Monthly Archives: July 2023

Speak No Evil

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Vampire Owl: We cannot be ordered to speak no evil.

Vampire Bat: You can surely live without speaking evil for a day.

Vampire Owl: But we are supposed to be the true undead evil.

Vampire Bat: There are no written rules about the nature of evil.

Vampire Owl: So, there is no chance of being pure evil above them all?

Vampire Bat: Well, you have already watched See No Evil.

Vampire Owl: Yet, I find no relation between that movie and this one.

Vampire Bat: Yes, this is a Danish movie and the first of its kind reviewed here.

Vampire Owl: That took some time to find a review.

Vampire Bat: Well, you know the world – as busy as it can get.

[Gets a vegetable pizza and three cups of cardamom tea].

What is the movie about? :: Bjørn (Morten Burian) and Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch) are a couple from Denmark who is having a long vacation in Tuscany, having some fantastic Italian food and becoming part of the culture. Their only child Agnes (Liva Forsberg) is also with them. During one of their explorations of the tourist destinations, they come across another interesting couple Patrick (Fedja van Huêt) and Karin (Karina Smulders) with their child Abel (Marius Damslev) who cannot talk, as he was born without a tongue, seemingly suffering from congenital aglossia. Even though this family is Dutch, they get along with the Danish family quite well. Bjørn and Louise find the new friends to fun-loving and respectful to other cultures as much as people. Later, the Dutch couple also provides them with an invitation to visit their house in the countryside of Netherlands. The two are excited about another foreign trip, and this time, they could drive all the way to the location and would be able to stay at a new place without spending that much, like the best offer ever. It is eight hours of drive, and when they final reach the new destination, the hosts seem to be really polite and understanding.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The two groups seem to get along, but not for long. The hosts seem to intentionally forget about Louise’s vegetarianism and also seem to be abusive to their own child. One day, they go on a dinner in a restaurant where there are more arguments which also occur on the way back. Back in the house, the couple find the hosts intruding into their privacy again and again, while also making strange decisions for Agnus. They decide to leave and finally does the same, only to return for the doll which had gone missing in the house. The hosts apologize and convince them to stay. But this reconciliation does not stay for long, as the hosts seem to repeat similar if not the same mistakes again and again. Then, Bjørn discovers a cabin just behind the house, and there he finds a secret which he should not have known. Now, as he knows this truth, there would be no more staying at this house. He decides to leave with his family, but it is not so easy. The sinister mysteries of the hosts might have enough backup to keep their secrets hidden from the outside world. Can he save his family in time or will he realize that nobody gets out alive from these things heard and seen?

The defence of Speak No Evil :: The movie is a beautifully evil reminder that humans are inherently evil, and trusting strangers would only land you in terror. The idea that people have a lot of capacity for goodness is proven to be wrong, but you would have already known that if you had a look at the rich keeps earning for, and moves on walking on the bodies of the poor. A charming family with a kid can easily be evil, make no doubts about it, as people point to living with families with children and staying close to them as safer options. The dark visuals add to the same, and it is a fine deviation from the light and colourful visuals of the beginning stages. There are some nice twists and revelations in here, and the moments where we feel that things are going to be better, but then darkness engulfs them all. The script is indeed well-designed with mastery over the proceedings to make sure about it. The fact that this movie explores evil as a natural thing rather going deep into its roots makes us remember to be careful about strangers again – a long time after our parents told us to keep away from them. Well, this is the psychological thriller with class that teaches the same.

Positives and negatives :: The movie can be rather shocking with its revelation, as it uses kids as bait to create an atmosphere of safety – but this is a terrifying reality for kids as much as adults. The feeling that children would be spared is a myth here, as the movie points to a fate that will repeat itself. There is a certain twist related to that, and a clue is left with the kid in the early stages of protagonists’ stay there. It also points to the title of the film itself, as evil shall go unspoken. The next big clue is indeed about the profession, and that also leaves something for the viewers to hold on to. The movie could have been a little bit quicker with the early moments though. But once it opens the box of weirdness, the level is elevated all of a sudden – then we remember that there were moments which pointed to this situation with some shots and music earlier itself. This is the kind of movie which makes one think twice before going on a cheap trip with family just because someone provided a sweet invitation. Well, the wise has always said that cheap cannot mean better, and there are many hidden terrible costs that one would have to pay.

The performers of the soul :: The performances here surely deserves an applause, as only four adults really get the chance to do a lot in this movie. None of these characters go against evil here, as some are part of it and others are too weak to stop the never-ending progress of evil. Among the main characters, it is Sidsel Siem Koch plays the most balanced one – she feels that there is something wrong much earlier, and wants to leave. Here is a character played naturally and realistically without pretensions. Morten Burian plays the main character who makes a little too many mistakes and has his family paying for it in the end – the feelings are well-justified in his case. Fedja van Huêt plays the psychotic character really well, and we feel that there is something more about him early enough. Karina Smulders who plays his partner in crime might feel like a sweet young lady who can be nothing less than a lovely host, but the peaceful side of her enjoying the terror can also been seen. Liva Forsberg and Marius Damslev makes children with scope for some nice roles. Hichem Yacoubi plays the other notable character here, and does that pretty well.

How it finishes :: Speak No Evil is that one film which deserves to be among the creepy horror with a misanthropic side to it that feels very realistic. It could be the reason why it will return in 2024 in the form of an English film starring big names like James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis. The movie serves as a cautionary tale against going for cheap options instead of the safe ones and trusting strangers in remote location. It reminds us that not all invitations mean that we are welcome, and not all smiles are truly what they seem to be. It also adds that a family with a mother and a kid does not mean anything, and living with families rather than bachelors do not make the situation any safer. The protagonists of the film learn this the hard way, and the movie happens to be an entertaining dark adventure related to the same. This is the first Danish movie reviewed on this website, and I am only glad to have chosen this one instead of the many others. This is the thriller that dares to take the risks and manages to score high due to its ability to go beyond the limitations.

Release date: 17th March 2022 (Theatre); 14th October 2022 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 98 minutes
Directed by: Christian Tafdrup
Starring: Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja van Huêt, Karina Smulders, Liva Forsberg, Marius Damslev, Hichem Yacoubi

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Warriors of Future

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Vampire Owl: I don’t know these warriors at all.

Vampire Bat: They are from the future. We belong to the past.

Vampire Owl: Eternity is not something of the past.

Vampire Bat: The quality of eternity is that it always begins in a past.

Vampire Owl: We do not always sit in a future to see it.

Vampire Bat: We are currently in a future of that eternity’s past.

Vampire Owl: Why do you sound like parts of an X-Men movie?

Vampire Bat: You could also ask your Frankenstein for answers.

Vampire Owl: Doctor Frankenstein do not answer to speculations.

Vampire Bat: Well, it is because he is not a real doctor at all.

[Gets a chicken puffs and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: The story moves to a world in crisis in a distant future. Humans have been fighting each other for years without thinking about the consequences of their actions, and the invention of battle robots which were made specifically for combat and mass destruction made things even worse. There have been countries going against each other and people against their own kind. Humans never learned their lessons, and people had to pay the price for the non-stop wars which led to devastation of environment with polluted air and water, as well as devastated ecological balance. Earth has turned not suitable for living for most creatures, and it particularly affected the health of humans. The newly born children had terrible diseases, and some of them barely lived past a few years. Then, the governments all around the world wishes to fix things, and built machines called Skynets to purify the air. These Skynets do manage to bring fresh air to some sectors of the major cities, but in a restricted manner. Then on one day, a giant meteorite falls into one of those sectors, and a giant plant begins to emerge out of it.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The plant would wreak havoc everywhere whenever it comes into contact with water, and scientists called it Pandora after the box from the Greek myth. The plant has the power to reclaim environment and get Earth to its previous state, but it only goes on destroying cities as it grows when it comes into contact with water. Scientists feel that there should be some method through which it could be made useful to humanity, instead of causing chaos, but that seems to be hope against all hope. Pandora’s growth has been proportional to the amount of rain it gets. It absorbs pollutants, then releases hydrogen, and the new idea of the scientists is to use a virus to alter Pandora. If the plant can be stopped from growing using the virus before the next thunderstorm, it could actually save a lot of lives, as the air will be purified, and the plant would not grow to take over anything more. But the mission is a very difficult one, as nobody knows how exactly the alien plant would reach to the humans coming near it with machines and trying to drop a virus which it would consider harmful.

And what more can happen in this future world of chaos and destruction? :: There could be side-effects to the initial Plan A, and Plan B is not something positive, as there would be massive destruction all around. The only backup plan is to destroy the whole plant from a distance along with the many people and structures which surround it. The number of corpses would then be more than anyone could have seen before from a single event. Usually, people would not keep such a plan at all with lives at stake. But there are people who wishes to keep the Skynets working instead of Pandora replacing the machines. They would want to keep their prized possession at the top. So, not everyone wants this mission to be successful, and with some possibility of chaos around, can the mission be successful quickly enough and save lives? Are the troops which were sent for the purpose experienced enough, and are their gadgets good enough to serve the objective well enough? As the plant also has its own defense mechanisms, things might not be that easy as healing a random plant with a medicine. So what kind of a future are we looking at as far as humanity is concerned?

The defence of Warriors of Future :: Here is another Chinese movie which gets the science fiction and apocalyptic world closer to an enjoyable reality. Russian films have also come close to making such things happen, and here we see a visual treat of a future world plagued by pollution and an alien plant which grows without limits. The idea has been nicely put into picture, and the action sequences are really good. The creatures are well-detailed and so are the robots. There are deviations from the usual pictures of monsters in armour and skin nicely brought to light here. The Skynet and Pandora visuals are nicely created to bring the special feel of the environment. The performances are really good, and the leading cast seems to be wisely chosen to keep the seriousness alive even while adding some nice humour here and there. They have nicely contributed to being part of a science fiction action thriller set in the distant future with the right elements. The high box-office collections of the movie are a reminder that it would have been a fine spectacle on the big screen in Hong Kong, as we find the visual strength to be worth watching in the theatres.

The claws of flaw :: This movie was supposed to release three years earlier, and if that had happened the visual effects would have been even further ahead – it still remains a visual effect treat as of now. One can feel that there is some inspiration taken from other works here too. This journey feels like the return to a zombie-infested world like in Peninsula or Army of the Dead to do the near impossible task. The world, even though not explored from everyman’s point of view, can be a part of the list of our favourite ones from fiction. The alien creatures could have been more terrifying in appearance rather than having similarities with a few that we already know to be scarier. We could have also had more alien attacks, even though not in the mode as explored in the Alien franchise. The robots could have had some more battles in the earlier stages of the movie, as the early war is not that much shown with all the devastation which occurred to Earth’s flora and fauna. The movie could actually have a sequel too, as the tree still remains a mystery, and more could follow it.

How it finishes :: Warriors of Future makes another interesting piece of science fiction from China like The Wandering Earth which had raised the level of the possibility of an apocalyptic scenario to something very interesting as well as divergent in nature – with films like The Soul bringing even more divergence. The movie here, despite having some similarities with other titles, do have the divergence of its own. Outside Hollywood, Russia also had so much of entertaining science fiction ideas with movies like Superdeep, Coma, Sputnik and The Blackout. During these days, science fiction needs to have its divergence from all languages and cultures, and this film takes another fine step towards it. At the same time, we see another warning against wars and weapons of mass destruction as well as the actions against environment. Then you have the science fiction entertainment with an apocalyptic scenario right here. We keep watching some fine horror and science fiction from all around the world, and they make us feel like that is the closest to truth and a probable future that we can get.

Release date: 25th August 2022 (China); 2nd December 2022 (Netflix)
Running time: 99 minutes
Directed by: Ng Yuen-fai
Starring: Louis Koo, Sean Lau, Carina Lau, Philip Keung, Tse Kwan-ho, Nick Cheung, Janice Wu, Wan Guopeng as Connor Kwon, Eddy Ko, Sakurako Okubo

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ivanna

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Vampire Owl: This would make a nice name for a modern vampire.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that I have met vampires with such names before.

Vampire Owl: Well, not in this half of the immortal life.

Vampire Bat: There is only one long immortal life and you have to remember the names.

Vampire Owl: If there was a name exactly like this, I would remember.

Vampire Bat: Your memory has faded in the absence of longer nights.

Vampire Owl: With the abundance of artificial lights, you cannot trust the darkness.

Vampire Bat: We still believe in the absence of light.

Vampire Owl: We believe in Uncle Dracula’s ability to bring a darker world.

Vampire Bat: Darkness has already spread far, without his assistance.

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

What is the movie about? :: Ambar (Caitlin Halderman) and Dika (Jovarel Callum) are siblings who leave their home in the city for the countryside of the island nation after the death of their parents. They are taken to a nursing home owned by their parents’ best friend, with most of the inmates not around there due to Eid coming soon. Even though there are small disagreements, the two are mostly welcome. Agus (Shandy William) takes care of the place with the support of the nurse Rina (Taskya Namya) who is also his girlfriend. The three elders left in the building, Kakek Farid (Yayu Unru), Oma Ida (Rina Hasyim) and Nenek Ani (Yati Surachman) are happy to have the new young ones around there. Ambar’s vision has been failing for some time, and through her faded vision, she feels that she sees things which nobody else can see. She uses a walking stick as the blurred vision often has her struggling to understand the line between reality and imagination. Ambar also has an eerie vision of a past which might have been part of the building where they begin to live.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Arthur (Junior Roberts) who is the favourite grandson of the elders also makes a visit. He joins Ambar and Dika as they find a headless statue in the basement under one of the rooms. They decide to leave it behind, but soon find that it has reached their drawing room. Each of them feels that one of the others might have brought it inside the home as a prank. Ambar has the vision of a Dutch lady at night, and to her surprise, she is able to see the woman clearly, as she seems to be trying to escape from something. Soon, Nenek Ani goes missing, as she is not found in her room or any of the areas in the main building. They find the diary of the Dutch woman named Ivanna van Dijk (Sonia Alyssa) which tells most of her story which includes their family falling in love with Indonesia and deciding to stay in the nation, but met some terrible fate. So, is this fate going to be repeated once again? Is there a serial killer or a supernatural entity stalking them in the house? How long will it take for the police to come and figure things out on the Eid holiday?

The defence of Ivanna :: This is one movie which is highly atmospheric as far as mysteries and the supernatural are concerned. It uses the darkness very well as a world of mystery and terror should at all times, and the setting is really good. The lighting with the colours of the surroundings adds to the overall style. The background works in its favour, and there are some good sound effects that support the horror. The creepiness never really leaves the movie, as a headless spirit looking to create headless bodies never ceases to create more to inspire the imagination. This world is not that different from a cabin in the woods setting, but the change in setting brings the divergence with ease. The haunted house with a mystery works like the nightmare that we have always wanted. The body without the head has our attention every time it makes an appearance. The fear factor has the support of the unknown to make things further effective. The fine camera work also contributes to the same, as we get the best effects with the angles too. We often see that the simplest thing is often elevated due to some interesting job in the background.

Positives and negatives :: The attempt to create something different from the usual formula of horror needs to be appreciated at all times. It is to be noted that there was also some risk involved with this kind of a topic, but we know that the film did well at the box-office there. We have often looked at Korean, Chinese and Thai movies to lead such paths among Asian flicks, but here we see that Indonesian works have a powerful touch of horror that keeps it interesting even while going through a different journey. There are still repetitions, especially in relation to the headless Dutch lady. It is to be noted that violence is always present, and blood runs through this world with heads being separated from bodies. This film is not that far away from being part of the slasher genre too, as decapacitation of people belonging to any category is the main event of terror happening throughout this movie. Sometimes, we feel that there could be more actions of terrifying murders, but there is one restriction in the way of taking those souls.

The performers of the soul :: The movie has indeed brought some fine performers who suit the genre really well. Caitlin Halderman as Ambar leads the way as the one person makes the difference among the people with clear sight. She plays the struggling youngster really well, and also becomes the scream queen to remember. It can be seen that the fear that she feels is more than what she sees, and it is this image of the faded vision that keeps the film moving in the right direction. Taskya Namya follows a similar path and ends up strong as a supporting scream queen in the movie. We do feel that she could have had even bigger moments in the film. Sonia Alyssa’s work as the titular character is to be remembered too. She would make a fine antagonist in a work not supernatural too. She shines in the flashback scenes too, as we go through the final moments of resistance and death. Shandy William and Junior Roberts plays two usual characters in the horror film, but works really well with the content. The characters from flashback quickly do the job well.

How it finishes :: Indonesia has provided us with some fine horror movies like Impetigore, a movie which feels like a horror classic out of another world. This film here is no different as it makes us feel the supernatural with a vibe that is not usually seen in the usual world of horror. Yet, this particular horror movies makes it feel closer to the horror that could happen in a world that we know well. The power of the need for revenge has been asserted again through the supernatural. The ending seems to make us feel that there could be more of headless supernatural beings. In a world where horror does not get enough accolades, this film gains ground. It is a positive thing for horror fans all around the world. We have always wanted more horror, and we have received too less. It is a necessity to look into more international films right now as the strength of The Conjuring, Annabelle, The Nun trio has also been fading in the last few years. There is not that much that can be expected from Insidious and Sinister series of flicks, which leads us back to the films of Asia.

Release date: 14th July 2022 (Indonesia); 1st December 2022 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 103 minutes
Directed by: Kimo Stamboel
Starring: Caitlin Halderman, Jovarel Callum, Junior Roberts, Shandy William, Sonia Alyssa, Taskya Namya, Yayu Unru, Farid Rina Hasyim, Ida Yati Surachman, Ani Tanta Ginting, Muhammad Khan, Hiroaki Kato, Kenes Andari

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.