Category Archives: Adventure

Heart Eyes

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Vampire Owl: So are the hearts in the eyes, or eyes in the heart?

Vampire Bat: If there is a serial killer around, does that really matter?

Vampire Owl: Yes, we need to understand the killer first.

Vampire Bat: You know that human serial killers cannot kill vampires, right?

Vampire Owl: Well, they can always cut our heads off.

Vampire Bat: Most human serial killers just keep stabbing.

Vampire Owl: We should just let them come. They have good necks.

Vampire Bat: I heard that you were allergic to blood.

Vampire Owl: It is never too late to have some blood shake in life.

Vampire Bat: Well, this one happens on Valentine’s Day and the colour surely matches.

[Gets a paneer samosa and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: For the last few years on every Valentine’s Day, a serial killer known as the Heart Eyes Killer who is short named HEK by the media, has targeted different couples in different American cities. This year, the killer is known to have murdered two couples in Seattle and a wedding ring which has the initials “J S” is also found at one of the crime scenes where the couple was murdered in some of the most brutal ways possible. The case is taken over by the detectives Zeke Hobbs (Devon Sawa) and Jeanine Shaw (Jordana Brewster), who are nicknamed Hobbs and Shaw after the famous Fast and Furious spin-off movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham in which there was so much of action with the two. At the same time, in the same city, Ally McCabe (Olivia Holt), a marketer for a jewelry company who just had a break-up, accidently meets a stranger Jay Simmonds (Mason Gooding) in a restaurant, and is ridiculed and almost fired by her boss Crystal Cane (Michaela Watkins).

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ally’s strange ad campaign with doomed couples is detested by almost everyone due to the recent murders of lovers by the serial killer who had just started murdering in the city. Crystal calls upon a freelancer accomplished in the same field, and it turns out to be Jay much to her surprise – she is supposed to work with him and create a whole new ad campaign. On the same day, Jay invites her to dinner that night, asserting that it is not really a Valentine’s Day date despite the date being February 14th. He further suggests that it may give them further inspiration for the campaign which they have to work with together and succeed. Ally agrees despite the killer already at work for the season of the Valentines, as she desperately needed the job after the break-up. But after reaching the restaurant and post a few minutes of talk, they are not happy with each other and gets out, but as Ally sees her ex-boyfriend, she kisses Jay and introduces him as her boyfriend because her old love already came with a new girlfriend.

And what more is to happen with a brutal murderer on the hunt for lovers on Valentine’s Day? :: Ally and Jay reconcile over that act and he takes a taxi to her home, where he helps her break in to her home after she realizes that she had forgotten her key, and he cuts his hand in doing the same. Ally helps with his wound upstairs, as she was someone who had dropped out of medical school. All of a sudden, the Heart Eyes Killer jumps out of the cupboard and attacks them. After a chase, he knocks Jay out as Ally keeps running. Detectives Zeke Hobbs and Jeanine Shaw who found no other killer, but found the killer’s mask and weapon with Jay, and they arrest him, shocking Ally who had returned to the area after hearing the police siren. The police take Jay for questioning at a police station, and there both Hobbs and Shaw show that his initials match those on the previously found ring and also shows proof that he was in the same cities at the same time during HEK’s previous attacks. But soon, the power goes out and a masked figure with a weapon comes out, revealing the heart symbol on the eyes and begins his killing spree. Can the new partners and police escape without being killed?

The defence of Heart Eyes :: The chemistry of Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding is what drives the movie so well, with humour, taking part in action, and adding the unexpected romance at times as everything comes when a serial killer is on the hunt, making the whole thing very interesting. At the same time, the movie gets into the gore easily and killings begin, while romance keep ending, and even for the protagonists, the focus is less on love and more on a classic escape act which is followed by more running and fighting with a murderer ready to get into act. With the nice humour working so well, we see the rom-com and slasher modes switching each other one, and at times existing at the same time, keeping the whole thing enjoyable. All these happen within a short run-time and the final scene throws a fine punch, and there are some nice twists that lead to the same. Among the police characters, it is Jordana Brewster who steals the show, and that seems to be evident from the early scenes and the police station moments.

Positives and negatives :: The final twist may have given some clues early itself, and we see them coming quite early, with one at the police station itself, and another at the crime scene – there are not enough red herrings to keep the twists away. Most of the supporting characters also get not much to do, and the bloody side with all the violence will not make everyone happy, especially when coming in between romance all of a sudden without warning. The movie still manages to keep its level, even when it is short of romance or short of killings, and that comes a surprise with this not being among the best-known slasher movies. The killings do work as one would expect from this kind of a movie. The visuals serve the purpose right from the beginning too. Michaela Watkins adds some nice humour right from her first moments. Gigi Zumbado should have been there for more, as it was really fun when she was around – the disappearance only to appear in the end does not serve the character that well. Yoson An’s work surely came as a fine surprise too.

How it finishes :: I had left this one behind without watching for some time as the idea did not feel that interesting, but coming back to it on Amazon Prime Video was surely worth it. Even though it feels like old-style slasher at times, there is also that fresh feeling around. There is a certain cuteness with romance and humour on one side and we also see that unlimited terror on the other side. Fans of the slasher genre would surely appreciate the inventive, bloody kills which keeps happening from the beginning to the end, often in innovative manner. The movie is indeed self-aware and has such a fine cast. There is also that scope for sequel that we see by the end of the movie. If you are looking for a fun movie in the weekend with friends, you will love the cute little romance against a backdrop of creative carnage, then you also get surprised with the rising quality around here. You can see a chaotic, self-aware energy in this wildly entertaining ride, as long as you do not dig too deep around here. Heart Eyes could get into your list of favourite killers, and can go the Scream, Halloween and I Know What You Did Last Summer mode accompanied by the newer Psycho Killer and others.

Release date: 7 February 2025
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: Josh Ruben
Starring: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Masters of the Universe

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Vampire Owl: Aren’t we the true masters of the universe?

Vampire Bat: I do not think that they are talking about the vampire universe.

Vampire Owl: Every universe requires its own masters.

Vampire Bat: We already have Uncle Dracula here.

Vampire Owl: Yes, even Vampire Elders are there, but they are all symbolic heads.

Vampire Bat: So, you consider us as the true masters.

Vampire Owl: Well, this is the only working universe, isn’t it?

Vampire Bat: The only true universe with relevance, yes.

Vampire Owl: And the only realm without the pure human evil.

Vampire Bat: The human evil has already reached our borders. There is not much of magic left that seems to stop it.

[Gets a thattu dosa and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) works in human resources, while keeping on searching for a certain sword and lives with his only friend Hussein (Christian Vunipola) in Oklahoma City. People think that him keeping on searching for a sword and telling everyone a specific story about his escape from another planet are parts of his nerd madness which he always had since he was a kid. The search for the sword would affect both his work and social life, as he even tells the same story when on a date. Obsessed with finding the sword due to his memories about being part of another strange world in which he lived as the prince and had come to Earth with a magic sword, Adam receives an anonymous tip in the form of a text message that the sword is located and he reclaims it at a comic store, running away with it. But the next day, he is arrested for stealing the sword, but the police car is stopped in transit on the highway when a strange creature attacks them and halts the traffic. The ape-like creature turns out to be Beast Man (Gary Martin) who had come from another world and chases Adam.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Adam keeps running, a woman in white comes to the scene, identifying herself as his childhood friend, Teela (Camila Mendes). She tells him that the sword had given her a signal when it was claimed and raised to the sky, seemingly provided the same signal to many others of their planet far away. In this planet named Eternia which was once ruled by Adam’s parents King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley), no longer maintains that peace and prosperity after being taken over by Skeletor (Jared Leto), his sidekick Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie) and a number of other evil minions. This loss after being defeated by a cyborg and weapons expert of Skeletor, Trap Jaw (Sam C Wilson) had also left the commander-in-chief of the army of Eterna, Man-At-Arms a.k.a. Duncan (Idris Elba) to severe depression and alcoholism, much to the dismay of his daughter Teela. After training so many people of the planet to defend the evil forces, he along with many others had fallen into disarray after Skeletor took over and unleashed chaos.

And what more can happen in this world of chaos and destruction unleashed by forces of evil? :: It was the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin) who sent Adam to Earth to save him and the sword from Skeletor, and as it was the original home planet of the queen a long distance away from Eternia, safety was guaranteed, but as a child, he had lost the sword only to be found now, triggering alarms all around the universe. Adam and Teela manage to outrun the Beast Man and escape in their spaceship in front of shocked humans who could do nothing but stare. Back home, the resistance forces against Skeletor who are not imprisoned by Teela leaving her defence outpost and bringing a strange man with the sword, imprisons her and Adam along with an alcoholic Duncan and a former combat robot reprogrammed as a cleaning robot, Roboto (Kristen Wiig). But they escape with the help of the robot and keeps the sword with them while the defenders of the resistance are either killed or captured by Skeletor’s forces. As they try to escape them and come face to face against Trap Jaw, it seems to be the end for them, but can they find a way to defeat him and his shooters against all odds?

The defence of Masters of the Universe :: The movie has some stunning visuals with the setting in a beautiful planet. The world is too good with the fantasy model buildings and the environment which makes it feel like a colourful paradise. Nicholas Galitzine makes a fine impact as the protagonist, while Idris Elba brings the fun. But the best impact is made by Camila Mendes as Teela, who remains a stunner in those action sequences with her movement and style, as the only one true character who is a born-fighter continuing to be so at all times. Jared Leto as Skeletor is a villain to remember, and gets the screen-time he missed as the Joker in Suicide Squad. Morena Baccarin who gets back after The Wrecking Crew gets less screen time even as such a significant character. Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn works nicely too as one never sees any evil this cute and strong in magic. The humour in the movie also remains so much fun, and the elements taken from cartoon are nicely placed here without too much darkness ever coming into picture. Adora a.k.a. She-Ra played by Lauren Saliu shown during mid-credits also keeps us interested as the one scene itself seems to bring lot of hope for a possible sequel about which we are still not that sure.

Positives and negatives :: This is a feeling of nostalgia, and as we had the cartoon of the same name running in Malayalam in this part of the world, there is no other superhero who had this much of an influence on us as children. We had to return home early from school and then we would successfully watch this one. In the case of the movie, people might find that this is a little bit too cartoonish and as more for the children, but those would be the people who forgot how they grew up watching this, and if Avengers, Justice League and team could be taken as full action, this could be too. The supporting characters here could have had some more time, while cutting some time from the moments spent on Earth. The final fight is lovely to watch, even though the moments back on Earth coming in between do not impress much. The quality of the computer-generated imagery losses some quality at times, but remains stable and stylish for most of the time. Use of more magic could have made the world look more charming, and even more shown as part of an exploration like in Avatar, as the design here never far behind.

How it finishes :: The lack of some seriousness might be the reason why it had the same effect as John Carter at the box-office, but one cannot forget the fact that it was one fine movie, and one of the best of that year. We can blame the strange movie-watching habits of the biggest markets of the movie which did not even make Pacific Rim a super-hit, but Asia serves that title well. All these movies surely did well in this part of the world, and one keeps wondering if a better trailer could have meant better result for the movie at the box-office. I would surely love to see its sequel with the lady superhero, but one has to wonder if the same would happen when the total collection is considered. But this is sure to do well on Amazon Prime Video, and that should also mean something to everyone. For now, this is a charming adventure and entertainer which does not have a dull moment once the scenes shift to the far away planet. The beautiful spectacle of a world with a classic adventure with battles to remember is not something that we can always see with this much charm. People can find cartoon-faults, but I find this to be something I should have watched on the big screen with all of its big screen splendour.

Release date: 5 June 2026
Running time: 140 minutes
Directed by: Travis Knight
Starring: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, Idris Elba

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Astronaut

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Vampire Owl: I have dreamed about being an astronaut when I was a child.

Vampire Bat: You became a vampire hundreds of years ago. So that would have been long ago.

Vampire Owl: Considering in vampire years, I am still not that old.

Vampire Bat: That explains you being a child even when space travel started its job.

Vampire Owl: I was never thinking about human space travel.

Vampire Bat: You are looking forward to being teleported other realms?

Vampire Owl: Yes, Dr. Frankenstein has created a magical space vessel.

Vampire Bat: You should remember that nothing made by Mr. Frankenstein actually works.

Vampire Owl: It is a wrong accusation by his mortal enemies. He travelled back in time last week and brought proof from another period of time. Even aliens approve of him.

Vampire Bat: I am quite sure that he brought back that ancient thing from a museum and not from the past. It is his time machine that looks more pre-historical than that thing.

[Gets a poori masala and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Sam Walker (Kate Mara) is the daughter of General William Harris (Laurence Fishburne) a veteran military officer who has worked in collaboration with NASA space travel, and has Sam going on another space journey in relation to communicating with extraterrestrial beings if there are any. But as she comes back from the International Space Station, some debris leads to her crash-landing back on Earth. After floating somewhere in the middle of sea, she is finally rescued by the United States Coast Guard and taken to the nearby hospital for recovery, even though not taken out of quarantine for some days. Her fellow astronauts and doctors keep visiting her at the hospital, while William assures her that he is incredibly happy for her, and hopes that she will get well soon for the next mission, with NASA and Pentagon working very closely together in making significant discoveries which would change the world as they know it. She feels that things are just okay as she only got a few bruises.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Sam does not remember most of the incidents in space, and continues in quarantine for decontamination. She is visited by her husband, Mark Walker (Gabriel Luna) and daughter, Izzy Walker (Scarlett Holmes). But for her own safety, Sam is confined alone to a rural cottage somewhere in Virginia, where diplomats and very important people are supposed to stay in secret when there is some danger with their lives, or just to stay away from media. It is seen that the next house or shop is kilometres away, and the place only has woods on all sides and some meadows in between, with almost no traffic at the closest road passing around. As Sam adjusts to her new lonely situation, she also goes through a series of medical tests to make sure that her mental and physical fitness are okay, with a new journey to the space station coming up. Sam and Mark are having some difficulties trying to cope as a family, due to her frequent journeys to space and the quarantine that comes before and after that. It is revealed that the child is also adopted, as they hoped that it would make things better between them.

And what more can happen here as there seems to be some mystery to be resolved? :: While walking outside and close to the nearby woods, Sam notices that the entire premises have some hidden cameras, most of them directed right towards the home. This makes her wonder about her location, as she had already felt that somebody did open the door and enter during last night, thus also making the floor a little messy. William shows her that the hidden cameras are linked to a certain underground bunker in the house, from where the whole place can be watched in detail. If anyone try to breach the property, it could be known with ease, and there could also be a lockdown which would prevent anyone from getting in. Strange occurrences continue, and later that night, the power is cut off, and the alarm system is triggered, locking her inside the house. A dark creature seems to have entered the home, forcing her to lock herself inside the bunker. Now, it is to be seen if she can survive these nights, and with nothing on the cameras, will people believe her theory that something followed her from back to Earth from space?

The defence of The Astronaut :: The twists in the movie are pretty much unexpected, even though not that interesting, and that surprise takes the movie to a higher level, even though slowly and steadily. The film builds on with a tense, eerie mood with its quiet, minimalist approach to horror, that seems to work for most of the time. The combination of psychological thriller, science fiction and paranormal horror got the arrangement right, as we look at it. The isolated safe house with dark woods all around and continuing psychological tension are effective with the possibility of twists always being present. Kate Mara has things in control here with emotional weight as she moves forward in a world of conflicts. Morgan–Fantastic Four actress seems to have changed a lot, and maybe it is we all ageing together. Her movement to the twists in the end works so well that we even hope for the world to be extended in a sequel at that moment. Laurence Fishburne is a big strong presence here, and his roles like this have remained too good in the past.

The claws of flaw :: The movie drags in between even in a one and half hour movie which deals with aliens – it would not have been that difficult to deal with such a safe topic during normal circumstances of Earth and space. The struggle with pacing feels so much, especially in the second half when it seems to try too much, and yet the narrative keeps its trouble going through. Some of these narrative changes and interesting developments come too fast and leave unanswered questions, as the science fiction elements continue to stay in the background without that much of a detailed happenings on the screen. One keeps wondering why it immediately took that deviation, even though it was the twist that came quickly – there could have been other ways to bring the same to keep on with the route of the overall movie. Sometimes, one would wonder if the combination could have been kept better coherent at all times. The predictability is also present in between, even though not with the final twist.

How it finishes :: This is one of those movies which were less known, and surprisingly, in spite of staying close to the genre, I never really knew about this movie’s existence. Despite losing the pace in between, and narrative also making that struggle, the movie maintains a level, not losing it on the way completely even when there seemed to be the chance. This would mean that the mixed reviews are quite justified, and its journey through Amazon Prime Video might also be complex. For a quiet, atmospheric psychological science fiction with strong leading cast performances and high-level tension coming out of the mood and atmosphere with dark woods ready to pounce upon the terror, this would be the right choice. There is no questioning that kind of an ability around here. But one can see that there are no clear explanations of these alien elements, and the lack of traditional horror thrills would continue to affect the interest of people. Otherwise, this would nicely work for a smooth, slow and steady journey with something coming in the background.

Release date: 17th October 2025
Running time: 91 minutes
Directed by: Jess Varley
Starring: Kate Mara, Laurence Fishburne, Gabriel Luna, Ivana Miličević, Macy Gray, Scarlett Holmes, Reza Diako, Daniel Quirke, Daiana Madeira, Christine Abernathy, Ezrael MacTire, Erin Gill, Gareth Battersby, Aidan O’Sullivan

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Yakuza League

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Vampire Owl: I am pretty sure that Batman has always been your relative.

Vampire Bat: I do not know how a man’s masked personality relates to me.

Vampire Owl: Every life is a mask, isn’t it? People take so many forms.

Vampire Bat: Humans are never true to the society or even to themselves.

Vampire Owl: We know that humans are evil, so there is no surprise at all.

Vampire Bat: The Vampire Elders were so shocked that they banned the humans.

Vampire Owl: So, Uncle Dracula was never the first one to ban them.

Vampire Bat: He only extended the ban for humans which was already established.

Vampire Owl: I hope that Dr. Frankenstein is not banned anymore.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein will not even be accepted.

[Gets an ulli vada and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Batman (Koichi Yamadera) has come back home after being sent to feudal Japan through a time displacement machine called the Quake Engine. After all of Gotham City’s top criminals who also reach there became feudal lords, he had stopped the villains from altering history and brought them back to Gotham City in the present. But it seems that he would have no time to rest in his own world with something strange occurring around the city. He is surprised to see that the Justice League is no longer there and he cannot find Japan in its location either. He also finds that yakuza are raining from the sky above. He finds out that they belong to Hinomoto, a different Japan from a parallel universe which has placed itself in the sky of the city. He is able to see an interdimensional rift above Gotham City which seems to be part of a plan to invade Earth. As only the people who previously time-traveled can see this particular rift, the others call it a yakuza tornado, a storm which carries them to Gotham City – they deny the other-worldly elements of the same.

And what more is to follow in a world facing imminent destruction through timelines? :: Before he can process this new reality, Batman understands that there is more to this than what meets the eye. Batman and Robin (Yuki Kaji) travel through the rift to Hinomoto, while the other members of the Bat family Nightwing (Daisuke Ono), Red Hood (Akira Ishida), and Red Robin (Yuki Kaji) stay behind to fight the yakuza who have fallen into the city through the tornado. The Bat family are soon ambushed by some more yakuza fighters who are part of the Hagane yakuza clan who took over Hinomoto. They are surprised to find out that the first three big yakuza members who come against them are Zeshika the Emerald Ray (Ayane Sakura), a version of Green Lantern, Asha the Aqua Dragon (Akio Otsuka), an alternate version of Aquaman and Bari the Fleet-Footed (Kengo Kawanishi), a Japanese version of the Flash. The Bat family struggles in the fight with them, but with additional help from the Daiana the Eagle Goddess (Saori Hayami), an alternate Wonder Woman who is the member of an opposing Yakuza clan called Amazone, they manage to escape.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After leading them safely to the Amazone base, with the help of Harley Quinn (Rie Kugimiya) from Batman’s timeline, Daiana explains the rising power of of the Hagane clan at Hinomoto from the time when the area consisted solely of yakuza families fighting each ither. After a clan leader Deio Domuzu (Kenta Miyake), an alternate version of Doomsday, was killed by Kuraku (Takaya Kamikawa), the new leader and an alternate Superman, the Amazone is the only opposing group left, and they have decided to keep their code of honour and respect. Harley Quinn had escaped with Joker (Wataru Takagi) after hearing about the strange incidents happening in Gotham City. After being ambushed on the way back, Batman is saved by Joker who didn’t want anyone else to kill the bat other than him, but Robin is captured. During the fight, it is revealed that the mastermind behind all of these is Ra’s al Ghul (Kazuhiro Yamaji) who had found the Quake Engine and upgraded it into a Four-Dimensional Origami System, and used it to manipulate certain parts of Earth’s history, creating Hinomoto with the new rulers. With all members of Justice League except Wonder Woman going against him, can Batman stop the new villain intending to capture Earth with the help of Wonder Woman and Harley Queen?

The defence of Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League :: The art style used here is so interesting as the movie nicely blends the 3D and hand-sketched 2D animation together. There are also the segments that change styles which will have our attention, and when each character is introduced in a different form, it catches our attention, for the Japanese versions of Green Lantern is the best, and that of Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Superman – all feel like made with some smart thoughts as our interest in parallel worlds grow further. This idea of having the most powerful Justice League superheroes on one side and Batman only with Wonder Woman to help him, is more of a terrifying situation for fans of the universe, as Harley Quinn helping Wonder Woman at times and Joker only caring about Batman not getting killed would not mean they can save the world. Well, we know the powers of Superman, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Flash, and so this situation is one of the biggest dangers that the world can have. It is the advantage of the tale, and it is nicely told with a Japanese touch, with everything nicely coming together in the end. The character design is so well matched by the grand action.

The claws of flaw :: There is no tight narrative coherence around here as the movie keeps going through the action which is sometimes too quick and a little bit overdone for some characters without superpowers. The change to the main Justice League characters is not always that interesting when we look closer. The display of power seems a little too much for our interest and quickly going through here and there. There is the explanation of Superman’s power a little too much even for the new version, and instead we are left with less understanding of what has really happened in this universe as the earlier movie release too long ago, and this would feel like a standalone for even the people who watched that one; a recap would have done the universe better especially as the length is not that much already. To make this shorter run-time possible, the movie seems to have gone through some quickened edits too, as we shift the shifts happening at a better speed. One would also feel that the Japanese version might have been the better suited mode for this particular movie.

How it finishes :: The movie does embrace its own existence, as it remains a high-octane return to those classic cartoon adventure, anime tropes and manga aesthetics, as there is more Japanese about this particular superhero journey than American. The comic book nostalgia is nicely reflected here as we take a closer look. The best of multi-stylistic animation comes up with a visual feast that keeps shifting between different versions, none of them deviating from the purpose. The high-level comics superhero battles and the tale of parallel universes go on making an impact. I have always preferred DC’s model over that of Marvel, whose classic superhero power was ruined by the new group of superheroes with the one exception being Thunderbolts, and even DC had itself coming down from Man of Steel by a weakened by a new Superman. Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League above others embrace the pure joy of Batman going against all odds from start to finish – he is the underdog again, but he stands tall. We see him proving himself not only as Gotham’s Dark Knight, but also the best of a Japanese underworld even when facing the superpowered or the overpowered juggernauts of destruction.

Release date: 18 March 2025
Running time: 89 minutes
Directed by: Junpei Mizusaki, Shinji Takagi
Starring: Koichi Yamadera, Daisuke Ono, Akira Ishida, Kengo Kawanishi, Yuki Kaji, Hōchū Ōtsuka, Masaki Terasoma, Wataru Takagi, Rie Kugimiya, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Romi Park, Akio Otsuka, Ayane Sakura, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Takaya Kamikawa

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<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Eenie Meanie

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Vampire Owl: This sounds like a nice name which we can use for a new vampire.

Vampire Bat: How can a vampire be called by such a name in our realm?

Vampire Owl: It is still better than being called Vampire Owl I and Vampire Owl II.

Vampire Bat: So, there is a second vampire who is an owl?

Vampire Owl: We have to be ready for all possibilities in a world of chaos.

Vampire Bat: A world of chaos can only use a chaotic name.

Vampire Owl: That would scare legends like Dr. Frankenstein away.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein already have a scary name for himself.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein is a name given to legends these days.

Vampire Bat: Uncle Dracula has been fed up with that name for some time due to those illegal and ridiculous experiments involving lightning, which have caused power shortage in the castle.

[Gets a gobi masala dosa and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: Edie Meaney (Samara Weaving) had a troubled past which included being pulled over by police while driving her drunk parents who had drugs in their possession, and had ended up crashing the car. Then, as she was aged fourteen, with her mother dead and father paralyzed after the accident which was meant to save them from being arrested, had to go through a series of abusive foster homes, and was almost sold to sexual slavery, but was saved by John (Karl Glusman), a young criminal with whom she had also fallen in love, and stayed together for about fifteen years. Edie and John had carried out multiple robberies for the ruthless mob boss Nico (Andy Garcia), who had nicknamed her “Eenie Meanie”. She was known for her driving skills which had helped them a lot during the most complicated situations, something which had made her the favourite driver of the group, and her getaways have been iconic. Even her rival driver Perm (Marshawn Lynch) had a high opinion about her.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In the present, Edie has left her life as a getaway driver a long way behind, and had finally found the emotional courage to break up with John. As she works at a bank to support herself in going to college and get a degree, she becomes stuck at the bank counter during a robbery and is hit on the head to be knocked out. At the hospital, she finds out that she is pregnant with the child of John. Even though there are many advice for her to mind her own business, Edie goes and visits John, who is being interrogated by Nico’s men, and after surprising them, reluctantly uses her driving skills to save him. John had kidnapped Nico’s card counter man Leo (Randall Park) for a certain activity, and as he takes them out of the hiding place, ends up killing him much to the dismay of Edie. Once again pulled into the criminal world, this time being pregnant, she gets a call of Nico and him as well as his right-hand man George (Mike O’Malley) provides her with an offer.

And what more is to happen here as one man would dictate the terms? :: This offer would involve stealing a car containing three million dollars in cash, which is to serve as the prize for an upcoming poker tournament at a casino in the state. Only this could cover their losses due to the death of the man and this would be the one thing that could keep John alive at least for now. After getting a new car with the amount provided by Nico, they go and see Chaperone (Jermaine Fowler) as instructed, but he finds John to be liability who slows down both Edie and the mission, but she remains adamant that he is an integral part of the mission, and it is not just because he had helped him a lot in the past when she had no hope. She asserts that he also has the same kind of skills within him, and has helped a lot with the earlier missions, and that leaves the doubts behind for the time being for them. With some help from casino staff, the Dodge Charger which is to be given as the prize with three million inside is replaced with an identical model which is ready to drive as soon as the cash is loaded into it. But can Edie manage to take it out when everyone’s watching?

The defence of Eenie Meanie :: The movie rest on the shoulders of Samara Weaving, without doubt – her style, dialogues, charisma, dry humour and screen presence, all rises all the way above the whole movie, and rarely do we such a work which feels better than the film itself, and as we remember her performance in Ready or Not, we do feel here that she has always been ready, and eternally ready to shine in action movies. Whenever the movie gets weaker due to its lack of anything special, she becomes the one special ingredient. Elle Graham who plays her younger version had also made an early impact. Then, it can be seen that the heist and getaway driving sequences are nicely shot. During these moments, the high-speed thrills look polished and fast-paced. The humour works at times, and we see some elevation here and there. The second half shows a clear upgrade from the dumb beginning moments, and all the memorable moments are right there. Andy Garcia remains solid as the crime boss. Then the movie has its good looks.

The claws of flaw :: The movie feels elongated with not that much of a content to stretch it to the final run-time which it has achieved. Karl Glusman is playing a strange man who is good for nothing, and the main character for a past, remains attached to the person, and one cannot stop being bothered about it – there are not many things absurd than this which seems to cause everything that happens in the movie. One can only wonder if such a step will be taken by a smart modern woman in any case, as there is always limit to everything. The movie also seems to try too many things, some of them unnecessary – there is a pregnancy storyline, family estrangement and a number of unnecessary characters, which leaves the main heist plot feeling rushed and most of the things seem to wait till the end, even when there were so many opportunities to keep planning and talk about the same in between. There was much to be done to add right towards the action and even humour, and the emotional side just goes not useful at all. Some of the scenes including the first meeting of the two former lovers stay ridiculous.

How it finishes :: The movie maintains the brainless fun mode pretty well, but the slow progress does not help the same too much. The tale also does not seem to add anything too interesting in its narrative, and holds back with its action which arrives too late. The final moments do come up with what it was required to do, but it feels rushed, after all those talks in between. There is some poetic justice delivered right there. Then there is Samara Weaving who makes this feel so much better, and as she shoulders this, the quality itself feels very much improved. There is always hope when she is around, and we see the level of the movie elevated, and this much she achieves with that strange character that takes decisions against her own ideas and plans. The ending stays closer to reality, and most of it was something we waited to see happen. There are many thoughts about how this one could be improved. We would expect a more fast-paced full action thriller with a nicely planned heist, but that much is not reached. This one serves as an entertainer in Jio Hotstar which we can watch for time-pass.

Release date: 22 August 2025
Running time: 106 minutes
Directed by: Shawn Simmons
Starring: Samara Weaving, Karl Glusman, Jermaine Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, Steve Zahn, Andy Garcia, Randall Park, Mike O’Malley

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ice Road: Vengeance

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Vampire Owl: I have always thought about creating an ice road in the realm.

Vampire Bat: An ice road would not be that smooth a path for vehicles.

Vampire Owl: We just hover over the ice with our vampire levitating skills.

Vampire Bat: In that case, you can ask the vampire sorcerers to create a magical path.

Vampire Owl: No, too many magical witches on the way who could devastate the path.

Vampire Bat: Well, all the magic does not belong to one particular group.

Vampire Owl: Yes, like Dr. Frankenstein uses that magic of science.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein will never know true science.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein’s science is beyond all vampire limits.

Vampire Bat: We will know more about the same when Uncle Dracula addresses one of the great vampire gatherings again and make declarations.

[Gets a fortune cookie and three cups of taro tea].

What is the movie about? :: Mike McCann (Liam Neeson) a seasoned ice-road trucker, is going through a certain amount of survivor’s guilt after the death of his younger brother, Gurty McCann who (Marcus Thomas). Despite the best efforts of his psychologist, he is not able to find anything positive in life. After some days, to honour Gurty’s last wish, Mike decides to travel to Nepal so that he can scatter his ashes on the top of Mount Everest. As he reaches there, there is something going in a village further away from Kathmandu, in Kodari. There, local people keep opposing the construction of a huge hydroelectric dam that would affect the access of water supply from the river, which is the biggest dream and grand project of the nation’s leading industrialist Rudra Yash (Mahesh Jadu). Rudra is determined to make this happen one way or the other, and decides to kill the members of the family who refused to send the lands to them – Vijay Rai (Saksham Sharma), the youngest member of the family is chased by goons through the town.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: While standing in front of protests, Vijay understands that his grandfather was murdered by Rudra’s henchmen by pushing his bus off the huge cliff using a truck killing so many other passengers, thus making it look like an accident, as nobody else was around. Mikes finds his guide to travel to the top of Everest as some guy named Dani, but later realizes that it is Dhani Yangchen (Fan Bingbing), half-Nepali and half-Malaysian who had reached the top of the mountain many times. They join a group of passengers aboard a bus known as Kiwi Express which goes through the Road to the Sky, a narrow, high-altitude mountain pass. An American professor who had recently delivered a talk in the nearby university, Evan Myers (Bernard Curry), and his daughter Starr Myers (Grace O’Sullivan) also get into the bus along with a few others. But soon, Vijay is attacked by two strangers with guns and they knock out the boy while hijacking the bus, asking the driver to go through another route so that they can take him to a location according to their plan. Now, can the bus be saved?

The defence of Ice Road: Vengeance :: All the action at Kathmandu around the Himalayas makes sure that a visually unique and stunning background is achieved, and there are moments with this landscape which makes the situation even better. The visuals keep us hoping for such a journey through Himalayas or any other snow-covered mountains, especially as we rarely see any snow around. The quick pace of the movie makes sure that we are always in an action thriller, even those dialogues seem to support the same. Almost everyone among the cast seems to be fully powered for action, and there is something about their fight for survival which keeps us wishing them the best against all odds. Different types of people coming together to save themselves and defeat the villains never gets less interesting. There is a certain amount of humour and the emotional side is also there up to an extent. The nostalgic, old-school formula which reminds us of those 1980s and 1990s action flicks working so well here keeps us more interested. In the end, it is all about saving a village, and that matters here.

Positives and negatives :: The movie nicely makes use of the available elements from its cast to the visual world that surrounds everyone. It might not become the perfect action thriller without those huge action sequences, but we always have enough. Even with a message about nature and conservation of environment ready to come to the front, it never does the same, and leaving with the same does not happen at all. There are also moments when the movie feels like going the silly way, but with some willing suspension of disbelief, the same is handled well. Even though this one remains visually stunning, the Computer Generated Imagery is not used to the best advantage. The journey through ice road is rather less in this one too. The ending scene is lovely, but it seems a little bit forced. The action just before that was grand, but could have been quicker in execution, and the danger in the end should have given a riskier feeling, especially with a group with rich and powerful people with control over police chasing the people in the bus. Yet, the thrills remain there and the fights continue to be effective.

The performers of the soul :: Liam Neeson once again does the job, and like in Taken, A Walk Among the Tombstones, The Grey and Non-stop, goes through the difficult times to make it better. Nobody does it better than him when playing an aged hero with a past which has more tales to tell than people can think about. Fan Bingbing as the mountain guide Dhani Yangchen is a strong lady lead who can hold her own side in the narrative, and there are some fine fight scenes for her to excel. Amelia Bishop also plays a mercenary villain who gets a lot of action for herself. Grace O’Sullivan’s character is also played well as the significance of this one is also there at all times. Bernard Curry’s work is short-lived as the character is the first one to be killed. Marcus Thomas as Gurty McCann makes some presence through the flashbacks which come to the screen at times. Mahesh Jadu plays an antagonist who is menacing enough, Monish Anand’s supportive villain also has his moments. Geoff Morrell’s character adds some initial fun too. Saksham Sharma as Vijay Rai manages the role just as expected.

How it finishes :: Ice Road: Vengeance is one of those fine entertaining action thrillers which never losses its strength during its journey with a run-time just a little bit less than two hours. This is that kind of a movie which leaves us the feeling of a natural thriller, as it feels close to life due to never overdoing it and the situation related to dam construction and destruction of home and nature remaining even closer to life. There is no extra effort, but we are glad about what we see around. The 70-plus-year-old Liam Neeson trying to climb the Himalayas and also beating up people with a certain amount of struggle still makes it believable while staying on to be a highly entertaining watch which has shots which we will remember. As the movie also has everyone fighting for lives, there is a certain amount of balance here too. As most of us have not watched the previous movie, we cannot really compare this to the first movie, but this is surely that kind of a movie which should have released in the theatres here in style as there is a specific touch that could attract the audience around here.

Release date: June 27, 2025
Running time: 114 minutes
Directed by: Jonathan Hensleigh
Starring: Liam Neeson, Fan Bingbing, Marcus Thomas, Bernard Curry, Geoff Morrell, Mahesh Jadu, Amelia Bishop, Salim Fayad, Saksham Sharma, Grace O’Sullivan, Monish Anand, Shivantha Wijesinha, Rosie Traynor, Seth Kannof, CJ. Bloomfield, Luke Clayson, Sahil Saluja, Anna-Mai Hoek

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ready or Not 2

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Vampire Owl: The thing about me is that I am always ready.

Vampire Bat: You were never really ready in your whole life.

Vampire Owl: I was never ready for human evil; that much, I am sure.

Vampire Bat: Human evil is exactly the same as pure evil as we know it.

Vampire Owl: Pure evil is what humans call what they do not understand.

Vampire Bat: It is exactly what they call each other when time comes.

Vampire Owl: The worst time of humans is considered their best time.

Vampire Bat: They are people of paradoxes and antitheses, aren’t they?

Vampire Owl: Their existence itself goes against their nature.

Vampire Bat: Hell has a special infinite place for them elevated above the eternal fire that burns even further.

[Gets a sweet porotta and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Grace MacCaullay (Samara Weaving) had married Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), the estranged member of the successful Le Domas Family Games company. The other members of the Le Domases starting from his father Daniel Le Domas (Adam Brody) and mother Charity Le Domas (Elyse Levesque) had a deal with a devilish figure to highly improve the Le Domas fortune in exchange for going through a tradition. According to the same, at the midnight on their wedding day, she was asked to draw a game card from a puzzle box, and Grace had got the “Hide-and-Seek” card. She feels that it’s a harmless game, but then the Le Domases had started off hunting her with weapons. There was a violent fight in which she was never supposed to win with family having the weapons and full control of the house. But surprisingly, against all odds, she had ended up being alive during the dawn of next day while the family was wiped out as they failed to live up to the promise.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After that success, Grace is taken to the hospital by the cops who arrive at the scene. She is handcuffed to the bed as the police does not believe anything that she says, and they feel that she might have brutally murdered everyone in the family and tried to get away with it when the cops arrived on the scene. They decide to keep her handcuffed and take her to the police station as she has a lot more explaining to do in prison. It is then that Grace’s estranged sister Faith MacCaullay (Kathryn Newton) arrives at the hospital as she got the information with her phone number being added in the mobile phone as the only emergency contact of Grace. The two sisters were separated for some time as Grace left her when Faith was only fifteen years old. When the cops try to take Grace to the police station, they are attacked by the members of the satanic group, but they are wiped out as they try to kill her outside the game. A group of members of the cult arrives to take Grace to their mansion to begin the next game with her, and they also take Faith with them.

And what more can happen here as many deaths seem to be certain? :: The two sisters wake up in a room of a giant mansion; both their arms and legs tied to chairs and their mouths gagged. There they find the twins Titus Danforth (Shawn Hatosy) and Ursula Danforth (Sarah Michelle Gellar) who represents the Danforth family after murdering their father upon his wish as he found himself too weak for another game – it was the most powerful family which held the high seat of the council which controlled most of the world, and now there was going to be a fight for the seat due to what she did. Grace would be set free and the four remaining families must kill her before dawn to acquire the high seat which would leave worldwide power to person who murders her. Grace refuses to participate, but when the families put the knife on Faith’s neck, she agrees, and both sisters are sedated and thrown into the middle of a golf course around the mansion, handcuffed to each other. Now it is to be seen if they can survive against this incoming attack from the heads of each family.

The defence of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come :: Samara Weaving feels like a perfect scream queen, and that return in the blood-soaked wedding dress is a stunner. The addition of Kathryn Newton as her sister in fighting, brings more fun and the chaotic survival partnership is more than just memorable – it is very much unlike her character in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which was not something to remember much. Kathryn shows that she is also the scream queen as much as an action star, and she also adds a lot of humour to the movie. The movie gets into action-comedy and horror-comedy mostly because of her interactions with her sister character and those around her. A movie with her fighting vampires, zombies or demons would be delightful whether it’s as a scream queen of horror or in a demon-hunter in action. The two sisters fighting together brings some fine scenes, and the final moments with the satanic terror is worth mentioning too. The whole atmosphere of the movie with huge mansion in the front and a hidden satanic world underneath creates an impact.

Positives and negatives :: The movie has that kind of a supporting cast who manages to come up with a fine job too. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy are just too good, while Elijah Wood and Maia Jae come up with moments to remember. The kills here are memorable, and even though we see a lot of blood around, the violence remains under control, and the splattering blood do not make it unbearable for a younger audience; a perfect example of how to keep creative carnage within the perfect limits. The movie could have had more villains around here with a bigger backstory, as this movie never feels too long with its content, and we are only looking for more and more as time progresses. The use of a demonic presence and the satanic cult create effective danger around there, as it is not just a few fighting families that the sisters need to escape from. Even if they get out of the yard, they cannot be sure what would happen next. The supernatural and the influential spread all around the world would have a lot to say about their plans being ruined. The movie could feel like some originality lost, and the final resolution would feel too easy. Some big scares could also come in here and there.

How it finishes :: Most of us never really had the chance to watch the first movie when it released in the theatres, as it never really graced us around here, but with the OTT option available, this one came to Jio Hotstar pretty much quickly. This one picks up right where the early movie left us. This one does a fine job in expanding the universe from a single terrifying family to a massive battle for global supremacy with many devil-worshipping elite dynasties hunting the woman in trouble and also her sister who almost becomes collateral damage in a world of chaos. It is indeed a highly entertaining sequel to a movie which was watched by a smaller number of people as it was a sleeper hit which never really managed many theatres, and the same can be said about this sequel in this part of the world too. A chaotic, bloody energy has been maintained here, and with two sisters fighting against all odds with influential families carrying weapons coming after them. This reminds one the movies like Breakdown Forest and The Hunt, and remains a true entertainer with a fine leading cast of two.

Release date: 20 March 2026
Running time: 108 minutes
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elijah Wood, Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, David Cronenberg, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, Varun Saranga, Dan Beirne, Nadeem Umar-Khitab, Masa Lizdek

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Psycho Killer

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Vampire Owl: So, they have finally used the exact title for a smart killer.

Vampire Bat: Being psychotic is not a new thing for humans.

Vampire Owl: If this movie was in the vampire world, it would be psychic not psychotic.

Vampire Bat: Our world has its own dose of psychic vampires.

Vampire Owl: Doctor Sleep, I think, was inspired by them visiting the human world.

Vampire Bat: Vampires visiting human world have more similarities to Byzantium.

Vampire Owl: Yet, the human world remains too close to cruelty as their reality.

Vampire Bat: Brutality is the first step to becoming a human. It has always been so.

Vampire Owl: Whenever the word psycho is used in relation to any species, it points to humanity.

Vampire Bat: Uncle Dracula tried long reasoning with them and banned them within minutes.

[Gets a savala vada and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: Satanic Slasher (James Preston Rogers) has been terrorizing multiple districts of USA for quite some time, murdering people who seemed to be random victims as he never really chose one place at a time. The scenes of murder were identified as places of unparalleled terror where even police officers fear to go. He had received the name from the media and public due to the occult symbols he had left behind at the crime scenes and his brutality seemingly reflecting the hell which he had written about at the areas where the murders took place – Satan worship was the only common thing. Jane Archer (Georgina Campbell) is a highway patrol officer who finds her husband, a police officer, being murdered by Slasher as his identity was almost discovered by the man. She becomes obsessed with finding and bringing the man to justice if she cannot kill him, and with memories of her husband and expecting their first child, she decides to go on a hunt much to the dismay of her relatives and the co-workers who understand that they cannot stop her, whatever they say or do.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: She feels that Slasher could be a murderous Satanic preacher who held his own people hostage and then killed them in a famous case of mass murder, but is someone who was supposed to have died some time ago. The other option is that someone who is a big fan might have taken over the identity, especially someone who is interested in Satan worship and hopes to go full evil as a demon of destruction to please the devil, the signs clearly being there in the death scenes. She also finds out that Slasher murdered a female pharmacist in a small town around and had raided the pharmacy for a number of antidepressants and other drugs. Despite her getting no support from the FBI which had taken over the case from the police, one of the officers Becky Collins (Grace Dove) provides her the route of his attacks and the fact that he had never taken the drugs to sell them, and could have only used them for himself. She also adds that he had also attacked a librarian and some books were also reported stolen from the local library.

And what more is to happen here as a demonic serial killer is on the hunt? :: Slasher also kills a couple facing a car breakdown whom he finds on the way, and gets into a church and kills the parish priest there after asking for a confession, and drinks his blood. But he is not satisfied as he keeps looking for answers. As Jane finds him staying in a motel and tries to restrain him all by herself as FBI provides no support, he attacks her and beats her up before throwing her out of the room, knocking her out before fleeing. Slasher decides to speed things up and goes to a mansion owned by a Satanist cult which is run by a strange man, as they replied to a secret Satanic advertisement with codes which was given by him after committing a murder. Slasher uses them to find a man whom he has been looking for, and despite them accepting him as one of theirs, he finds their ways hedonistic as the Satanic members go on naked sexual acts pairing up random men against women for unleashing their carnal desires in the name liberation and liberalism against all limits of morality. He decides to do something that he feels will open the gates to hell. But can he do that all by himself? How many more will die in the process?

The defence of Psycho Killer :: Georgina Campbell as Jane Archer comes up with a brilliant performance, as we feel the determination related her, and how well she does a woman on vengeance as much on duty and mourning. James Preston Rogers as the slasher is a strong presence, and never losses the power of the psycho killer on a mission. The grim, bloody and dark atmosphere of the movie works really well as the visuals suit the serial killer mode as much as the demonic level nicely. The brutal murder of the hedonists in the Satanic mansion might be one of the best moments in the movie as it has a certain amount of poetic beauty to it. The next classic moments come by the end of it, as the attempt to open the gates of hell got a terrifying vibe to it, with hidden implications, even though not a real intervention of supernatural in store. The evil here can be really felt as there is the Satanist and anti-God vibe to it; the depiction of the same is exactly as we have seen in the movies and news here too – the need to do evil is rather too strong here.

Positives and negatives :: The final moments provide that fine twist related to the idea of hell, and it is indeed a smart move but people will still feel that this is a deviation from the serial killer mode which was to go on a full psychotic murder spree from the shadows. There could have also been more action in the final moments and a supernatural twist would have also done more. The Satanic cult tropes, bloody aesthetics and the atmosphere for fear still stays well here. Malcolm McDowell’s role is also worth noting as Satanic leader, but one feels that he could have been there for more. The same is the case of Grace Dove and Logan Miller who leaves rather too early. Then, the Computer Generated Imagery show some struggle at times too. The blood and gore, despite never over done for a slasher movie, might not be comfortable for everyone. Its release also went unnoticed, as we look when it really came out for the viewers. If it was not for its entry into JioHotstar, I would have never known about it either.

How it finishes :: The movie maintains the aesthetic of horror as a psycho killer going the Satanist way provides the extra, but one also feels that the final product does not go to the psychological thriller mode which was also there for the taking. This is still a classic finish with some moments to remember in between, as we see a kind of slasher with nostalgia which brings something to stay with its divergence which is not from the basic elements, but to bring something new. The movie surely had so much scope as a slasher which could make it big here, as the idea would feel still relevant in this world rather than where it really released. For all the die-hard slasher fans of 1990s thriller aesthetics, it will always remain the right watch for us. When most of us remember that we were all fans of Evil Dead, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream and other franchises from quite some time ago, this one should begin another franchise – the ending happens in such a way that there is scope for sequel. A slasher fan would find it better not to read too much of those negative reviews and go for a sequel if it finally gets released.

Release date: 20th February 2026
Running time: 91 minutes
Directed by: Gavin Polone
Starring: Georgina Campbell, James Preston Rogers, Malcolm McDowell, Logan Miller, Grace Dove

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pumpkinhead

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Vampire Owl: I would accept this one as part of the vampire team.

Vampire Bat: There can never be a pumpkinhead vampire.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein had once created a creature out of a pumpkin.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein can create only be a creature and can create none.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein can only be a creature of supreme intelligence.

Vampire Bat: Do not transform him into an alien now.

Vampire Owl: He is not of this realm, and therefore he is an alien, the smartest among them.

Vampire Bat: He is not worthy enough for any designation.

Vampire Owl: You are talking about the greatest scientist of twelve realms.

Vampire Bat: He is the one pseudo-scientist that I would avoid.

[Gets a masala bonda and three cups of kadak tea].

What is the movie about? :: A thirteen-year-old boy named Sam (Bean Reid) who was forced to leave his friends and relocate from New York City to a small village with a seemingly perfect and peaceful farming community called Redhaven with his family. The story of the village points to Palmer (Kevin McNulty), who is known as a generous, friendly old farmer who is the descendant of those agriculturists who saved the town by creating agricultural success out of nowhere at a time when everything was failing in the land and crops were dying. The people of the village have been spreading the word that it was achieved through hard work and advanced farming techniques and the villagers celebrate the same through a harvest festival. During this festival, Redhaven’s unmatched prosperity in compared to the area around them continues to be celebrated as the award-winning crops which are sold in bulk and at high prices throughout the neighbouring villages are remembered in Palmer’s lands. But Palmer keeps people away from his farmhouse, which he keeps away from the village folk, but everyone surrounds the area around the farm where he has kept the celebrations alive.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Angry about his move to the strange place which seems to have nothing for him, and chased away from the farmhouse by Palmer while looking at a strange pumpkin, Sam decides to steal a massive pumpkin from the farmer’s restricted area just to make the man feel bad about it. The police begin to start searching about the same as a case was registered, and the farmer who was held at high regard by the village gets all the condolences. Sam’s elder brother Finn (Seth Isaac Johnson) finds out about the same, and with hope for the best about the family’s relationship with the village where they have to spend rest of their lives decides to return in back at that night itself, even though Sam remains unhappy about the people of the village and its lack of facilities compared to every place he had stayed before. But Finn who reaches the farmhouse is attacked by some unknown force, and some vines which capture him, take him right into the sand.

And what more is to follow here as things seem to show tendency to get further complicated? :: The next morning, as he cannot find his elder brother anywhere, Sam keeps searching for Finn, but is not able to find him. As he keeps searching for him, he remembers that he was going to Palmer’s house to return the pumpkin, and with his only friend from the area which he had just found, Becka (Adeline Lo), he goes on searching, only to be thrown out of the farmhouse by Palmer. As he tells his mother Cassie (Kendra Anderson) about his elder brother going missing, but he discovers that she does not remember Finn and according to her, such a person never really existed in their memory even as an acquaintance. He brings photos of them together, but she does not see her elder son and asserts than Sam is her only child and they came to the village as a group of two in their car. Becka tells him that children have gone missing from the village before, and none of the adults seem to remember them. She tells him not to waste time with adults of the village anymore, and only an outcast named Rusty (Matty Finochio) might be able to save them. At the same time, the scarecrow in the field seems to look at them. Can they find the secret behind the missing children soon enough or will more of them go missing?

The defence of R L Stine’s Pumpkinhead :: The movie’s biggest point is the scarecrow monster itself, which brings effective scares. The creature’s unnatural and unsettling movements create genuinely unsettling visual scares, and rises a long way above CGI using an actor. The idea of children being erased from the memory and even proof of their existence disappearing makes a scary point here further away from the usual horror. Despite the scares, this one remains a horror which stays within its borders, making it watchable for everyone, and still does enough justice to the genre. The presence of ancient evil makes sure that a high level of danger is always there to unleash chaos into unsuspecting people. The kids do a great job, and the pairing of the leading children works effectively, and the final villain reveal also blends in well. The visuals are nothing less than stunning, as the autumn imagery and the small-town harvest festivals with pumpkins, all with that orange shades provide a stunning look here, and in this case, even the night view has a certain charm as much as the horror that stays. The climax twist feels classic and should inspire a sequel.

The claws of flaw :: This is that kind of a movie which we had not heard about until it was released on Amazon Prime Video, and when something goes unnoticed by the horror enthusiasts, that feels strange. Some of the acting in the beginning does feel like a struggle, especially with the first few moments never really bringing much of an interest. The weak beginning might decrease the number of people who watch movie to its more interesting parts. The main character if written better, would have helped the process in those early stages, and the protagonist being a little more likeable would have surely served the purpose better. The people who look for strong and extremely terrifying moments will be disappointed, as the movie never really goes for something huge. One would also feel if something other than the scarecrow and some vines within a farmhouse could have been added to extend the strength of horror, as the idea of an ancient evil rooted on Earth and nature would have endless possibilities. The supporting characters are not given enough according to the situation either, and our hope to see the pure evil unleashing itself is lost.

How it finishes :: R L Stine’s Pumpkinhead stays different from other horror movies as a work on screen which can be watched by the whole family, never really taking it to the next level – it can be a good thing of something bad, as it limits the movie, but keeps it accessible to everyone. The scares are still effective enough, and staying within a drawn line of control, it can still call for all kinds of audience. Its power as a highly effective, atmospheric gateway horror movie cannot be questioned at all. It balances the spooky nostalgia of 90s horror with modern style, making it a perfect entry point for younger audiences who are looking for horror entry while remaining entertaining enough also for those usual horror fans. It can also be said that the horror here is not just physical, but psychological as the memory of a loved one disappearing also adds on here. The feeling is more or less like folk-horror as centuries-old ancient horror comes out of nowhere with unsuspecting people playing along with the evil plans. Now we will see what can come in this franchise if there is a sequel – there should be more evil to unleash here.

Release date: 17th October 2025
Running time: 90 minutes
Directed by: Jem Garrard
Starring: Bean Reid, Seth Isaac Johnson, Adeline Lo, Kevin McNulty, Bob Frazer, Matty Finochio, Troy James

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Drop

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Vampire Owl: I remember that I once dropped bomb in the land of zombies during a lockdown.

Vampire Bat: It was a magical orb; you don’t call it a bomb.

Vampire Owl: In our worlds, the orbs replace the bombs.

Vampire Bat: We are no longer using that magic in our lives.

Vampire Owl: The dark magic has still spread enough in the realm.

Vampire Bat: Such evil has been limited to the lands of the northern witches.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein had ended the witches by himself.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein won no science vs magic battle.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein will end all unnecessary magic with the use of science.

Vampire Bat: Now you know why Uncle Dracula banned him.

[Gets a sweet puffs and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: Violet (Meghann Fahy) had been suffering as she was unable to leave her alcoholic and abusive husband despite her being a therapist herself. But this had changed as the man committed suicide, but she was blamed for it, and people often told the stories about her killing her husband as she was unable to suffer his atrocities anymore, as even the neighbours could not stand the man. On an eventful day, after finishing daily work, she is startled by a metre reading man knocking on her window and she had guided him to the back of her home. Later, Violet decides to leave her young son Toby (Jacob Robinson) at home in the care of her younger sister Jen (Violett Beane) and go for her first date after the death of her husband. Jen makes sure that her sister wears the best clothes and manages to find her true love this time and get married to lead a good life. With everything set and with the best wishes of her sister, Violet reaches Palate, a grand restaurant at the top of a skyscraper for a date with a photographer named Henry (Brandon Sklenar), whom she has been messaging through a dating app.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Henry is late, she spends some time at the bar and meets Richard (Reed Diiamond), a little elderly man waiting on a blind date, Matt (Jeffery Self), a server on his first day at the restaurant, Cara (Gabrielle Ryan), the friendly bartender, Phil (Ed Weeks), the restaurant’s pianist, and Connor (Travis Nelson), a young man waiting for his sister. Henry reaches, and as they start their date, Violet begins receiving messages on her mobile phone through a short-rage texting system. These messages from this unknown user starts with memes which gradually become more threatening. Henry tells her that it could only be someone seated in their section of the restaurant as the range would only be that much. Despite Violet trying to ignore the drops, the crisis elevates as the unknown person asks her to check her home security cameras. As she checks for the same through camera, she finds Jen being knocked out by a masked man who locks Toby inside a room, and she is warned against telling everyone about it, as the boy would be killed if anyone comes to know about it.

And what more is to follow here as lives seem to be at stake with time running out? :: The messenger tells her that only by careful actions, her son will be saved, and warns her against leaving from the restaurant, as she is to continue her date. When she moves, it seems that the man knows, and as she moves into the toilet, she finds hidden cameras near the wash, and the same was also seen on the side of her table. She pretends to be scared of heights and ask for the table to be moved from their location with the city view to anywhere else. Henry manages to have the same done with the help of the staff, but she is forced to come back as the messenger asks her to return to the same seat or her child would die. They return to the same table, which the staff says was particularly chosen for them through a call, but both of them remember none of it. The messenger further instructs Violet to find a camera in Henry’s bag kept on a side and destroy its SD card. Violet manages to complete the job and finds out that Henry, who works for the city mayor, has photos which would serve as evidence against the man. But this would not be the last thing she will have to do to save her son. How long can she survive like this?

The defence of Drop :: The movie is powered by a fine performance from Meghann Fahy who drops the anchor with a performance that requires some fine skill, as she has to continue fighting against all odds with control over her actions as much as the emotions. Brandon Sklenar also provides some fine support here as he plays the next significant character. These characters are placed in a situation which does not go much about one and half hours, and with such a short run-time, the movie leaves one with no wasted time. There are some nice situations which feels more real than the others. The anxieties about digital life and surveillance feels very much real as we never really move away from the same, no matter how much we feel that this would not happen to us. The suspense and thrills we feel here are more like taken right out of a world that we know. There is also that emotional side related to the life of the main character. Then there is the stunning world of the restaurant with a view and the tension that something big is going to happen any time soon, and the audience are prepared for the same.

The claws of flaw :: When we think deeply about the movie, we can’t help feeling that the villain’s plan depends on the near-impossible, requiring the best of timing and perfect surveillance that stretches the willing suspension of disbelief at times – this happens in such an area where immense possibilities are there, and just going for the same in the usual manner and then trying to hide the evidence would have been the better options however we look at it. The idea that the main character, despite being a person with skills related to the mind decides to stay with her abusive and alcoholic husband who does not have the right state of mind makes us wonder what kind of skills she has in her field of psychology. The flashback which goes there is not that much either, and we never really go that deep into past, and yet there is so much of talk about the same. Then the finish seems to be done in a hurry as the revealing is done and then the chase happens as if they were just put there to end the film as soon as possible.

How it finishes :: Drop takes advantage of the fear of being watched digitally with no idea of who is doing the same; it is indeed one of the scariest feelings that one could have, as this has become an inevitable part of our life in one way or the other. Meghann Fahy carries the same tension while not really out of the character’s long trauma right on her shoulders. Her performance that stands apart makes sure that the emotional stakes feel raw and very much human, even when the technology around her tries to take over. It is to be noted that all of these happens in the restricted space of the top floor of a skyscraper where the restaurant is situated. There, it expertly turns an everyday social setting into a terrifying nightmare, and for the same, it needs the applause, as some of us might think twice about talking to a digital stranger too. It could have still become something more, but it chooses not to, as the terror lies a little too much in the messages and a video cam rather than on the main location in real space, and we should have had a little bit more of the main character’s past and a less quick journey in the final stages. But we have everything that ends well, and we are left with messages, which is very much fine.

Release date: 11th April 2025
Running time: 95 minutes
Directed by: Christopher Landon
Starring: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jeffery Self, Ed Weeks

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Wrecking Crew

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Vampire Owl: We have acted as wrecking crew of our vampire army before.

Vampire Bat: I thought you preferred the words, destruction and devastation.

Vampire Owl: I had also used the word, annihilation. But not anymore.

Vampire Bat: So, you are becoming more positive in your ideology.

Vampire Owl: As long as I do not see any human; they are too evil towards infinity.

Vampire Bat: Human evil in a particular form is also shown in this movie, I believe.

Vampire Owl: Humans can only elevate the evil; there is no escape.

Vampire Bat: Shadow demons once called them the true demonic ones.

Vampire Owl: Shadow demons, despite their strength in shades are lesser evil.

Vampire Bat: Human evil will always find a way, even better than the undead witches.

[Gets a pineapple cake and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: James Hale (Dave Bautista) and Jonny Hale (Jason Momoa) are step brothers who have been living apart for a long time, never really feeling the need to meet each other or even have a talk over the phone in the last few years. Jonny has moved to Oklahoma, and is working as a police officer with his girlfriend Valentina Silva (Morena Baccarin) a Portuguese-speaking immigrant from Brazil. After he makes a mess of things again as he has been doing for a long time, he gets suspended, and despite all the begging about him needing her and in spite of all the sweet talk about her being the most beautiful Latino girl he ever known, Valentina decides to leave him citing the lack of concern and talk he had with her in the last few months. At the same time, James is an officer in the United States Navy, and is living a happy and peaceful life with his wife Leila Hale (Roimata Fox) and his two children back in Hawaii, and takes his job very seriously. He is a much-loved figure in his town for his responsible and helpful behaviour, and the family has built quite a positive reputation.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The death of their father by a car accident brings them together, even though they know nothing about him from the last few years, and have not seen him quite some time. Jonny decides to stay at Hawaii for some time to attend the funeral as well as investigate his death. The meeting with James and his family feels like a thought process, as they had not seen each other for such a long time, and never even called to know the other. Their cousin Haunani Palakiko (Frankie Adams) also arrives for the funeral, and she is one of the few people permanently settled in the area as she works for the mayor of the town, Peter Mahoe (Temuera Morrison). Jonny tells James that the death of their father was not an accident, as he was attacked by some Yakuza thugs at his Oklahoma home, and they were asking for a package which was sent by their father. James does not want Jonny to investigate and get into trouble as the police had already called it an accident, and their father was carelessly standing on the road while the car was speeding.

And what more would happening here as there is indeed a mystery to solve? :: James feels that Jonny just keeps getting into trouble for one reason or the other like the day when he had to leave home for a long time while being hunted by a local crime syndicate who still seeks vengeance. But James decides to go through the investigation just to make sure, and Jonny is already on the same, beating up people according to the need for information. As their paths converge to their father’s apartment, they find plans for a casino and resort. With their cousin’s help, they discover that the casino is to be built on the Hawaiian homes which are already occupied by the locals. It is to be built by an influential billionaire known as Marcus Robichaux (Claes Bang), and the brothers decide to crash one of their grand parties. There, they meet Monica Robichaux (Lydia Peckham), who is Marcus’ wife, and also the members of the same gang who launched an attack on Jonny. Monica tells him that she had hired their father to investigate on her husband. They realize that all of these are connected and there might have been some secrets which got out. But can they find out anything before they are hunted or the evidence is destroyed by money and influence?

The defence of The Wrecking Crew :: The movie works the best more due to its use of its leading cast, the two classic action heroes who do such a fine work. Dave Bautista, the Drax of Guardians of the Galaxy from Marvel and Jason Momoa, the Aquaman of Justice League of America from DC, manages to do deliver heavy punches as they did in those movies where they had superpowers, but this case remains much believable. The different characters which they have been playing in the past also helps in the purpose, and they genuinely look like they belong to one bloodline and fights together like a near-perfect team of two brothers. The hand-to-hand fight scenes are intensely physical and very much gory, with the fight between two brothers also adding to the same. Then there is Morena Baccarin who gets into the action so well, and that sequence with a helicopter chasing the car is too good especially with her around. Along with the rest, she also handles the humour really well. Morena transforms into an action star very soon, and the other female characters despite following well, just got to do the usual thing.

The claws of flaw :: The movie depends too much on the main characters and does not come up with anything different or special. The action and the journey itself never really leave the predictability as we look at the beginning and the initial situations. We should have also had more of Morena, as she seems to have come to leave her lover and drive a car away from a helicopter, and is not present during the rest of the movie at all. Lydia Peckham could have also had a bigger role here, as she looked stunning when she was there, and her character had a lot of scope too. Then the investigation could have also been as interesting as the action, as we wonder how this could have been made more of a suspense-filled search for a murderer and what lies beneath all of these. The final moments become predictable in nature as the bigger revelations happen too soon. The later moments of the movie after the big fights serve less than one would expect. This could have also used the beaches to a better advantage as we look closer.

How it finishes :: The Wrecking Crew goes through its action and a certain amount of humour without looking back at any moment. There are some stylish and classic action moments which would be remembered for how well it is shot with that humorous side, and never really moving away from that light-hearted side. The energy that the characters possess in unparalleled, and it is not just limited to the main protagonists, but also to their partners. As Dave Bautista’s serious strength and Jason Momoa’s wild-man energy matches each other, we watch it in the style of watching a computer game with wrestlers beating up the bad guys – with the case of WWE’s Batista, this would feel as perfect as it could be, as he and the Rock has provided the feeling that wrestling has come to Hollywood, and John Cena has also did it up to an extent. It is a privilege to have wresters who can act in action thrillers, as they make the whole situation better in a believable manner with that kind of a physique. After all, there is no better places to build performers for action that World Wrestling Entertainment which had some of the most classic scripts and on-ring works that we watched during childhood.

Release date: 28th January 2026
Running time: 122 minutes
Directed by: Ángel Manuel Soto
Starring: Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon, Morena Baccarin

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Project Hail Mary

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Vampire Owl: I feel that this movie is a little bit too complicated for my liking.

Vampire Bat: It surely has some extra amount of science added to it.

Vampire Owl: I was wondering if I should connect Dr. Frankenstein to understand it.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein has understood no real science so far.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein was also nominated for Best Undead Scientist Award.

Vampire Bat: He used a fake recommendation letter from Uncle Dracula.

Vampire Owl: You are just jealous because he found the presence of aliens in your room.

Vampire Bat: I am pretty much confident that it was a cockroach from the human world.

Vampire Owl: Do you think that cockroaches can scare our vampire friends?

Vampire Bat: Well, it has been centuries since they saw one, and so they can feel a certain amount of scared confusion.

[Gets a gobi paratha and three cups of Yercaud tea].

What is the movie about? :: Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up from a temporary coma status in an interstellar spacecraft named Hail Mary, and suffers from memory loss, only slowly realizing that the year is 2032. Soon, Grace realizes that he is the only survivor of a three-person team of newly trained astronauts that was traveling towards a constellation known as the Tau Ceti system, about twelve light-years from Earth. This keeps him confused about what is next for him as memories come back to him slowly and steadily. As it goes on, he keeps enjoying his solitude while going back into flashbacks and he gets close to the destination. But soon, he is surprised to find an alien spacecraft docking with the Hail Mary despite him trying to evade it after disengaging autopilot. The spacecraft is made of a solid form of xenon, which Grace considers to be xenonite. The ship has only one occupant, and is revealed to be a rock-like, five-legged alien from what is known as Erid, a planet in the 40 Eridani A system that goes a long way further from their location.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Grace recalls that scientists had discovered a line of infrared light stretching from the Sun to Venus and a substance running through the line, called astrophage which was getting on the Sun’s surface, dimming the Sun at a rate that could cause so much cooling within thirty years that human life would cease to exist. The head of the Petrova Taskforce, Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) had recruited Grace who was a middle school science teacher and a former molecular biologist to study the astrophage as she has seen his works and could understand his ability to think beyond the usual limitations. After a few days of work, Grace discovered that astrophage was full of certain unicellular organisms which absorb electromagnetic radiation from the Sun and expel it at great strength for propulsion, and he also figured out how to breed these organisms and create more of the same kind. Grace further remembers that he had joined Project Hail Mary, an international near-impossible mission to send a crewed spacecraft to Tau Ceti, the only star in Earth’s solar neighborhood not affected by astrophage, and is shining brighter than ever.

And what more happens here and complications are sure to come in space? :: Grace who was able to breed astrophage a lot, which was to serve as fuel for the ship, also helped the crew in learning to deal with the same. The flight to Tau Ceti was to be a suicide mission, as the ship could only carry enough astrophage for a one-way trip, and all findings were to be sent back inside smaller space probes. With most of his memory back, Grace names the alien as Rocky, and manages to communicate with it using a machine translation system which is able to convert Rocky’s strange noises into English. It is revealed that Rocky is a mechanical engineer, and the only survivor of the Eridians’ mission to save their world from astrophage infection. Grace understands that others from that spacecraft had died from radiation poisoning, while Rocky was unaffected due to being shielded by their astrophage supply, which was kept around Rocky’s workshop. Both starts working together towards that common aim of saving their stars and planets. But can they find what is different with this particular star and can the same be applied to their respective planets?

The defence of Project Hail Mary :: The movie’s best part, without doubt is the interaction between the human and the alien – the contact feels like happening in a more realistic manner than what we usually see in any movie with an alien around. The relationship between the two are beautifully depicted, and this is the kind of connection which humans would hesitate to have in our world of chaos and hopelessness. Then there are the stunning visuals, with a nicely detailed interior of the ship and the vastness of space giving a spectacle for us. The visuals of the Eridian homeland at the very end of the movie feels like a perfect example of creating something to remember just with the view itself. The final moments are not just visually satisfying, but also leaving us with a feel-good effect. Well, there are not many alien movies which can bring that effect, and not many space movies can be this kind of effective in multiple levels. Ryan Gosling’s performance makes sure that that the emotional side works with so much efficiency, and in a world which is almost all about him, he manages to come with that performance we would not forget with ease.

Positive and negatives :: The movie can feel a little bit too long, and the beginning itself is a little bit slow – the moments back on Earth feels like dragging, and one cannot stop oneself from feeling that there should have been less flashbacks, with everything happening at exactly the one place where the big action takes place. The science also goes a little too much forward for the common audience, but the movie cannot do without the same. Any more complication would have left the audience not interested in the movie, as most of us do not go for this kind of science anymore, and our knowledge about such things could mean a deep struggle, as evident from our visits to the different science cities and museums of natural science. But these are the kind of movies which will create fine science enthusiasts out of interested children who improve themselves at school. The fact that the movie also has some fine humour in there makes it more interesting for the young and keeps the light mood at a time when the world as we know could come to an end sooner or later.

How it finishes :: The movie becomes a classic on the lines of some big space movies, Gravity, The Martian and Interstellar, and this one proves that we do need all kinds of films set in space. As an adaptation of a book, the faithfulness to the original can only be spoken about by the fans of the original work. The emotional core and the visual splendour never really leave the movie, and this journey’s grandeur is not limited to one side. For the common audience, this is indeed a space triumph that one has been waiting for with great expectations. As it goes through that successful exercise of sci-fi world-building, there is no point that makes the viewer doubt its process. One would have loved to watch this movie on the big screen with all that we have as a spectacle, but we are so much past those days when we frequent the theatres – Amazon Prime Video has enough of this movie of us, and that should do. After all, we have come to that stage when no multiplex can raise our chances of watching anything on the big screen, but if there was a movie or two to be watched like that, this is one of them.

Release date: 20th March 2026
Running time: 156 minutes
Directed by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Predator: Badlands

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Vampire Owl: They used to call vampires by the title predators.

Vampire Bat: Those times are over now, with a specific set of books and movies.

Vampire Owl: You should know that there is always a chance to reclaim that position.

Vampire Bat: As far as I know, predator is not really a position.

Vampire Owl: It could be the side title of a vampire.

Vampire Bat: You know that these predators are aliens, don’t you?

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein has told us that there is information which shouldn’t be revealed.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein, in the form of a fake doctor, tells nothing of relevance.

Vampire Owl: You know that he inspired a book and so many adaptations.

Vampire Bat: That was the imagination that served, not the person.

[Gets a paneer puffs and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is the smallest member of his clan on the planet Yautja Prime, and is considered too weak to be among the predators. To prove that he is better than most of his kind, Dek plans to hunt a creature known as the Kalisk, an apex predator on what is often called the death planet – the world far away known as Genna. Kwei (Mike Homik), his stronger elder brother tries to prepare him for his battles as much as he can. But their father Njohrr (Reuben de Jong) appears all of a sudden and asks Kwei to kill his brother as he is a shame to the clan of fierce warriors. But Kwei refuses only to be killed by their father, but not before he sends his brother to the death planet so that he can prove his worth by hunting and defeating the feared creature. He reaches the planet, but realizes that this is no easy task, as the planet itself has that kind of flora and fauna which makes it very difficult to survive, as danger is hidden in almost every spot around there.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Dek losses most of his weapons and tech while fighting the forest, he comes across Thia (Elle Fanning), an advanced, but damaged Weyland-Yutani Corporation android, whose team of synthetic soldiers was destroyed by the Kalisk while on a mission. She had lost her body from the waist downwards and with the help of Dek, manages to free herself from her predicament and supports him against the incoming trouble, and guide him. He ties her to himself as she had no legs and faces the dangers while moving forward through the treacherous terrain. Soon, while on a hunt, they are joined by a friendly creature that Thia names Bud. The creature marks Dek with her saliva and accepts him as her clan as he defeats two creatures which were on their trail. But he tells them that the one thing that matters is the trophy, and that it can only be gained by killing the creature. Despite Thia telling him that back on Earth predators like wolves have the alpha that protects the pack, he remains adamant that he would be the alpha who kills the most and not the one who protects.

And what more could follow in this world of unmatched danger? :: Thia understands that Dek only understands revenge and is looking forward to prove that he is worthy against all odds. It is then that Thia’s twin android and the expert hunter Tessa (Elle Fanning) is found and revived by Weyland-Yutani androids and is repaired at their main base. She is warned that she would be decommissioned and replaced if she fails her mission. She finds out that she is with an alien creature that would remain a threat to their mission. With a new Weyland-Yutani team, Tessa begins searching for Dek’s group, and finds his crashed ship which has the arms and ammunitions which interests her including those which belonged to his brother. Thia who reaches the area where she was ambushed, finds enough of the technology to connect herself to her body parts below the waist. But at the same time, she understands that Tessa and her group is coming, and the creature is also nearby. A big fight seems to be on the cards. Now, who will survive and will the fight be worth it?

The defence of Predator: Badlands :: The movie surely has some good action, and fighting is all around, from surviving a dangerous jungle with strange flora and fauna to fighting android robots with advanced weapons. The battle against the apex predator and the final battle requires special mention along with that fight of Thia with her body separated into two especially of the waist below has an innovative as much as funny side to it. There are also some funny lines to go with the fight, but that does not bring the quality of the battles down, as we see the big creatures being destroyed and getting attacked by nature itself in all its grandeur. The movie never ceases to be a spectacle, as the scope is a lot, with alien planets including desert lands and dense forests – the creatures are nicely created and detailed, with the possibility of danger nicely felt. It would have been a movie more for the theatre than for Jio Hotstar as we enjoy the beauty of the worlds on the screen, as we would have in computer games like Mass Effect and Unreal Tournament, or Star Trek works.

Positives and negatives :: Elle Fanning as Thia stands apart as one of the best android robotic characters of all-time, something which we see this good only in the Alien movies – Prometheus, Covenant, Romulus etc have known this Weyland Corporation more than any other, and the cross-breed of franchises has been clearly shown here with this particular presence. Her other character in the form of antagonist pales in comparison as this one keep scoring all the time. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi makes this particular Predator work well according to the situation, and the bonding works nicely. Other humanoids become rather irrelevant here. The movie also provides the message of being together and coming back strong as the underdog, but in the process, loss some of the qualities of Predator franchise, seemingly getting closer to the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thunderbolts and Suicide Squad. There seems to be the easy way taken at times, especially after that grand fight at human side in the end. The characters are still well-developed to keep us further interested.

How it finishes :: Predator: Badlands releasing on Jio Hotstar was something quick that we did not realize that the same had happened. This quick release was pretty much needed though, as we looked forward to watching another live-action movie featuring the classic alien or predator. There are those action sequences which justify its release, and despite the predator character undergoing a little too much of a transformation, works really well. The final scenes leave scope for a fine sequel, and we all hope that it will be served well. Until then, we enjoy being transported to a world of charm and danger, but certainly that of beauty in a planet far away. After all, when people were after Terminator, its sequels and others, we were the ones who stuck to Predator as the one classic science fiction thriller that we would remember. After all, we are all in a world of the hunted and the hunters. There is no escaping the same. The idea of hunters developing a conscience is never a bad idea despite changing a little too much of the core idea.

Release date: 7th November 2025
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Dan Trachtenberg
Starring: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Reuben de Jong, Mike Homik, Alison Wright, Cameron Brown, Rohinal Narayan

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Silent Night

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Vampire Owl: We have always wished for silent nights in favour of vampire activity.

Vampire Bat: Vampires have always hoped for silence to keep on hunting, that too in a flash.

Vampire Owl: For vegetarian vampires, we do hunt really well.

Vampire Bat: We have hunted evil better these days.

Vampire Owl: Yet, humans consider us to be evil.

Vampire Bat: There will never be bigger evil than humans. Their evil returns every time and rises like a phoenix.

Vampire Owl: Well, we are yet to find a good human during our visits to their lands.

Vampire Bat: But serial killers are too easy to find, especially on the 11th day of terror. We are watching them at all times.

Vampire Owl: They call these people psychos, but this cruelty comes natural to them.

Vampire Bat: There are always much bigger modes of cruelty among humans. Just make a call on the vampire phone.

[Gets some tacos and three cups of taro tea].

What is the movie about? :: On a Christmas evening, a child is seen traveling by car with his parents from his grandfather’s place and their vehicle is seen as stopping on a remote road. A man dressed as Santa Claus arrives in another car and murders Billy’s parents in front of him. The killer, who is also stabbed, is revealed to be Charlie (Mark Acheson). As the child comes into physical contact with Charlie, an electrical surge appears to pass between them, and there seems to be something which has passed on from the dying killer. As the child grows up, known to the society as Billy Chapman (Rohan Campbell), he is seen as taking over the duty of committing murders while wearing the costume of Santa Claus during the Christmas season. The idea goes like this – during each Christmas, he begins hearing Charlie’s voice urging him to punish people who have been evil, and from then he would need to commit a murder for each day leading up to Christmas. There will be no failure to follow this particular procedure.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After committing a quick murder at a motel, Billy escapes from the scene to avoid suspicion and arrives in the town of Hackett. There he becomes instantly interested in the beautiful, but angry lady of the town Pamela Sims (Ruby Modine) and her father Dean Sims (Lawrence Brown) who runs a gift shop. He gets a job in the same shop, and gets closer to Pamela, finally beginning an intimate relationship. But he never really losses his skill in murders as new victims is found and killed without remorse. A local police officer and Pamela’s abusive ex-boyfriend Max Benedict (David Tomlinson) is not happy about Billy being around her, and also develops suspicions about the new person moving into the town after which too many murders happen at the same place. But it is revealed that there is some other series of incidents happening in the same area, with little kids going missing one after another. There is a suspected abductor referred to as “the Snatcher”, but it is to be seen how the incidents go on as Christmas gets closer.

The defence of Silent Night, Deadly Night :: The slasher horror mode activated very quickly with this one, not really wasting that much time. The protagonist here is a tragic anti-hero who is forced to go through what he does, rather than the usual supernatural or psychotic villain, and that surely brings a change from the usual. There is time spent in exploring his trauma and motivations, which makes the character more relatable. To add to it the same, there is a mythology, supernatural elements and mystery involving missing children. The horror effects work well with the blood and gore, as one would expect from a slasher horror movie, and deaths become natural part of the film with ease. The killing are also justified for a change, instead of making the whole thing random or a case of revenge like some other flicks. The holiday mood can also be felt with the Christmas elements around, and the ending nicely supports a sequel which could have further variety with the kind of serial killer it develops with the finish.

The claws of flaw :: Silent Night, Deadly Night feels absurd even for a slasher horror movie with its content which does not innovate, or chooses not to bring some nice creative elements. There were many moments which it could have made more interesting, especially by adding usual elements of the genre which have been going through a classic path for a very long time. The question about what special elements this one brings or what it brings as part of the genre, would need better answers here. There is also a certain amount of extra complication that comes with some of these additions here, and the background tale with the mythology is not that much thought about. There is the slow pace and drag that comes in between, and the romance is also not going too deep, and never being emotional enough. The strange ideas are not that much explored, and we feel the need during regular intervals. Many viewers could feel that there is something missing around here, as the movie seems to just go on as it wishes to, and thinks not that much about connections.

The performers of the soul :: Rohan Campbell makes the main character memorable, and worth being the Christmas killer that we would need to follow. There is something more than a serial killer or a murderous psychopath about him, as more aspects of the character are nicely shown by him. A man with a deeply damaged childhood and never-ending emotional conflicts also with the trauma and violent impulses, remains safe in his hands while going through vulnerability and terrifying menace. Ruby Modine makes her character interesting, and there is something about the same all the time, and might have even more to contribute later in a possible sequel – there is a lot that a scream queen in a slasher can do. There are violence and darkness in her, which she manages to display with a charming ease. Her scenes bring some of the most emotionally grounded moments to the movie, and elevate the whole thing. Mark Acheson has a more unusual role, but contributes nicely to the film’s dark and supernatural elements.

How it finishes :: This serves as the second remake of the 1984 film with the same name, after the 2012 reimagining of the same. The audience who enjoys traditional slashers focused mainly on the brutal kills and other elements may find the added mythology and the strange emotional storytelling distracting, as deviation from the usual ideas is surely present here. This is not your classic old slasher of nostalgia and memories for sure. But those who are willing to accept its strange mix of genres are likely to find a surprisingly engaging work with a divergence. Despite not sticking to a classic tradition, it remains a solid Christmas horror film that will probably appeal most to a certain kind of audience. One would guess that making it interesting for all kinds of viewers was never really the idea with this one. Still, we are having the slashers in this world which is going after nonsense because it pretends to be funny, and that much is hope with feathers. Something more sinister might still be coming in a sequel.

Release date: 12th December 2025
Running time: 96 minutes
Directed by: Mike P Nelson
Starring: Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine, David Lawrence Brown, David Tomlinson, Mark Acheson

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Running Man

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Vampire Owl: I have been wondering why humans keep running so much in their lives.

Vampire Bat: They search for meaning in their lives, but finds nothing in the end.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that there is no hope for humanity.

Vampire Bat: Well, humanity never really had any hope.

Vampire Owl: I remember watching that old movie with the same name.

Vampire Bat: Well, we had also read the book with the same name.

Vampire Owl: Stephen King movies have often struggled to make an impact in the last few years.

Vampire Bat: Yet, Doctor Sleep was one of the greatest among them.

Vampire Owl: There are always It, Pet Sematary, The Monkey, Carrie, Salem’s Lot and others too.

Vampire Bat: We cannot expected all such adaptations to be classic horror stories.

[Gets one M&M McFlurry and three cups of mint tea].

What is the movie about? :: In a not that distant future United States of America, an authoritarian media network takes control of the nation while focusing on patriotism and the need to keep the country safe from its usual and common enemies, some of the inside and the others from outside. Most of the citizens of the United States live in poverty with minimal access to healthcare which leads to a high infant mortality and most children not even born among the majority who lives with minimum low wages. Most people are busy with the meaningless and unreal violent game shows and absurd reality television. The most popular programme running in the nation is The Running Man, hosted by Bobby Thompson (Colman Domingo), which has three runners selected with a big opportunity to win a billion dollars by surviving 30 days while being hunted down by five hunters selected by the media team itself. They are led by the furious Evan McCone (Lee Pace) as they are allowed to take any step to end the runners, while citizens are also provided with opportunities which would bring them rewards.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Starting with thousand dollars and a twelve-hour head start when they are not attacked by anyone, the runners are also required to video tape themselves and send to the media office or else forfeit their earnings and more viciously hunted with no rewards. The murder of the hunters would also bring rewards to the runners, raising their earning by a long way. This is where Ben Richards (Glen Powell) attempts to join, as he is not able to buy medicine for his little daughter after being blacklisted for union activism which had him standing for the other workers, leaving him jobless and not able to care for his family. He had planned to join a game with lesser risk, but was drafted into The Running Man with Jenni Laughlin (Katy O’Brian), a seemingly confident young woman in his neighborhood and Tim Jansky (Martin Herlihy), a nerdy character who seems nice to everyone. Despite trying to back down, Ben is made to agree to the offer by Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) with an amount which he had never seen in his life, despite his wife Sheila Richards (Jayme Lawson) warning him against it.

And what more can happen in this world of future chaos with no real hope for humanity? :: Despite giving a safe house to his family and also providing an advance, Ben is shown as an enemy of the state to the audience and his wife’s moral side is also questioned, much to his dismay, as he promises to be back and give them what they deserve. But he would have no time for anything, as his time started, with all three contestants keeping on running through their own paths. With the help of a disguise taken from a friend, he goes to New York City and manages to start there by staying in a hotel right in the middle of the city and blend among the crowd with his changed looks. He watches Tim wandering in the city as it is shown as part of the show in television, and as he just goes through a normal life, is shot dead by the hunters bringing excitement to the audience who call for the blood of the other two runners. Ben who gets scared about the situation, and not sure about his safety in the big city anymore, decides to escape to Boston. But would that save him from the hunt or will be able to finish the hunters instead?

The defence of The Running Man :: The dark and possible future of the world and with a feeling of Stephen King’s novel, this one makes us very much interested in the movie which also has some nice chase and fight scenes. The world has been very nicely created, and we see how will it suits the situation, and there is a certain amount of charm even to its dark side. The charisma and intense physicality of Glen Powell as the desperate hero of his family manages to keep the movie strong. He had to do something extra to match the original hero and he comes close. Josh Brolin becomes the true antagonist whom we will remember for that terrifying face within that visage. Colman Domingo’s energy makes this even more suitable for its premise and genre as that works so well. Among the ladies, it is Emilia Jones who scores the most, and she is that character whom the audience will fall in love and even brings a certain amount of humour here. They fit nicely into this dystopian society which is obsessed with the circuses of ultra-violent television while being told what to do and made to struggle by the ruling class with the help of the reality shows which reflects the world differently.

Positives and negatives :: There are some classic moments from Lee Pace, but that comes a little late for our liking. The fans of the original might not feel that this matches, due to the absence of Arnold as the man of unparalleled strength. There were still opportunities for more, as the other runners could have also had focus, especially that of the lady runner who was doing so well. The emotional side of the wife and kid works less here for some reason, and the wife role seems to be dismissed as an irrelevant one with Emilia taking over as the lady who decides to switch sides to save the hero. The 1987 version, despite its own deviations, had a more heroic version of the same, and it is only natural that people would prefer that Arnold version, as his work with the fights would also be more believable as he is provided with that kind of a past; the female lead in that movie also had that unparalleled presence in the film, but not anymore. The final battle in the flight could have also been bigger, and the lack of a huge spectacle makes sure that the movie struggles even further.

How it finishes :: Those who have watched that older version might wonder about the necessity of having this one around. There is the world that we have seen before, brought to the big screen again in a similar, but different form. There is the action and thrills in a fine world, and we are entertained enough to be interesting in the movie throughout its run. But when the familiar scenario keeps getting repeated, people will wonder if how much of the same returning to the screen and what all not being adapted from the novel would be the right thing for this kind of movies. The movie remains visually striking and adds to the Stephen King adaptations which have done a good job on the screen, but it was surprising to see it not going too good at the box-office – well, we never really go to know if the movie even released at this part of the world, and one has to guess that due to those lower quality imitations released in different languages in India, with even post-apocalyptic worlds cheaply imitated. This one is superior to those movies which ridiculously copies elements from Hollywood and other languages and presents them as their own, but does leave the audiences slightly wishing that the creative strength here had run stronger, but most of us would be happy with what is found here. Then there is the message against government control.

Release date: 14th November 2025
Running time: 133 minutes
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Glen Powell, William H Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Katy O’Brian, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.