, isn't going to be as mind-blowing or conversational as, say, an Adrian Lyne sexy thriller like "Indecent Proposal." It's also going to require you to put some pieces together yourself. For a film with some cheap thrills, it's subtle and not spelled out in a manifesto, which I feel still works with no issue to tie it together, but might not work for other viewers who want names, faces, and facts. However, the overall film still has some of its own personality, and ended up being a lightly tantalizing and diverting experience by showing something not normally explored.

Rating: 6/10

Director: Daniel Goldhaber
Actors: Madeline Brewer
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube trailer

Tau (2018)

Evolution of the circle

By: JWBM

What is life? No one would question a man or animal that walks and breathes as living. What are emotions? Put a man or animal into a stressful situation outside of routine and no one would question their actions or individual motivations as not being emotional. The bigger question is: Can man create life and emotions, or even individual thought patterns, apart from his DNA?

The story has an interesting sense of evolution to it. Where it starts out like your everyday horror feature with a lone, pretty blonde being kidnapped and experimented on by some rich, hyper-intelligent tycoon, it mutates into something more thought provoking along the lines of science fiction and technological morality. The main villain is an inventor who specializes in lifeforms—he also has success, investors, wealth, and security at his finger tips—though he's obsessive, which makes him alone, and with an ironic sense of being a two-dimensional force lacking in proper human interaction and normal emotional responses. We get to see his test subjects grow and excel beyond their initial capabilities from the caged predicament they are put into—because life flourishes; emotions can't always be held back or controlled.

The lead, Julia—played by Maika Monroe of "It Follows"—is fierce, smart, and adaptive. What separates her from her captor is she recognizes needs and injects careful feeling into processing a situation where true interaction stems. There are intriguing questions of why life protects life from a mutual friendship or benefit, to moral questions of life ending life from severing a relationship or usefulness. Things can't be governed by solely logical actions, as they can't be pure emotions either. Existence isn't perfection, neither is it always nailed down by a single definition in the page of a book.

The film takes place in a single environment, though it used the confined spaces to outline everyday aspects the normal person caught in a routine wouldn't sit down and ponder on. This isn't going to be a lecture by any means; it still has a sense of entertainment with suspense, and a connection to the characters: one human test subject, and one computer test subject who make an unlikely bond that's memorable enough to last after the credits roll.

Rating: 8/10

Director: Federico D'Alessandro
Actors: Maika Monroe, Ed Skrein, Gary Oldman
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

The Open House (2018)

Can't trust anyone these days

By: JWBM

A mother and son befell by a sudden tragedy, end up staying at a family member's house till they can get back on their feet. The catch is they will be alone in a remote area of the woods, and the house is on the market with a series of strangers coming and going. As any fan of horror knows, this spells trouble from the get-go.

A majority of the film plays out as a drama/suspense with some tension between the characters over their recent event and new situation at hand, along with some mischievous happenings in between that start to go from mildly annoying and uncomfortable, to seriously strange and creepy. One of those, we're stuck, police can't do much, and a Joe and Jane are up against something over their head.

We get to know the inner workings of the characters—which have ordinary habits and patterns just like you or I. This is a more traditional take on horror, with tried and true mechanics to put you in their place, and then to get under your skin and create some tension. It has a basic formula to it, though to its credit, it also creates interest by building from scratch and involving more ingredients to the mix as time presses on. Both main stars have a certain chemistry together, and a natural way of fleshing out the individual scenes. 

A majority of the film is essentially one grand culmination till a climactic showdown. I say showdown instead of revelation, because it uses the playbook from "The Strangers" with little explained except what you see before your eyes. This draws a line in the sand: The idea is to keep the nervous insomniacs in check, or to infuriate all-too-comfortable viewers looking for a generous reward—take your pick. This isn't going to be as well-rounded like, say, "Rear Window" with an inventive story, a good deal of tension and mystery, or where you know who's who, or what's what by the time things are wrapped up. It's still better than "Open House" from 2010, which felt aimless and pretentious.

There are some portions that fill space to throw your scent off, making the atmosphere more odd and curious at times than outright scary. This also makes what happens beforehand more for shocking emotional impact, rather than something that's going to peel back further layers after the fact. Having the mindset of it being more cinematic than logical might save yourself useful brain cells and energy. That, in turn, makes this a one-shot wonder that works up to a certain degree for a quick, late-night distraction on a weekday night, but doesn't have much power to return to it after the fact.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote
Actors: Dylan Minnette, Piercey Dalton
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube trailer

Unsane (2018)

When help spells violation

By: JWBM

Now, imagine both protagonist and antagonist are unlikable and not what society would deem a "good" or upstanding person. You don't have this hero and villain story, but more like the odd versus the ruthless. In a sense, they're both relatable in that we're all just trying squeeze what we can from life, whether that's real or fantasized. For some it's nature in the woods with a one-sided love angle, for others it's rising the corporate ladder for power while stepping on some toes. Realism may ground us, yet some delusion may be healthy to ease the mind. What it boils down to, is there are certain rationale and motivations that separate us: some live entirely in Candyland, while others make appointments for dentists.

A woman who looks like a lady, but lacks in most social graces—candid, direct, and doesn't feign interest if not interested—finds herself in a new city at a new job. She's far from happy or making others around her happy, so she sees a counselor in an attempt to reconcile her past and why she moved away from everything she knew. In some sudden move, she becomes institutionalized—forget the Pepsi—against her will. She encounters one stressful and violating moment after the next, until she starts to act like a caged animal to escape, while simultaneously toppling her fears that make her edgy and distrustful. If there's anyone that can do it, it's someone like her: being capable of throwing coffee in your face, or slapping you at the mere opening of a door. She's not a princess or in anyone's voting roaster for etiquette committee, that's for sure.

What makes the overall experience somewhat disappointing, is the tone of the film is all over the place. It feels scatterbrain: where one motivation or thought would connect with the next, it's as if another person was read the gist of what was going on and attempted to pick up the pieces. From one person's personality and driving point playing leap frog, to even the music over top doesn't always seem to match the emotional context underneath. It makes the acting and editing in between scenes not always come across as a smooth transition. Being a thriller with touchy subject matter, you often feel uncomfortable for the story, and also for the jarring sense of disconnect to the characters and events.

This centers in a place where the mind is often held together by thin fragments, though instead of feeling real or even surreal, it comes across as believable as the message on a fortune cookie written over in pen. The direction and script attempted to juggle too many personalities, too many complex questions, and one too many genres in the same breath. It's one of those stories that you either fall under its spell or become disenchanted. While it's not a disaster, it's also not up there with other solid psychological thrillers such as "Perfect Blue"—that likewise deals with a stalker—or "Jacob's Ladder"—that deals with the fragility of the mind. Those films had subject matter that twisted and turned into a visceral, mutated mass that still managed to deliver in the moment by moment, while also being capable of holding on to its sense of logic, mystery, and suspense without losing touch.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Steven Soderbergh (Kafka, Traffic, Ocean's Eleven)
Actors: Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

10x10 (2018)

A complex room, not simple multiplication

By: JWBM

Our society works as a careful balance. We have certain aspects set up to make things go as smooth as possible, from something as simple as a stop sign, to something as complex as the consequences to murder. It takes a different kind of person to commit a heinous act against another with little regard for the law. Though there is a gray area where sometimes things are more tricky than they seem: this is where "10x10" takes place.

The tone is a mix of mystery and drama with some built up suspenseful moments. This is a simple revenge tale with the exception of having a custom padded cell hidden away in a remote house to spice it up. A tormented man kidnaps a local woman in broad day light at a public parking lot no less. What looks to be a random or predatory, can't-resist-this-woman encounter, turns out to be that both have a commonality.

The story reveals bit by bit as it unfolds, with the heat getting turned up to a boiling degree by its showdown. The man, Lewis—played by Luke Evans—is an everyday man who's consumed by a fuming mix of anger and depression that makes him unpredictable and nearly broken. The woman, Cathy—played by Kelly Reilly—is your everyday looking redheaded gal around town, but once caged has an inner strength and determination of a few women combined.

This is mostly a no-fuss tale of payback. You get a little drama for emotional impact and some violent moments to get the heart pumping. On paper, the story is as far-fetched as they go. Played out, it comes with some worked through moments to get behind, along with some eye-rolling, illogical ones to shake your head to: such as their mismatched physicalities at points (if you've seen the muscled Luke Evans in "Immortals" you'll understand the contrast).

The direction turns out to be both its strength and its weakness. Instead of an over-the-top, roller-coaster of an experience with little time to look back on such as, say, "Taken" that deals with one-dimensional retribution, the pacing of "10x10" comes with a particular methodical balance to it that grounds some sense of disbelief. Though, what may ruffle some people's feathers, is it incidentally gets the brain working more, but doesn't come with many challenging layers or complex questions to fill in the space with substantial substance. As such, it's a padded feature—albeit with some attempts at atmosphere—that could have been much more.

As far as revenge tales, this isn't going to be anywhere near as grueling as "Oldboy," inventive as "Memento," or even as memorable as "The Count of Monte Cristo." It's a basic, formulaic film with not much in the way of something new to the game, though it gets the job done as a story to put on and put the brain to rest. If you're looking for anything more, you may be disappointed.

Rating: 4.5/10

Director: Suzi Ewing
Actors: Luke Evans, Kelly Reilly
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

The Omen (TV pilot - 1995)

Scientifically evil

By: JWBM

Instead of being born to evil, or being just another relative to Damien Thorn, the premise of this short lived '90s TV pilot is going for a kind of "ER" meets "Outbreak" vibe, though with a sort of unexplainable possession angle to tie in the mediums. The tone is going for a cross between scientific and spiritual, with it being more of the former. An evil force is capable of traveling from person to person with mixed results: some inexplicably die, some live long enough to do some kind of malicious deed, and others fully embrace the force and turn into evil masterminds to carry out maximum chaos and carnage. A hard-nosed reporter who's wife mysteriously died years earlier, a professor of epidemiology, an all-knowing old man on the hunt, and a nurse recently in a coma find themselves with a commonality at a hospital in Boston that has a military secret about to be unleashed if not for some keen intervention.

Not all TV pilots are fully fleshed out. Like a potential date, they are essentially an overview of what's to come: it might not be love at first sight, though great things may come from it if you stick around from some initial characteristics that stand out. I feel like the filmmakers here gave it their best go for the material at hand. The story has a steady pace to it, the actors show some feeling behind their roles, and there's potential for more to come. The action at points felt a little rocky, such as a reporter going from do-what-it-takes-to-get-the-scoop, to John McClane responsive and being a pivotal force to stop dark entities from having their way. The biggest hang-up, though, is that this has little to do with "The Omen" franchise. It was a wild and fresh idea from anything before, no doubt, however it feels like it was also trying desperately to keep up with the times of what was happening in '95 with the medical and scientific approach over a more good versus evil one of the '70s when the first was released. Yet, it still felt more entertaining than the fourth in the series if that tells you anything.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Jack Sholder (The Hidden, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2)
Actors: Brett Cullen, William Sadler, Chelsea Field
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Looking Glass (2018)

A fresh start, a sour experience

By: JWBM

"Looking Glass" feels like the filmmakers switched places. Like a guitarist did a swap with the drummer, and the drummer is now singing. Music is produced, but something feels unnatural in how it all comes together. This attempts to go for a mystery-thriller vibe, but ends up coming with so little content—and then holding back that content to keep it mysterious—that its story feels thin, haphazard, and without artistic merit at times. It comes with little foreshadowing, character development, or bigger use of its setting. It plods to the point that, when something does happen, it feels like you're getting thrown a stale cookie for watching this long.

The movie in a nutshell: Need a change, so bought a motel. I cleaned and repaired stuff at my new motel. I'm an electrician after all! Guests come and go. Better with my hands than with small talk. I stay out late. The Sheriff pays a visit; he likes coffee. I stay in and watch people through a secret peep hole. Should I? The wife and I are hitting the sheets now. I still watch people. Should I? Let's see what happens. Someone threw a dead animal in the pool. I took care of it myself. I got a visit from the Sheriff; he switches to tea. I stay out late. Drama with the wife. Weird people. No more drama with the wife. The end. If you found that insufferable, consider saving yourself an hour and forty three minutes and thirty two seconds and skip this film.

The more you know the characters, the less you want to know them. Can't say it's solely the fault of the actors, but rather a faulty script, and even faultier directing and editing. The character of Ray—played by Nicolas Cage—has the personality of a no-frills, on-the-cheap Sears catalog lamp. Your choices are gray. Choose wisely. His wife—Robin Tunney, as Maggie—does little of anything exceptional or gravitating, except maybe exits the screen with different variations. There's an attempted backstory that simultaneously brings them closer but also creates a bridge between. However, one can't help but feel that it was cut and pasted in to create some forced tension. It eventually culminates into a heated moment to show off some potential acting skills; at that point it's a little too late. I could understand if this came with some building mood to keep it afloat. I mean, it made its attempts with the oddball locals with an undercurrent of... your guess is as good as mine, but it just ends up coming across as awkward in a let-me-position-my-index-finger-closer-to-the-stop-button kinda way.

Rating: 3.5/10

From Black to Red recommends instead: "Blue Velvet" to show how mystery, weirdness, and atmosphere coalesce into a memorable, intriguing, and exciting experience.

Director: Tim Hunter (The Far Side of Jericho, Control)
Actors: Nicolas Cage, Robin Tunney
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

In Darkness (2018)

A hitman and a blind woman walk into a coffee shop

By: JWBM

A professional musician, who's lost her sight as a little girl, lives alone in an apartment in London. As of late, there's been muffled commotion heard from the upstairs quarters where another woman, Veronique, lives. One night, the arguments culminate and Veronique ends up dead. Detectives arrive on scene to investigate and ask the blind woman, Sofia, if she has any information regarding Veronique's sudden death. Soon, Sofia gets slowly pulled into another world when it turns out Veronique may have had more than a few dark secrets.

This is a mystery-thriller that's all about that don't-look-back pacing and didn't-see-that-coming revelations. It's played out with more low-key jabs to earn points, rather than serving up a series of bigger blows. This starts out on a high: delivering pulsating, memorable music, a consistency of creative camera angles, and a certain atmosphere to cement itself as a murder-mystery. Natalie Dormer, as Sofia, comes with the most dynamic to her character. She plays a confident woman who takes on the world in one moment, and then in the next is overly hard on herself when taken down a peg by uncontrollable situations around her. She's a fighter and a survivor despite the odds—that's for sure—though there's a troubling underscore to her that one can't quite put their finger on.

The ultimate intention of "In Darkness" is to entertain. It's saddled between reality and a make-believe world never seen before, or possibly experienced again. It's full of tantalizing scenes and situations to keep your senses alive. Though think too hard on it, or go back for another viewing expecting deeper layers, and you might be disappointed. I mean, they pick a traumatic moment that makes little connection if paused and pondered on as to why that would have lined up the way it did. Instead of delving deeper, the characters just keep reimagining it in similar ways, as if that will make it more rooted as an event.

The main villain is a two-dimensional Jekyll and Hyde without the mental turmoil to solidify him: either doing the nice guy with a foreign accent bit, or the utterly evil guy who mysteriously preys on blind women, but nothing in between to cement him as a living, breathing person you may fear or respect through the barrier of the television set. There's also the go-between, soft-and-hard hitman, Marc—played by Ed Skrein—that's going for Mr. Charm. He has a light edge of danger, but is almost too safe and predictable in that he does exactly what you'd expect him to, and always shows up when needed.

What starts out on a high and with a share of great potential, winds down to a finale that doesn't materialize with stable legs once all of the smoke and mirrors clear. The film feels emotionally powerful at first, but ends up being just a flash, a bang, and ultimately a let-the-senses-go distraction for an on-the-fly, don't-look-back Thursday night.

Rating: 6/10

Director: Anthony Byrne (Short Order, How About You...)
Actors: Natalie Dormer, Ed Skrein, Jan Bijvoet, Joely Richardson
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Fallen (1998)

Some things aren't meant to be noticed

By: JWBM

Many of us have seen or heard of some bad things in our time—often dabbling with revolving questions as to the whys or hows. As terrible and backwards as these actions may seem, there is always some kind of motive or basis. However, fewer have encountered pure evil, or outright morally reprehensible actions that defy general reason or logic. The head scratchers: till your head starts to bleed from its nightmarish implications. These actions are predatory and purposeful, and executed by a higher than average intellect than your typical goon. As if a lion grew a conscious outside of basic instincts and started to look at anything beneath him as an object to toy with. When these dark and questionable things occur, we wonder how any human-being could have been behind them. Is that individual actually flesh and blood like you or I? You'd think this was primarily a question for a priest, but many detectives lay witness to scenes that the average person's eyes would come unglued from.

Detective John Hobbes is feeling on top of the world. He's done caught and bagged the infamous serial killer Edgar Reese, and is now about to watch his execution with a smug grin. Except soon afterwards more murders start to crop up that look suspiciously close to Reese's handiwork. At this point, nothing makes logical sense when the connections or evidence doesn't line up. The detective soon finds out that he may be in over his head when it deals with a power far beyond what he's capable of stopping as just a mortal man with a badge and gun.

The film employs a voice over narrative to give some further thoughts from Hobbes. At times it gives perspective, but at other times they should have scaled back and did a little more show than tell. Denzel Washington—as John Hobbes—gives the role some command and a natural flow in how he delivers his lines in real-speak. He's not just going for what's on the page, but brings to the table little subtleties to make the character feel like a real guy with an on-screen presence each time the camera is fixed on him. He portrays him as a man who was on top of the world—ready to take on any challenge—until he's slowly pulled down by its weight. Though not willingly. Elias Koteas gives a short, but memorable role as Edgar Reese: the emotionally disturbed man about to be executed, but has the enthusiasm of someone who just won a weekend trip to Disneyland for serial killers.

"Fallen" is a thriller bordering on horror that mixes a little bit of "The Exorcist III," "The Prophecy," and "Seven" with its own flair. It does a great job at balancing down-to-earth subject matters with others that may be normally looked at as far-fetched or out there. Those into "The X-Files"-like themes, might make a smooth transition into this story likewise from the '90s. "Fallen" takes them in stride and examines them one moment at a time. By keeping it basic, it flows with some finesse even after 20 years of hitting the big screen. The movie does add some dynamic to its pacing by sprinkling in bits of mystery, drama, and suspense. Though there are times where the film plods along; versus keeping your mind searching, or capable of examining deeper ideas beyond the ones shown. Then again, the story doesn't have the intention of being a race to the finish or biting off more than it can chew. Take that for what it's worth.

This makes for a simple tale, but a well-deserving experience due to the natural interactions between the characters, the real life looking settings, the memorable tones of the soundtrack, and the cinematography that gives another perspective besides what would normally be right in front of your eyes.

Rating: 7/10

Director: Gregory Hoblit ("NYPD Blue," "Primal Fear")
Actors: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, James Gandolfini, Elias Koteas
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

A History of Violence (2005)

Protecting the American Dream

By: JWBM

How much time can go by until the realization sets in that you don't really know someone? Most of us are on our best behavior due to following similar routines and habits. It isn't until a situation falls outside of a person's comfort zone that you notice something unusual that may have been hiding there all along. Getting to know how someone acts is knowing their routines; knowing how someone reacts is knowing the inner person.

Stories such as "Deliverance," for instance, dealt not just with the wild perils of nature, but about bringing out a side of ourselves that we never knew was there if not for a dire set of circumstances that tested our limits and boundaries. "A History of Violence," as the namesake suggests, is an evolution of our complex behavior as human beings with an everyday man who's established the perfect family life for himself—right down to the locally owned diner, and station wagon—until that's threatened to be taken away when backed into a corner. Other movies have scraped the surface of our protective nature as an excuse to get the action going—though this film slowly digs its claws in with more of a subtle look at our subdued primal instincts in the modern day. We're used to seeing animals act out what's natural without batting an eye, but what happens when those things called rules, laws, and safe-guards are taken away from a small town family living the simple life?

The tone has a dark and violent side when it calls for it, though the pacing is played out with more of
a slow burn than a non-stop visceral attack on the senses. For instance, the opening scene is a continuous shot that reminds me of some of Takeshi Kitano films, in how the camera rolls uncut and we're left to read the what-just-happened, what's-gonna-happen on our characters' faces. The story gives a simple build up, and then some layers are intertwined for character development concerning the growing tension amongst this howdy-good-morning family from small town middle of nowhere. This leaves room for the characters to naturally react to the situations at hand without seeming rushed or cut and dry as just a buffer for a John McClane-like action moment. It's not always what's said, compared to how it's portrayed in the face and body language. Mortensen does an authentic job at fleshing out Tom Stall: a man caught between his past and protecting his family in the now. The line "Then we deal with it" about sums up his mild-mannered, spring-to-action demeanor.

This takes a closer look at violence no doubt, though it's also a tale dealing with undercurrents of change, bond, and growth. What makes "A History of Violence" rewatchable, is the filmmaking is more along the lines of a timeless piece—having neither trendy music, catch-phrases, or shameless, I-remember-that advertisements. Cronenberg has a particular directorial style to his films. A knack for conjuring up the surreal and making it seem real when played out in front of your eyes. This is still more rooted in reality over, say, "eXitenZ" of a few years earlier. He's both at the far end of the spectrum of reserved and then effectively point-blank at other times. It can make the experience easy to chew at times, and then hard to swallow at others. What's remarkable is how he can take a basic story about a basic family, and still make it a memorable experience to walk away with.

Rating: 8.5/10

Director: David Cronenberg (Videodrome, Crash, eXistenZ)
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris
Info: IMDB
Trailer: Youtube

Trivia: Reported to be the last film to be printed on VHS by a major studio (on March, 14th 2006).

The Ninth Gate (1999)

Everyone's trying to get their hands on Satan's autograph

By: JWBM

Adapted from Spain's Arturo Perez-Reverte's historically abound novel "The Club Dumas," the film version is a chapter-by-chapter evolving experience in itself. It gives a taste of how far occult literature extends back for the past couple hundred years, and turns what was once heresy into a modern world of wealthy, shadowy characters shamelessly sipping on expensive bottles of human vice. A place where Latin is alive and woodcuts smell of freshly inked templates; dusty areas start to shimmer, strangers in the back shift to the forefront; quiet libraries ring alarm bells, and exquisite vacation spots for foreigners now cause them to requestion their next travel plans.

A collector of rare books commits suicide only a day after he sells his most prized piece. A wheeler and dealer, Dean Corso, gets hired by another book collector exclusively of the dark arts named Boris Balkan, who has since acquired "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows," and wants him to varify its authenticity to the only other two known in the world. The man who authored them back in 1666 was burned at the stake for his blasphemous spoutings. Now in 1999, strange and tragic things start to happen surrounding those who come into its leather-bound, pentagram decorated path. The lingering question: Is it the cause and effect of the books or the unscrupulous people themselves? Or both?

"The Ninth Gate," from director Roman Polanski--"Rosemary's Baby"--presents a tried and true style of move-making that relies on basic but worked through mechanics to deliver the goods. From the gradual build up that gets more and more involved, to the slowly creeping camera angles, antique furnished sets, and who could forget good ol' distinctive orchestras to solidify the tone around it. The experience feels like stepping out of your door and into a more traditional European lifestyle over, say, a Hollywood affair with modern and trendy aspects of the year it came out. Compare this to a string of the millennia-approaching, end-of-times films back then, and you can see a noticeable difference of which ones aged.

There are some twists and turns to give this momentum and make it a memorable experience. However, a share of it has a purposeful simplicity to give room for believability when something outstanding does happen. In order to break into the idea of black magic cults and Lucifer supposedly being a low-key author, there is also a dry and somewhat playful tongue-in-cheek sense of humor sprinkled about. Depp's role, as Corso, is less eccentric than past films and stays closer to an everyday type of shady businessman. With the help of a tentative partner, Corso ends up from one accented person and scenic country to the next. You can imagine the book has passed hands for hundreds of years, yet it's a perfect way to enact survival-of-the-most-evilest in the current day world by enlisting the most greedy, back-stabbing people amongst us that are capable of taking it solely for their own gain. From lusty gold diggers to sign-the-dotted-line-or-die capitalists, the tale makes everyone who gets in its path a victim of their own lust and desires.

"The Ninth Gate" will make one glance at formerly uneventful places in a darker light: a secretive-like atmosphere that is cloaked in enough shadows that the general person is oblivious as to what lurks around them. It also has a certain amount of mystery that gives room to unlock Easter eggs and hidden theories on additional viewings from not outright handing everything over to the viewer. The story and concept itself is intriguing  enough to anticipate what comes next, though underneath, the momentum is guided by an unphysical, somewhat unlikeable book swindler; you get reactions and mundane habits similar to an everyday person who could be your neighbor Bob if not for a sly characteristic and a penchant for a shoulder bag. It's logical why it's set up that way on paper, though watching the experience play out isn't always thoroughly compelling. It's still a well-done and an esteemed film for its cumulative qualities, though hoping for more layers--such as all the musings and step-by-step thoughts in the book version--from the lead on further viewings comes to a stand still at points.

In one respect, the next secluded mansion, not to mention the next time you pass by an antique book store, there will be a little reminder as to what it conceals rather than the usual yawning words and stiff aristocrats. Something that should be left alone or pursued? Well, I guess that choice is up to you and how far you are willing to push your luck to be just a little bit closer to the world below. If not by you, there's always another that will stop at nothing.

Rating: 7.5/10

Director: Roman Polanski (Chinatown, The Tenant, Death and the Maiden)
Stars: Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Emmanuelle Seigner)
Info: IMDB

Trailer: Youtube link

I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

When a victim gets their day

The '70s saw an emergence of films with individuals taking matters into their own hands from "Straw Dogs," "Dirty Harry," "Deliverance," "The Last House on the Left," "Thriller" to "Death Wish" about the justice system being too lenient or not being readily available in the most extreme of cases. Citizens weren't trusting "The Man" or those other two-faces that were supposed to be protecting and serving rather than beating and discriminating.

"I Spit on Your Grave," aka "Day of the Woman," involves drawn out rape and excessive humiliation to amplify that point. By the time it's ready for payback, few are questioning whether its means were justified. It makes sense within the narrow realm of the movie, though its black and white, open and shut delivery doesn't always do itself a service because it leaves little to debate or expose deeper layers. Not to mention, it's such an over-the-top set of scenarios that a viewer might just assume it unlikely and move on. Did she ask for it? Certainly not. Was she justified for what she did? With the extent she went through most would say yes I'd imagine. The film lacks subtlety to go either way with those questions and instead clunks a viewer over the head with its delivery, which makes the experience somewhat basic and straightforward and lacking in challenge. The simple directorial approach has a tendency to show rather than tell, but instead of being more interpretive it feels stripped down to the bare essentials: rape and revenge. The first is depicted with some realism in the way power and domination plays a part in the debasing act. The second is purely cinematic in the way it transitions so easily, not to mention with little question and without a hitch. Everything else with the picture leaves little in between. To its credit there are a share of scenes that are memorable for better or worse and it can keep one's attention glued for the duration even when only one aspect happens at a time.

A young and confident woman from New York City named Jennifer Hills rents a summer house by the edge of the river in a remote area a few hours away. She wants the peace and tranquility to write a fictional novel but finds bigger trouble in the thought to be quaint setting with three bored delinquents and their mentally handicapped, tag-along friend. They carry a sense of entitlement, so when turned down they don't just only take but make a point to degrade this city girl supposedly struttin' her stuff. There's nothing erotic or pleasing to be found here for the viewer, just a purely senseless violation of another person in a lonely, desperate state and setting while the audience helplessly watches on for at least a good 30 minutes. Jennifer even has the slow and agonizing walk of shame back, where you think the antagonists are going to collect their thoughts and feel guilty for what they've done, but then proceed to amp up the carnage like they were just getting warmed up. It went from a spur of the moment action to something far more dark and depraved. It feels like a firm decision was never made as to whether they're supposed to be mirroring real people or just making pure cinema villains that are only ever seen on the big screen. The end result gives a little of both: a minimal outline of their lives, but with actions that don't always line up in the way that they seem to go beyond the explanations shown or given.

The performances of the male characters went from being your typical rowdy bunch to missing all relating points the way they're so over-the-top and know exactly what they're doing. It seemed instinctual and predatory to the point of animalistic. The main actress Camille Keaton doesn't shy away from what the film puts her through. She's dragged into the mud over and over again. Some scenes she's standing fully nude with dirt and grime all over. Or in another instance she's being picked up and manhandled with forceful weight on her tiny frame. The Jennifer character has more to reveal at first, in that an independent woman tries to mark her territory and go about her life but has others taking advantage of her outgoing personality when her guard is down. The portion where the revenge takes place starts to lose relating points in that her cold and determined motivations are kept to herself for the sake of cinematic surprise rather than getting to know how she actually ticks. The only area shown for reflection is the repercussions on the victim's family. Otherwise, it makes her stone-face demeanor seem just as equally unfeeling and depraved as her tormentors. Yeah, violence begets violence and no one is the winner. But it causes the film to unfold as a blatant formula: we all meet, you relentlessly torture me without putting up a fight, I torture you without putting up a fight so you could look shamed and humiliated too, the end. Any questions?

This is a daring film for its day, but due to a shallow script doesn't transcend itself to be more than a go-for-the-throat exploitation piece. The biggest command the picture has and why it's lasted so long is that it doesn't hold back in its cruelty. Even completely dehumanizing stories made by sensationalist papers to bring out fear skip out on at least some details. This is essentially the gratuitous nitty gritty that's left out to get even more under one's skin. The camera angles are fully framed without trick photography, that way little is missed. By not including a score but just sound effects made the movie more effective to put one in the direct moment. Rape doesn't need a theme song, now does it?

"I Spit on Your Grave" purposely tries to aggravate and entice a viewer by using a mentally challenged guy, by having no police presence, by having no remorse or regret except from getting caught, by including a former Marine as if it was a cause and effect, by including slightly older guys who should know better, and then by having one of them married with kids no less! The more contradicting faults about the antagonists the better to rile a viewer up, otherwise the constructive arguments that might come about are primarily from the watcher. The filmmakers went in with a message about a female victim getting her day, demanded you paid attention with gross travesties, but then skipped over making a productive point for others, which leaves the audience satisfied in one way on a superficial level but emotionally set-up and manipulated on another. This just feels like a straight set up for a revenge film with simple characters strategically moved around to get the biggest reaction. Decent for what it advertises but otherwise you won't get more out of the experience unless you put in more effort for where the filmmakers didn't.

Rating: 6.5/10

Director: Meir Zarchi
Stars: Camillie Keaton, Eron Tabor, Richard Pace, Anthony Nichols, Gunter Kleemann
Link: IMDB

Last House on the Beach (1978)

3 criminal men, a nun and a group of virgins at the beach

"Last House on the Beach" is an Italian made thriller about three sadistic bank robbin' guys who need a place to hold up from their latest heist. And where else do they pick for their several day lay over from the law? Why some "random" tucked away beach house with none other than a nun heading a group of all female students innocently practicing for a stage play. You know, just the thing deviant kidnappers dreams are made of.

The biggest underlying theme here is if an ordinary group of people, as well as someone of the "divine" cloth, who's ultimately human underneath, is capable of bringing out their inner vengeance to reap on their captures what they sowed. The nun angle one can imagine was a scolding hot topic for someone from the homeland of Catholicism in their collective borders. Similar to earlier Giallo mysteries presenting the finale with a priest holding the knife must have been a real whopper of a shake up to the daily hail Mary spoutin' folks that have unwavering traditions and rituals ingrained in them from the moment they take a first breath. With other movies that present a question it usually lingers after it ends, this, however, directly asks and answers which limits some of the challenge.

The violence comes and goes, there are moments when the kidnappers give break and others when it's let loose such as boredom leading to drinking, drinking leading to groping, and groping leading to raping. There's blood and nudity, yet it isn't relentless or always in the audience's face compared to other exploitation films. Which leads me to believe that the filmmakers were balancing out the shocking physicalities as well as the ominous underlying question that was also asked in its precursors "The Virgin Spring" and "The Last House on the Left": Could a citizen give an eye for an eye if the tables reversed, or turn the other cheek and forgive and forget? The idea is if a thought to be untouchable clergy woman could, so could you.

What's in its favor is the film was shot well for its genre type with a crisp wide angle lens that doesn't always need to zoom or move around a lot as a result. A share of this has random, funky, larger-than-life, rock-tinged music inserted that doesn't always add to making the claustrophobic environment smaller or the situation any more terrorizing. Though they slowly escalate their lusts and push and prod the women into feeling backed into a corner. There was a strange, if a little too stylish for its own good scene that stood out from the rest. It involves a series of chaotic voices that stream overtop of a sleazy, upbeat hard rock number while two of the goons rape one of the young woman from behind in ultra slow motion and with a randomly painted face. There is another surreal one with a scenario similar to "Night Train Murders" with an even larger object forced into a victim--all in slo-mo again with exaggerated, contorted facial expressions in uncomfortable close ups to make a viewer feel every agonizing inch.

The events skip around the several day episode to get to the meat of it, though the pacing still feels somewhat sporadic, causing the film--despite some memorably heinous scenes--to not always be consistently gripping or tension filled. At a few points they step outside to break the single environment archetype of being trapped in a house, though even with Bolkan's subtle acting as the nun and Ray Lovelock's charming looks and dangerous demeanor, this isn't as gripping as it could have been. The bad guys are, well, simply bad guys with few things on their minds. A few areas break the molds of what you would expect a criminal to act like, such as one being a good natured looking drop out of college or another being a pervert who reads Faulkner. The women whisper their escapes but get easily pushed around like the filmmakers wanted in order to lead up to their main agenda towards the latter part of the film. A balance wasn't always struck to give a solid relation between the characters or their plight, causing the audience to look about impassively and make their own loose assumptions.

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: Franco Prosperi
Stars: Florinda Bolkan, Ray Lovelock
Link: IMDB