College Pranks (2018)

Anything for the camera or a quick buck

By: JWBM

To be young: cash strapped, looking for direction, and ready for the next adventure and opportunity at the drop of a hat. Up comes a chance to win $25,000 in a game held at a remote area of the Colorado mountains with a couple of lucky, hand-picked contestants. Nothing could go wrong there.

This combines reality TV contests with YouTube prank fads sweeping the web. The story follows four college age folks going about their everyday life before they get selected to take part. Once they make it to mountains, rumors spread of past deaths in the area. Then things start to get a little strange, making it too late to turn back.

This is a horror film on the low budget side with a share of upcoming talent, so some things aren't going to be dealt with by using a fine tooth comb. Think: local film festival quality over bombastic Hollywood theater experience. Some of the more elaborate setups are going to take some suspension of disbelief on your own part. Though what actually hurts the film is namely the script and direction.

The initial premise is not a terrible idea on paper, however the filmmakers spend too much time setting up everyday interactions with little worry about putting you on the edge of your seat for the horror/thriller portion. Having someone being jumpy from typical pranks—such as messing with a sleeping person, or water dumped on the head—doesn't count as nerve wracking. The tone has this light, friendly, carefree quality. It's like a bunch of people showed up for one gathering, turned it into a party and winged it on theme.

Once the game begins, even their cut and pasted motivations for wanting to compete don't give it solid reasoning or tension. The idea is to show that they're everyday people just like you or I, then—BAM!—they get struck by some terrifying, mind-boggling event. Yet, the director missed horror movie 101 by not setting up a consistent atmosphere to back it up, apart from a few out-of-nowhere scenes sprinkled in that are more head-scratching than intriguing.

The pacing is slow moving and stretched out at times; leading the audience on towards hopefully a bigger pay off for your patience. What makes the head shake so hard it spins, and both hands take turns slapping the forehead, is the horror turns into a "Saw" set up—except far enough distanced in quality to be a third cousin's neighbor's friend who seldom visits—with one ludicrous and coincidental motivation after the next. The weight of that nearly crumbles in on itself with too many ridiculous revelations at once and then an ambiguous ending that's more what?! than it is nightmare inducing.

If the direction went more drama/action-adventure it might have worked by using past family troubles and future outlooks, combined with the unique scenery and harsh landscapes of the mountains. Heck, "Deliverance" still holds up almost 50 years later for showing us how vulnerable we are in a naturistic setting. Yet, as a horror experience "College Pranks" falls flat.

Rating: 3/10

Director: Brian McCulley (Broken Cross)
Actors: Shannon McKinnon, Kevin Derkash
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

The Row (2018)

...gently down a blood-filled stream

By: JWBM

This is filled with the fun, carefree life you may or may not have had in your 20s: trendy, flashy, cool, hip—all the lingo and nothing that actually scratches deep below the surface for a second thought. This packs in all the missing memories from a buzz-fueled, adventurous time: shaky camera, emotionless music, dancing, no brains, and a buffet of close-ups of college-age butts. Somewhere in there a darker mystery simmers and then boils into a violent slasher where beauty flourishes and then ultimately dies.

Loads of female victims to punish; smarter-than-the-rest lead; a growing list of suspects; over-protective dad cop. Check, check, check, and check again. The tone is a clash of moods: from party lifestyle, senseless murder, past mystery, to family squabbles. It's great that they attempted to add other avenues, some personality, and potential meaning to the experience, though it feels rushed, unpracticed, and convoluted. I mean, apart from a few actors, a share of the dialogue feels dry and like it was read off of the page. I'm looking at you Randy Couture and his wooden cop companions straight out of the coloring book version of a serial killer on the loose thriller.

I'd be all for this for an easy distraction, except it's like you're actually watching a film that's a carbon copy of fragments of other films, rather than being sucked into something more refined and unique to get lost in. The actual experience is about as disconnected as channel surfing with similar characters on different stations. Unfortunately, "The Row" is an exercise at filling space and killing time, while being forgettable after the credits roll.

Rating: 3/10

Director: Matty Beckerman (Alien Abduction)
Actors: Lala Kent, Randy Couture
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube trailer

Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)

Someone wants night light sales to raise

By: JWBM

This mixes emotional interactions with digital connections. To some who frequently use the medium—video chat, social media, instant messaging—it's going to hit home in the way it exploits flaws and advantages of this new age of communication. To others who get a little more sunshine, they are going to feel somewhat disconnected with the experience.

This is the kind of horror brewed up for the sole intent to keep you up at night. Its ploy is to be relatable with a group of friends who've moved into different avenues with their lives, but are still making the effort to connect through game nights over video chat. Though it creeps up, and before you know it you're neck deep into the muck, helpless to its treachery. The entire film is shot through the perspective of the main character's home screen: with various video feeds and searches to keep the senses busy. It's realistic to Internet surfing, though at times it's also just as annoying to how fidgety we can be with the next click of the mouse, or impulsive change to something else more tantalizing.

The premise is a neat, inventive idea regarding a secret league of bad guys out there to get the upper hand through new means. Yet, for the normal folks, it's a lesson in being as powerless as a deer in headlights with grass stuck in your teeth. There's no real back and forth here, just mostly a continuous slow motion stab in the gut with your hands tied behind your back for the sake of sport. Easy targets. Why? Because. The experience has memorable imagery and jarring ideas, though underneath of it all, the story is somewhat easy and straightforward. Its goal seems to want to be an impossible nightmare that hits you where you feel safest: in your around-the-house clothes while resting in that sweet spot of your favorite chair.

Once the heat gets turned up, the events unfolding managed to keep a steady amount of tension and intrigue going on. At times it tried too hard to be crafty or dramatic, at other times it was just enough to get under your skin. How the formula is set up requires a careful eye to see what's flashing this way or that over the screen; mysterious one moment, to as tedious as looking over the shoulder of someone browsing the web at their own pace.

"Unfriended: Dark Web" felt more than just a gimmick compared to other horror features that only have an inventive idea with no backbone to stand up and walk. As out there as it is, it works to a degree. While it had some kinks, and at times reduced its characters they built up to unsuspecting victims, or outright bawlers, it still leaves room for one to be curious to how intricate or dark this section of the web can actually get.

Rating: 6/10

Director: Stephen Susco
Actors: Colin Woodell, Stephanie Nogueras, Betty Gabriel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Andrew Lees, Connor Del Rio, Savira Windyani
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

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 

Slender Man (2018)

The twist: his tailor is divine

By: JWBM

There have been many different incarnations of "Slender Man" from the initial outset of being created on an online forum. What started as a spark of an idea, spawned into a legend for anyone to expand on. Now, it's an actual full length horror experience fleshed out: one that keeps it dark, moody, and mysterious, though something that also feels lacking in scope to get this far.

Four high school aged girls are having a sleep over. You know the drill: there's always gotta be something risky going on, or what you're "not" supposed to do. Why else would sleep overs exist? One thing leads to another and a website is pulled up centered on this tall, lanky silhouette. At first it's something new and daring, but after a little while the strangeness settles in and starts to turn nightmarish when one of them disappears without a trace.

This feels like your standard formulaic horror feature with scares and storytelling boxed in and somewhat lazy from what's been done before. I mean, take "Candyman," for instance, which had layered characters, reasoning, and captivated with a local legend that was genuinely unsettling but also intriguing. Heck, even the video-game-turned-film "Silent Hill" was ambiguous as they come, and only had a rough outline of what was going on, but still set up an interesting, out-there, and demented world to get lost in. This has four girls that are, well, four ordinary girls that remain that. The outside characters are two dimensional, and the interactions start to feel similar but with slightly different variations instead of creating new paths to take you down. It's like they're just biding time till the tall man—who often hides in corners, at the end of hallways, or mixes with branches in the woods—does a sudden "boo!" without you expecting it. There was a particular scene that used a first person Facetime kind of effect where the character was too paralyzed to move, but could only watch as something crept up. It made little sense, but I felt it genuinely worked for the moment to lock you in and throw away the key to a dungeon of possibilities.

To its credit, it does make generous attempts at mood. That's what it set out to do, and that's practically all it did. I mean, I'm all for letting my guard down for a weird or atmospheric ride, but this gets to the point of grazing over certain fundamental interactions and riding off the rails. It tries to put the horse blinders on you, but you can't help but feel this world isn't real and a made up fantasy. The story forces you to believe, instead of giving space for you to believe yourself. Sure, it's dark, and as far as horror features you wouldn't bring it home to your mother, though it's like a weak "The X-Files" episode that didn't make it from lack of greater substance or overall intrigue.

The film keeps it simple to the point of being predictable at almost every turn. The Slender Man, here at least, is essentially a more decorated Boogey Man in different form. He's that dark and mysterious entity that transforms into something abstract depending on who's perspective he's talked about from. It's like he wants to make you squirm, though with no clear or apparent purpose. He's reduced to being a prankster that decided to wing it on punchline. Maybe you'll get a visit, maybe you won't. It seems if you're not visiting shadowy websites or hanging out in the woods, you may not be bothered. Without putting you in their shoes, the fear is reduced and isolated to terrorizing four random teenage girls who had one curious night on the internet. What were their names? Who can remember these things.

Rating: 3.5/10

Director: Sylvain White (I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, The Losers)
Actors: Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles, Jaz Sinclair, Annalise Basso
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

10 Things Slender Man Really Wants:

10. Tea
9. A nice tie
8. A night light
7. To help with top shelf needs
6. Nail clippers
5. Conscientious recyclers
4. To be able to scream in a library
3. To dominate in some hoops
2. A small companion
1. A face

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

Hereditary (2018)

A day that doesn't reset

By: JWBM

Us humans are strange creatures: what we do, or choose not to do for love; how we bond, how we disconnect; how we deal with loss, how we don't deal at all. This is a film that takes on these aspects—while not making an attempt to resolve them—but to instead explore their darkest crevices in order to remind you sad and evil concepts exist in ordinary places. 

There are so many themes going on with "Hereditary" that it's really a puzzle to unlock or keep track of all of them. Some of them fit smoothly in place—such as death of family members, or what happens to someone's spirit—while others are over-the-top to intentionally jar your senses—such as giving perspective through miniature sets. It's one of those tales where just about every negative aspect of family life, mental health, and even general social cues are thrown at you. If you were feeling down beforehand, it may not be a great idea to toss this on. It's a nightmare waiting to explode and selfishly take you with it.

Loss and more loss; coupled with resentment of a family hanging on the balance of mere threads. It's like watching "Ordinary People" that crossed the line into something like "It Follows" with an equally methodical and atmosphere drenched experience. It's one of those films where it would be your undoing to put your guard down. There are constant sound effects that remind the viewer of mounting, unresolved tensions in the air, or that secretive things are to come. They can range from fitting the mood, to annoyingly hypnotic and going against the scene. The experience is one unsettling set up after the next. The atmosphere is a combination of the strange, mysterious, and uncomfortable. The pacing is frequently reduced to a crawl; it oozes and seeps into cracks of your senses, lingering, unable to shake it off. It's patient, but unlike a good friend, it's punishing when you catch up.

The perspective takes turns pivoting between family members, with the father mostly keeping it together, though with the mother, Annie, frequently pulling it apart. She's on edge and mentally anguished to begin with, combined with being emotionally distraught over the recent events. Rarely is she not anxiety riddled and on the verge of a breakdown from one stress after the next. It gives a certain dramatic and psychological element to the film if its subject matter wasn't enough. Toni Collette goes all out as Annie, to where every ounce of her brain chemistry and body language is thrown into the role. It's far from playing it safe or not going there. She's already there and then some. No one would second guess what she's going through.

This wasn't a perfect experience through and through. Though for a number of reasons it was a memorable experience: unique, suspenseful, atmospheric, and full of creative ways to terrorize. There are some truly disturbing scenes that make the skin crawl, rather than your typical horror with lazy pop and scare antics. Its pacing can both help and hurt the film. At a few points in the beginning, while they gave some odd cues, and stacked on the misery, they lost me for greater reasoning or having a stable backbone than a formless shape; I was led somewhere, but my interest started to float and come off the tracks. Though once a few more pieces got introduced, it started to ground itself and come together. That might have been the director's balance between being overly careful, but at the same time ambitious for his first full length feature. It's as if he over-planned, rather than under like most other features. For better or worse, he still gets the brain to search, tempting you to dissect the layers and hidden messages.

Dim the lights, break out the candles, and make sure you have enough time to process with your support group before going to sleep—if you have one, or can that is.

Rating: 7.5/10

Director: Ari Aster
Actors: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

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

Bird Box (2018)

Evening the playing field on classism 

By: JWBM

When everything as we know it gets turned up on its head. Where people become infected and are compelled to take their own lives. Who becomes left must think on their feet and put aside emotions and comforts. What your next move is may determine your fate. Why this is all happening is the least important question now. We must move on.

A sudden epidemic occurs in the blink of an eye. People are dying; in droves. It's violent, it's chaotic, it's something few of us could have prepared for. As the bodies start to pile, survival mode kicks in with those left still standing. They must adapt to their new surroundings, while saying forever goodbye to most of their friends and loved ones.

This film acts like a well greased machine: having purpose, momentum, and, above all, a story to tell that's more about the human condition than it is about the specific horrors taking place. At fist, I thought the film was absent of emotional impact, with the performers following the script of a world-gone-to-hell scenario to the T. Sure, there was confusion, terror, and ferocity to get the blood flowing and to check to see if your senses are alive; I was searching for the kind of relatable feeling from someone reeling from having their existence beaten and nearly crushed beneath the soles of more powerful boots. Though, through a series of flashbacks, it gradually opens up and gives the characters room to grow and breathe. With all things considered of how the world decided to nearly end, it's even a luxury to plan your trip just down the block, never mind a spare moment to shed a tear, or open your eyes.

This isn't going to be exactly like, say, "The Road" with a predominately grim, head-in-the-sand backdrop, or even "The Walking Dead" with a focus on gore and attempting to one up itself with intensity. While this still deals with some drama and a lead character that has a sense of will power and survival to put individual feelings on the back burner and move on, it also has some more hope and less rough scenes mixed in without attempts to pull the carpet out from under you like your everyday horror film. It feels more a post-apocalyptic drama at times than it does a stab-stab-stab, shoot-shoot-shoot experience.

While this wasn't necessarily original if one broke the story down to the nitty-gritty, it's told in a unique, fluid way that manages to generate interest in what's going to happen, or where the characters are going to be taken. There are inconsistencies of how certain characters don't age or change physically, or even how this is all supposed to work at times. Is it scientific? Is it spiritual? Some do one thing, while other types do another. It wasn't as vague as "Vanishing on 7th Street" with people suddenly disappearing with next to no explanation, and a survival situation that left one empty on content. You still feel the shock and also grasp the basic outline, while employing some down-to-earth characteristics in between to ground it.

It's all about the fallout. I feel the main intention of "Bird Box" is to concentrate on change, along with survivalism and human development of the lead, Malorie, who didn't connect with society before things went down the tube. Sandra Bullock gives the character a give and take of a tough but emotionally stifled framework. There's a pounding heart somewhere in there; she just chooses to suppress it. How many of us rely on our phones, video games, and computers to fill voids? How many of us walk by people without a nod or a hello? How many of us drink ourselves stupid? How many of us would step over someone else to climb just another notch in the ladder of life? Take away all material things, comforts, and jobs. Now everywhere you look, humans have a collective interest and actual stakes. It's no longer this separate classism we pretend exists. But a unified drive to survive.

Rating: 7.5/10

Director: Susanne Bier (In a Better World, After the Wedding)
Actors: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube trailer

Malevolent (2018)

Tragedy and consequence

By: JWBM

A group of young paranormal investigators—a brother and sister, brother's girlfriend, and a friend kind enough to film the whole spectacle—take on small-time house calls that usually involve a client convincing themselves of a pesky entity in their midst. They rig a series of smoke and mirrors, so to speak, in order for the client to feel like they got a resolution, while the gang walks out with fat wallets for their expertise. Where's the harm? Except they are going to meet their match with something truly dark and twisted at a school where a group of girls died by questionable means.

To its credit, the acting is fairly believable, with Jackson—Ben Lloyd-Hughes—playing the main con man who's confidence is a demanding give and take. His sister Angela—Florence Pugh—presents a mysterious and gravitating element to her personality that comes with a certain aura. While the first half of the film works as a crime-drama, when the story switches over to a horror experience it feels somewhat pulled out of a hat and lacking in scope that it built up to be. I mean, there are layers beforehand, such as dealing with unresolved tragedy: from Angela and Jackson's mother's life and death swirling with rumors, to the girls losing their lives so young to something sinister. It feels relatable in a sense and gives you someone to root for, though its idea of terror feels somewhat contrived and formulaic to seal the deal with a steady, towering nail into the coffin.

This generates interest with certain, unique powers, yet they feel only there to bridge a transition, making them feel underutilized as something further awe-inspiring. We're to be on the edge of our seats with a case of stubbornness and bad decision-making leading up to unnecessarily putting innocent friends' lives in danger. This generates some action, though there are certain points that will make you slap your forehead for them. What's disappointing is it's like watching a careful documentation of the preparation before a big race, only to have said participants trip over their own feet on game day.

What ends up being its saving grace, is where the direction has hiccups it doesn't dwell. While this wasn't outright original or inventive, or even thought provocking after the fact, it has a certain flow to it that doesn't look back or overlap, and it manages to generate a little mood here and there.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Olaf de Fleur Johannesson (City State, Brave Men's Blood)
Actors: Florence Pugh, Ben Lloyd-Hughes
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube trailer

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

Upgrade (2018)

HAL 9000 just got darker

By: JWBM

What is misery? Some might say that it is an intense, nearly hopeless state that pushes human bounds beyond just sadness. Another might give a more close to home definition of being involved in an accident where you become cripple and also senselessly lose your wife to a gang of thugs. You spent your whole life trusting your hands and working with mechanical parts. Now, you must embrace a futuristic world that is becoming more and more dependent on computers and solid state technology. Though, the bigger question is, is some added convenience worth the unforeseen complexities that go along with advancement? Not just minor attributes when dealing with computer intelligence, such as human laziness, or expense, but a moral dilemma when it does our dirty work?

What is a miracle? Some might say that it is an event or action inexplicably resolved by some higher power. Another might say that a miracle doesn't exist. In this case, they may be right. Grey Trace went from not being able to move anything but his his head, eyes, and lips, to being given the chance to become part of an experimental procedure that gives him not only full function back to his limbs, but also new and potentially deadly abilities. In light of his recent incident involving a gang of outlaws, one might question anything positive coming from it. Seeing both circumstances come together, you can just smell a forecast of revenge and blood in the air.

"Upgrade" guides you by the hand, replaces it with a cybernetic one, and then uses it to manipulate and destroy people in highly creative fashion. Once released from its cage, the film is nearly a constant, adrenaline-packed rush. It's an incredibly fun experience that mixes a blend of its own brand of science fiction where humans go dark with upgrades, and good ol' fashioned action scenes to make the blood pump and the circuits re-connect your senses. Being directed by an original actor and writer of the "Saw" series—Leigh Whannell—this is on par with the violence of a horror movie. Not quite as over-the-top as "Tokyo Gore Police," though it's guaranteed to make the regular cinema goer flinch. The uncut version of "Robocop" might have a new rival in town, where knives carve deeper and uglier than a rush job on a Halloween pumpkin, and heads explode like a well-developed kid going to town on a pinata that represents everything wrong with his childhood.

In order to keep the narrative steadily going, some aspects are convenient, such as an advanced world where the cops are never there at the right time, with criminals and technology instead running rampant. They created some inventive aspects of the future, but didn't overstep themselves and make it over-complicated either. It feels like a kinetic, flowing film from start to finish. It's a basic revenge story, mixed with swirling, more complex questions of where technology could be headed. Super soldiers and electronic implants might be beyond belief, though this dark and visceral experience never lets you think otherwise.

Rating: 8.5/10

Director: Leigh Whannell
Actors: Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Betty Gabriel
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube trailer

Delirium (2018)

Probation has never been so strange

"Delirium" is mostly a dark mystery with some parts resembling the supernatural: the tone is a mix of the playful, suspenseful, and secretive.

The story follows a 30 something man, Tom, who was recently released from a mental institution for something dark occurring in his past. He's to carry out the next thirty days under a probationary period—ankle bracelet to boot—with the catch being he's going to be all alone in his parent's extravagant mansion to prove he's a sane member of society. Munching kid's cereal and jamming to dated '90s tunes might not help his case. It might be his first chance at having freedom as an adult. Will it last?

In order to keep the mystery going at all times, a bulk of the experience is a shake-up of your senses with perceived delusions: Is this imagined, or really there? Strange characters appear and disappear faster than your friendly neighborhood ghost, except these manifestations may have ulterior motives in store for Tom who bides his time exploring the seemingly endless rooms and hidden passages in his all-to-himself home. He seems to take it on with a grain of salt by living life with no restraints or rules, except he can't leave even when things start to get weird.

Topher Grace, as Tom, plays the character as a sort of bumbling dweeb that's lacking in most social aspects, or even other more complex attributes, such as someone dealing with genuine solitude, or building up to white-knuckle retribution. He lacks a more layered mental health issue that would have given this some gravitating ambiguity, not just dulling its edge with a game of peak-a-boo mirages whenever the lights go out or he finds a new corner to explore.

No doubt, Grace is likable and brings a sense of fun with his boyish charm and reserved nature, but it's at the expense of creating a relaxed environment that tends to lose its grip when it comes to summoning its mental demons. It makes him go from a happy-go-lucky fool, to hiding-in-the-corner scared. While no one would second guess his acting with what he's given, it still doesn't make either angle challenging to a viewer. He eventually falls into a little bit of potential lust, and then some love, though it doesn't feel believable, but rather tacked on for drama's sake.

The biggest shortcoming of "Delirium" is that it has one foot in, one foot out to a share of the tones and plot points it throws at the viewer. While it's a somewhat smooth experience and mostly a well-rounded film, it's not something so pivotal that it jars the senses or becomes memorable, other than passing the time for some entertainment that glides on the surface without necessarily digging far below for a greater reward.

As far as psychological thrillers go, it fails to keep you on the edge of your seat; the overall experience feels like it holds itself back and pads itself out till a bigger pay off that isn't as groundbreaking as it makes itself out to be. It guides you with a guessing game as to what genre you're actually dealing with. Other films, such as "The Shining," or "Session 9," made the is-it-real, is-it-all-in-my-head angle work from an overall ambiance that backed you into a corner with no escape, and with more concrete or impressionable aspects to unfold in the story. "Delirium" is neither terrible nor outstanding, but one of those inoffensive films with some of its own personality to stay afloat.

By: JWBM

Rating: 5/10

Director: Dennis Iliadis (Hardcore; The Last House on the Left 2009)
Actors: Topher Grace, Patricia Clarkson, Genesis Rodriguez
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

Nacho Cerdà's shorts III: Genesis (1998)

Life is uncertain

By: JWBM

We often find ourselves in routines, taking for granted the love ones around us: conversing, joining in dinner, and sharing a bed are basic guarantees in our minds. If an accident were to happen, many of us would be unprepared and might end up traveling down a spiral of despair and uncertainty from all the memories and joined moments. If there was a glimmer of hope after the fact, I feel some would go through with it no matter what the consequences would be. Those truly in love often strive for each other's happiness after all.

Apart from dealing with death, the subject matter of Nacho Cerdà's "Genesis" is far removed from his two earlier works "The Awakening" and "Aftermath." The only exception to that is how this film is paced and shot compared to "Aftermath." "Genesis"—sharing the same rich-in-the-eyebrows lead, Pep Tosar—is likewise methodically driven to squeeze every bit of ambiance out of the room. Apart from some nightmarish flashbacks, this feels more a drama and fantasy than it does an outright horror or thriller: deep rooted emotions and some fantastical ideas are at its core rather than shocks or surprises. Instead of having dialogue or a voice over, it's fueled by a haunting classical score, eerie sound effects, and hovering wide-angle camera angles. These seem to slowly chip away and shed light on the inner happenings of a sculptor who lost his wife and now finds a way to bring her back while at the same time slipping away himself.

This was a well put together 30 minute short. It comes with its own unique mood with the artists's studio presenting an escape to a place of sadness and solitude. It creates a certain level of relatability for anyone who's felt powerless after a sudden loss. While not the perfect fantasyland outcome one would ultimately want, it instead delves into what love and sacrifice actually mean and how some of us interpret them when presented with the impossible. The film relies more on how you feel towards it rather than writing in between the lines of every action or motivation for you. With some more length to it, I feel it could have expanded even further on its themes and could have possibly been even more of an emotional force.

Rating: 8/10

Director: Nacho Cerdà (The Awakening, Aftermath)
Actors: Pep Tosar, Trae Houlihan
Info: IMDB link

Nacho Cerdà's shorts II: Aftermath (1994)

Lust at the morgue

By: JWBM

This film is less like your typical cinematic story arc and more like an experience to rattle your senses. Instead of walking away enlightened, you'll end up limping into a corner for a pause or time out from life itself. Stripped away are the usual avenues in a movie to get behind or follow. This has a one-track direction that starts out with an uneasy feeling that eventually escalates into shakes all over and permanently imprinted imagery behind the eyelids of every blink.

Some of us have jobs where we are micromanaged by a supervisor in the same room, or even other co-workers or customers with senses acute to anything out of the ordinary that may be reported. You've probably heard of every possible infraction where the person was caught red handed, or is whistling down the road ever so quietly to their next line of work. Then there are others that have a certain amount of leeway and trust when it comes to their job, whether they work alone or only check in under certain circumstances. I'd wager the temptation or probability of getting away with something comes with a higher average. But that's what separates one person with a steadfast moral framework, and someone else with less scruples provided with just the right opportunity. What's the worst act you can think of? If you guessed cheating the company, you may be jaded but still normal. If you guessed necrophilia, you might have a morbid imagination reserved for the likes of our main star in "Aftermath" who—you guessed it—works in a mortuary practically unsupervised. If you're wondering how something like this got to this point, this is the documentation of just that.

This isn't a film to see twice, at least on your own. It doesn't represent anything or make any statements—minuscule or grand—it mainly attempts to catch you off guard with a sense of shock using credible, life-like effects. One of those, "Wait till this uptight party gets a load of this!" My first experience with "Aftermath" was with a bootleg VHS tape that was dubbed over enough times to look like a real home video. The DVD version is much sharper by comparison and shows that it has a decent enough budget for what they set out to do. Unlike other times when certain films get a cleaned up makeover, you'll rarely second guess the gore effects, or how genuine the sets look like here. It's strange seeing this in widescreen with classical music and a sense of careful, artistic direction while depraved acts are taking place in the background. The idea of not having dialogue was brilliant as it forces your senses to focus on the moment by moment without a break to look away. As unorthodox as it is, it still comes with a purpose, a measured pacing, and a grand finale that'll be hard to top as far as shock value goes.

Overall, this works for what it is. It's not a horror film that's going to beat out, say, "Psycho," or even take its place, it's essentially a sub-genre of taking the medium and seeing the amount of distance over the line it made it. Similar to "Flower of Flesh and Blood," or "Men Behind the Sun," you'll probably do more talking about them, than actual time watching them.

Rating: 7/10

Director: Nacho Cerdà (The Awakening)
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Nacho Cerdà's shorts I: The Awakening (1990)

                                                              Lo, death calls

                                                                 By: JWBM

This is an earlier 8 minute short by the director of the now infamous "Aftermath" film. The tone is a challenge to place as it's so brief that it could have taken multiple directions from the outset: from horror, supernatural, science fiction, to even mystery. Though as it is, it has an otherworldly vibe similar to the look and feel of an earlier Lynch or Cronenberg short with a strange, black and white quality reserved for a rough outline of a dream. 

Essentially a bored student lacking in motivation falls asleep and finds himself traveling past the physical world into something more enlightened on the other side. Time itself freezes and we see a series of surreal imagery while those around him look on. This certainly had potential, though what makes it a challenge to get into is that there is little connection or background to the people in the story. Stuff happens—cool stuff at that—though it's loose enough to feel like a balloon that took off and is now hard to make out in the distance. The farther it gets away, the more your motivation dwindles. It's the difference of being there at the outset of some sudden event, compared to walking past a situation on the streets with complete strangers and a story too far distanced to fully concern yourself. 

"The Awakening" feels like it was going for something along the lines of "Carnival of Souls" meets "Jacob's Ladder" of the same year. Something that makes the mind melt and the senses never settle from out-there, supernatural ideas. I'd mention "Soultaker"—with a similar out-of-body experience—in the same sentence, but fortunately it doesn't have many dated gags to pick at for the year. While in many ways it's unfair to compare an experimental low-budget short just testing out the waters to a worked-through feature length film, however those—while unique and atypical—still had a certain backbone to them that one had more interest and investment to get behind. Possibly with some more time and some more ideas to tap into, this could have been a more worthy addition. 

Rating: 5/10

Director: Nacho Cerdà

Info: IMDB link

Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend (1989)

If sacred ground had an opposite

By: JWBM

The uncut version of this is one of the most over-the-top animes I've laid eyes on. It's one of those films that you have to double check not only who's in the room, but who will potentially come home and accidentally walk in on some of the scenes shamelessly displayed. Not only is it incredibly dark and violent, it's also perverted to another level beyond innocent fantasies: being at the far back of the mind of even the most demented person's imagination. Films such as "Violence Jack," and "Wicked City," set this up to knock it out of the park and run the bases two times over just because. One doesn't know whether to stick around, keep one eye open, or run for cover.

A large focus of this tale is of a foretold legend and what's to come from it for the three species of worlds: will better times be ahead, or will darker times swallow up any shred of light? Maybe a mix of both. There's a pull and tug between demons and humans, with the half-breeds to bring together a balance of sorts. Demons bring senseless destruction and chaos: from murder, and rape, to any other form of the heinous acts that go along with it. As far as they are concerned, things are just fine and dandy just the way they are. The more reserved half-breeds—while perverted, and just as capable of danger—are hanging on to a dream that the legendary Chojin will end up stopping the madness.

This is part fantasy, action, erotic, post-apocalyptic, coming of age, and also part horror. The tone shifts are sometimes at complete opposite ends of the spectrum: going from utter carnage and perversion, to light and fluffy teenager stuff. You'll witness scenes that will potentially leave scars for how utterly far they're taken, to then in the next breath have a kind of innocent high school love angle with sparks in the air. But, then again, that's what makes this work: if everything were painted black and red, the contrast would become monotonous despite its rugged edge. Needless to say, this is not for someone with a strict moral code. Take the scene with the nurse, turned demon, turned penis-arms taking every bit of advantage of a poor, innocent student behind closed doors. You'll never look at a nurse's office or even a predatory octopus the same again.

While the experience is one bounds-pushing sensation after the next, the underlying direction is not as linear as one would hope for. In some ways, it's a great collection of some memorably creative, perverse, and horrific ideas stirred up and let loose into the air. Some of the story—as simple as it is—does get a tad muddled at points with everything going on.  Also, a few of the character representations and voice-overs are somewhat awkward and silly, such as the two henchmen from the Makai world. Or the somewhat misplaced, cute, and perverted looking monkey thing that follows around Megumi: a half human, half demon with no sense of how a lady wears a skirt. Though, the first time I saw this, I walked away wide-eyed and with a few more check marks shy from my imaginary list of things I can say I've seen in the world. That seems to be the ultimate point here: to serve up a movie watching experience like no other you can escape into. "Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend" is what you get.

Rating: 8.5/10

Director: Hideki Takayama (Captain Future, Gu-Gu Ganmo)
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Fist of the North Star (1986)

Hope is not on the horizon

By: JWBM

As the dominant species with intelligence on earth, we often contemplate altering our genetic make-up to transform ourselves into more than our destined path would have been: whether that be holding on to our youth, filling our brain with more knowledge, or making every attempt to further our physical abilities. Now take the world going into a post-apocalyptic age, where those with excessive physical strength and ability become a chiseled symbol of supremacy. Men with immeasurable muscles and the demeanor of true scumbags, are now treated with genuine fear and almost like false gods.

We fight for food and water, we fight for mating rights, we fight for territory, and, at other times, we fight to see who's the best. With a little bit of all of the above, "Fist of the North Star" opens up to a testosterone laden world of sheer savagery with little end, and puts the weight of it on the shoulders of one man: Kenshiro. He's got a tragic past and scars to prove it, he looks like Bruce Lee had a kid with Mad Max, and, ultimately, he's got a certain genuine inner character balanced with an outer strength that might just be the key to saving humanity from the dark and nearly hopeless path it's headed down. 

What's interesting about this story is it's not saturated with drama of what we've become as humans, it mainly hovers around the primal portion of ourselves on either side: whether we've gone full dark and embrace chaos and destruction, or, in a more rare case, embrace trained violence for the sake of righting wrongs in a lawless world. It's essentially the necessary answer to most problems here; it's also unintentionally comical for how doors are opened, or any bit of property is treated, because at this point who cares. Psychologically, it resonates in the same morbid curiosity of not being able to look away from seeing two thugs duke it out on the streets from afar, to a bigger bully being taken out by a hero of sorts that steps in. I feel that connects with our deep-rooted instincts in that we don't want to admit it's there in this day and age of technological advancement and emotional suppression. Take for example, when was the last time you said hello to your neighbor, versus when was the last time you wanted to say something angrily to your neighbor? This uses the bleak and barren backdrop to take several steps back to where it all began.

The animation was fresh, creative, and original for its time. It makes the scenes pop, and the interactions feel that much more powerful. Some detailed painted backdrops are used to show the lifeless and soul-crushed state of the earth: buildings are a vague reminder, along with any shred of green or blue. Other scenes offer up wide-eyed surprises when it comes to the fight choreography and certain character's abilities. One of the coolest characters here is Rei, who has an ability to slice his opponents into a series of pieces in these atmospheric slow motion cut-away shots. An interesting note is the change in picture quality for the extremely gory scenes; apparently the original version was lost and then later spliced together.

This is a simple tale that works due to having an epic feel to it. Being a condensed version of a multi-part manga, there are portions missing in between that would connect the dots better, though it still maintains an emotional connection to the roles, along with manages to steer from being just a black and white approach to good and evil. This takes your typical fantasy story of fate and what's written in stone, and then inverts it from the unexpected and what was "supposed to happen." You'll want to either root for the anti-heroes, or possibly even transform into them yourself to serve up some crude justice.

Rating: 8.5/10

Director: Toyoo Ashida (Vampire Hunter D)
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link