Inside Out

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: I have a certain feeling that I am going to love this one.

Vampire Bat :: Even though the movie is critically acclaimed I don’t think that you are going to love it that much; I also feel that you have got it wrong here.

Vampire Owl :: Well, the insides are out, so this should be a slasher horror movie, right?

Vampire Bat :: What? This is rather too much even for you while being sleepy.

Vampire Owl :: I had myself thought about giving this name to a story which I was about to right. It was supposed to be about serial killers.

Vampire Bat :: Mr. Owl, it won the Academy Award for the Best Animated Movie of the year.

Vampire Owl :: Holy Vampire Crocodile! It won the Oscars?

Vampire Bat :: Which planet where you residing in the last few months?

Vampire Owl :: Ever since the teleportation device started working, I haven’t been sure about my location.

Vampire Bat :: I see what the problem is. You have been deprived of your daily dose of tea.

[Gets three cups of tea with jackfruit chips].

What is it about? :: Riley Andersen (Kaitlyn Dias) is born, and five of her basic feelings get active – Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader) and Anger (Lewis Black); they all become part of her mind and affects her life in various ways from the mind headquarters. The incidents in her life becomes memories as time progresses, and her happy core memories are stored carefully. There are also the personality islands which reflects different and significant parts of her life as an individual, and they keep her emotional state steady. Joy takes the leading role hoping to keep the girl happy, while Sadness as well as the others keep wondering what her role really is. They could never really find anything positive out of her presence in the girl’s mind.

So what happens next? :: Things seemed to be going smoothly until one day when Riley moves to a new city with her parents (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan) – the whole thing gets disrupted here. Not liking the new house is only the beginning of things getting worse. As life at the new city continue to be not so good, one day, when a sad core memory is created, Joy tries to dispose it, but Sadness attempts to prevent that from happening; this struggle leads to them being caught with the memories and along with them, gets thrown out of the mind headquarters. Fear, Anger, and Disgust tries to manage things in their absence, but they only end up making things worse, and the personality islands start crumbling. With Riley going more and more unpopular in school, neighbourhood and at home, can Joy make it back in time to make things right for her again?

The defence of Inside Out :: An intelligent, fun movie is what we get here in the form of Inside Out, something that will keep one entertained as well as thinking. With the smartness that becomes an inherent quality in this movie, it becomes a fine watch for people of all ages. There is the message that stays strong, or rather a collection of such messages. It remains highly appealing for children, but at the same time, maintains a strong philosophical side – a skill that a number of animated movies have developed in the recent past, but most of them haven’t been this much balanced in achieving the same. The movie’s world is also visually very good; there is skill in the design of this universe inside the mind and the characters are also a lot likable. We can connect to the emotions as well as the characters, and them both at the same time – that is new.

Claws of flaw :: There should be questions about the movie fully using its potential though, and even if not that much visible on the outside, it is often too smart for children, and at other times, too childish for adults – it often depends on how you are going to view this one. Inside Out is surely not the usual animated movie, and there are moments when the audience can doubt its ability to balance the two sides. There is also the predictability that comes in, and it is something that this movie could have left behind. I am also not that glad that the other emotions are not given that much importance; anger, sadness and fear – I have felt them more than joy and sadness in my entire life! So, it is once again rather subjective, isn’t it? I don’t believe that joy and sadness will ever have more significance; they never did even when I was a kid.

Soul exploration :: The movie’s message is more about balance rather than anything else, and we often need sadness as much as the happiness in our lives. Anger, disgust, fear and everything else are just integral parts of our lives. There are moments during which each of these will produce something special; there are beautiful songs and poems inspired by sadness or bringing that effect, most of them even more popular than those joyful ones. As the movie brings out, sadness is surely that significant; if you ask me, I would go for sadness over joy as it is one emotion that makes a person understand the world and the other people as what they are. Joy is more like fog that blurs our vision and is often a lie, but sadness and the rest of the team makes us see everything as they are; these bring us back on Earth and shows us the true faces of people. I will choose disgust as the strongest of them all.

How it finishes :: The last movie from Pixar which I really liked was Up, in the year 2009. Inside Out brings that kind of an emotional connection even though I would still prefer that 2009 movie as well as WALL-E, with Brave being the worst. What I will be looking for the most from Pixar, shall be Finding Dory though. Some movies just go so much childish, and it is a trap that has been set for the animated flicks; Inside Out successfully escapes that one with the skills of Prince of Persia through the Sands of Time or Tomb Raider through one of those undiscovered ruins of an ancient civilization. It is what clever movie-making is all about. The one big advantage that you will have with Inside Out is that after those emotional moments, you can show your feelings and blame Miss Sadness for the same.

Release date: 26th June 2015 (India); 19th June 2015 (USA)
Running time: 94 minutes
Directed by: Pete Docter
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Lewis Black, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Paula Poundstone, Bobby Moynihan, Paula Pell, Dave Goelz, Frank Oz, Josh Cooley, Flea, John Ratzenberger, Carlos Alazraqui, Lori Alan, Rashida Jones

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Boy

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Dr. Tennyson

***Poster generated by AI for review purposes.

Vampire Owl :: All I see is a doll. There is nothing much scary about this one’s appearance either.

Vampire Bat :: We have always been taught and trained to believe that there is more than what eyes can see. What you are doing here is just passing judgment.

Vampire Owl :: I am not judgmental. The hypercritical ones are not my people, but yours.

Vampire Bat :: Still, you are judging this one too early.

Vampire Owl :: The critics have already judged it low.

Vampire Bat :: That is what they do, not us who live with these movies.

Vampire Owl :: I have liked Dead Silence’s Billy, The Conjuring’s Annabelle and Child’s Play’s Chucky. Unlike what you think about this, I am not really judgmental about dolls.

Vampire Bat :: Well, Chucky did put a knife on your neck to make you accept that.

Vampire Owl :: Yes, but I have accepted that dolls can be awesome, and that is the point which I intend to bring here.

Vampire Bat :: Whatever it is, just watch the movie.

[Gets three cups of tea with tapioca chips].

What is it about? :: Greta (Lauren Cohan) is caught in an abusive relationship with Cole (Ben Robson) at Montana. She hopes to escape by becoming a nanny for the Heelshire family based in the United Kingdom. After traveling to Great Britain and reaching the place, she introduced to Mrs. Heelshire (Diana Hardcastle) and the man who brings the grocery, Malcolm (Rupert Evans). Mr. Heelshire (Jim Norton) introduces her to their child, Brahms. But she is surprised to find out that the boy here is just a porcelain doll, treated by the family as if it is a living person. Mrs. Heelshire tells her that the boy had rejected many other nannies and they hope that he likes her. She also asks Greta to follow certain rules, as Brahms is like other children, and special care is needed for him.

So what happens next? :: Greta decides to ignore the rules and just spend her time there. She and Malcolm gets a lot interested in each other, and the doll remains neglected. But Greta finds out that there is something strange about the doll. She feels that it moves a little at times, and there are other strange occurences. On one occasion, she gets locked in the attic, and her clothes are also stolen while she is taking shower. She also feels that the doll is staring at her when she is talking to Malcolm, changing clothes or even while doing anything of personal nature. On another day, a sandwich is served at her door, and she also hears voices calling her name. She decides to find out more about the real child who is supposed to have died in a fire at the age of eight, years ago.

The defence of The Boy :: The idea here is working, and had a lot of possibilities towards horror. It does get working early with its central idea, and we get to the moments featuring the doll easily. The setting in the big old house actually helps a lot. There are lots of spooky moments in this movie, and the scene at the attic as well as the final twists worked very well in the end. How they have changed the supernatural idea works very well by the end of the movie too. The Boy does entertain, that is for sure – among the horror movies which released on one of those days around this one, there were not many of them as much entertaining as The Boy, which follows the much expected horror idea. As the movie follows the basic horror elements, there is sure to be some fun watching this movie for everyone. For people who don’t want movies like The Witch and It Follows as the different horror flicks, this would be the usual kind of replacement following the known path.

Claws of flaw :: It is rather strange that the movie doesn’t really use the elements in hand to the best strength. When there is a spooky doll around there, we expect that things get really scary and remain so throughout its run – but there are those weaker moments here and there. The doll could have been a lot bigger thing than it turned out to be. The movie also does remind one of two other movies, the Jocelin Donahue starrer The House of the Devil and Sarah Thompson starrer Babysitter Wanted. This one could have deviated further and should have come up with more innovative ideas. With so much mystery around, I am actually surprised that they have managed only this much – there was so much to be seen and so much more to be developed further. But our movie here manages to work even with all its inability to bring the best out of there.

Performers of the soul :: The performances of the cast here remains really good. Without doubt, Lauren Cohan as Greta comes up with the best of them all. Best known for her part as Maggie Greene in the television series, The Walking Dead, and being part of other series, here she plays the young lady with a troubled past in a lot believable manner, and so does she manage well with those horror sequences. I have to say that she makes a really good addition to the horror movies, and I hope that she will be there in more of such movies belonging to the genre. Her character actually undergoes changes throughout the movie, and she manages the same without any problem. Rupert Evans also makes a good addition in the flick. Jim Norton and Diana Hardcastle who play the old parents also leaves a mark here.

How it finishes :: Well, there has been some impressive dolls in horror movies; Chucky from Child’s Play series might be the most popular of them all, and Billy from Dead Silence has been one scary thing; Annabelle has gained popularity with The Conjuring, and one can never underestimate the strength of a doll when it comes to horror movies. This one here, the Brahms doll is no exception either. It has enough to stay in the minds of the viewers too. There will be something about The Boy that can catch your attention here – from the cast to the setting, and more than everything else, the doll. Unlike what the reviews have mostly said about this movie, The Boy has more strength than most of the other horror movies around here which have somehow managed better reviews.

Release date: 22nd January 2016
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: William Brent Bell
Starring: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle, Ben Robson, James Russell, Jett Klyne, Lily Pater

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Witch

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: I once had a chance to talk with the Northern Witches. After that, I haven’t been interested in watching movies like these.

Vampire Bat :: Oh! What did they tell you?

Vampire Owl :: I am not really sure. But I guess I heard it as boomerang, blah blah and abracadabra.

Vampire Bat :: Are you sure that they were not the sirens?

Vampire Owl :: Well, as you are asking, now I am not quite sure.

Vampire Bat :: This is a movie which has 90% rating at the Rotten Tomatoes. Why would you want to bring this while we are going to watch this movie?

Vampire Owl :: There is something about the witch, the lich and the rich that I don’t like.

Vampire Bat :: You mean the itch sound.

Vampire Owl :: It is exactly what they provide me with.

Vampire Bat :: We are such socialist vampires, aren’t we?

[Gets three cups of tea with potato chips].

What is it about? :: In this story set in the seventeenth century, William (Ralph Ineson) and his family are banished from a Puritan plantation in New England; his wife Katherine (Kate Dickie), elder daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), and twins Mercy (Ellie Grainger) and Jonas (Lucas Dawson). Katherine later gives birth to the fifth child, a boy that vanishes while Thomasin plays with him. Katherine blames Thomasin for the disappearance, and spends most of her time in prayer and grief. Meanwhile, Caleb and Thomasin go for hunting, and the former goes missing. Once again, Thomasin is blamed, and at the same time, the twins say that the black goat, Black Phillip speaks to them. The events only get stranger as the presence of evil in the forest is ascertained. Is there a Witches’ Sabbath coming up?

The defence of The Witch :: There are the usual kind of horror movies which use the jump scares to claim that it is worthy of a fine position in the genre – there is the noise and the sudden appearance of the scary face; but The Witch denies the same, and goes not with such familiar scary stuff; instead it goes on to use the mood and the setting to its advantage without trying to make sure that the audience is scared at one exact moment – it tries to create something for which the result will different for everyone, at different points of the movie. It is something bigger than what is seen or heard as part of the regular horror practice, for it goes directly into one’s mind. The elements of mystery go right through the movie too, as we are to keep guessing till that ending, which makes things very clear – that is cent percent the success for this flick.

Claws of flaw :: There is no denying the fact that The Witch is quite a slow movie; it drags in between, and has the characters not doing enough to pick up the pace when they could have done the same. The movie also doesn’t use the image of the witch to its full advantage, when it could have done a lot more with it; the same can be said about the final pact which is too quick to go through. There is the absence of the terrifying imagery which could have been added at some point to do justice to the genre to which The Witch belongs. A lot of people will feel that this is not their kind of movie either, and that is understandable because a lot of fans will surely be looking for something else; for The Witch is a nightmare that feels real within its environment, and it is not the horror flick that arrives with an unparalleled desire to bring the fear into the viewers.

Performers of the soul :: With Robert Eggers making his directorial debut with The Witch, the movie has gathered a lot of appreciation from the critics, and the performances surely has a lot to do with it. Anya Taylor-Joy is amazingly good in this movie. She goes through the situations of her character in the movie in such a way that we never feel that she hasn’t been seen in a big role in any flick before. There is certain transformation going on with her character, and this is not really among the best roles to play, but she nails it here. Ralph Ineson plays the next significant character in a lot realistic and believable manner too. Kate Dickie has her moments here too. The two characters which steal the show otherwise, are the witches of the forest and the black goat.

Soul exploration :: The movie’s focus is on faith, not just on God, but also on each other. Almost everyone in this movie has problems with the same, as the same thing just goes on to break into smaller and smaller pieces as the movie progresses further. It is something that is ready to crumble into dust, and we see that on the faces of the characters. There is the lack of trust that is present, and it develops into something worse. It is the case of unfair judgment that makes things worse, and in the end, leads to the final fall – randomly judging others is a kind of tradition that goes back a long time, right? Due to the same, there are moments when one realizes that it is not God or Devil who are responsible for this fall, and neither is it some witch, for it is themselves and that they can blame in the end.

How it finishes :: The Witch will never be the usual horror movie for you. It is still the variety in horror that we have all wished for. The movie could have surely been better, but the experience that it provides with a difference will surely make it worth a watch. In the world of Sinister, Insidious and The Conjuring, The Witch the one that dares to be different, and for the same, it deserves the applause. There is one thing that you can be sure about, and it is that this movie has everything that is needed to be something that you think it is not. It had won the Directing Award in the US Dramatic category at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and with all the critical appreciation around, you should surely give it a try!

Release date: 19th February 2016
Running time: 93 minutes
Directed by: Robert Eggers
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson, Julian Richings, Bathsheba Garnett, Sarah Stephens, Wahab Chaudhry, Axtun Henry Dube, Athan Conrad Dube

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Sinister II

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: Here is the name we have been looking for; on page number eighty nine thousand four hundred and twenty seven.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, Mr. Bughuul, supposed to be the devourer of the souls of children, even though not proven in any scientific or magical manner. Please refer another book in which there are references to this particular person. What nonsense?

Vampire Owl :: That is all from the Great Vampire Archives. I have send a letter to the Imperial Vampire Archives, but I doubt if they will reply.

Vampire Bat :: And why do you think so?

Vampire Owl :: They have gone for the blood-moon festival.

Vampire Bat :: But it is certainly not now. What is wrong with these people?

Vampire Owl :: Well, they created an earlier date because it is the wedding of the sister of the Vampire High Priestess in a few days.

Vampire Bat :: And who exactly in this realm is that?

Vampire Owl :: A new position was created to perform blood magic, and the same was filled after putting an advertisement at a website.

Vampire Bat :: Bloody humans and their websites! Lets find this Mr. Bughuul in the movie then.

[Gets three cups of tea with tapioca chips].

What is it about? :: The first movie had the writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) moving into a house where a family was murdered, along with his wife, Tracy (Juliet Rylance), and their two children, seven year old Ashley (Clare Foley) and twelve year old Trevor (Michael Hall D’Addario). Despite the best efforts, Bughuul or “Mr. Boogie” did take what he wanted at that time, as he remains seemingly unstoppable. The creature that had shown its existence from very long ago, Bughuul (Nick King), was always there to murder full families and take the souls of children, only leaving one particular symbol behind. This time, the scene shifts to Courtney Collins (Shannyn Sossamon) and her two children, Dylan Collins (Robert Daniel Sloan) and Zach Collins (Dartanian Sloan).

So, how and where does things take a big turn? :: Former Deputy So & So (James Ransone) makes a return from the first movie. Here, he is burning down the houses where the brutal murders have taken place, but in this particular case, he finds Courtney and her children staying there. They have run away from her abusive husband Clint Collins (Lea Coco) and are hiding there. He befriends them and realizes that he has to find another way to get rid of the demon who ends families. Meanwhile, there are ghostly children who visits Dylan and forces him to watch videos of families being murdered in brutal ways, and these seemingly new friends providing him with videos makes his brother a lot jealous and angry. So, can the demon be stopped this time before once again taking control of the children and using them against their own families leading to another unfortunate twist of events?

The defence of Sinister 2 :: There is something about the antagonist, the demon that we have here, which has the strength to cast a spell on the movies of this genre, and once again it is the creature and its methods that score more than anything else. The use of children once again brings further advantage, and the setting of the family here is just about perfect for unleashing the terror. The protagonists are likable, and we will find it easier to support them more. Even though we do expect this a lot, the movie keeps us interested as there is delay in bringing the horror to the screen. The scenes of death makes the desired impact as expected too. It was actually so close to making things work, and that closeness is both its boon and bane. The lead cast of James Ransone and Shannyn Sossamon are also very much good together, and the emotional sequences work fine too.

Claws of flaw :: This sequel is absolutely no match for the original, as the idea was well brought to the screen and nicely executed there. This one just tries to follow the same path, but just does the same rather too much. If you have seen the first movie, you will surely see a lot of similar things in the second, and adding something special never seemed to be the idea around here. An improvement from the first movie was needed, but that also seemed to be not on the list of things to do. With the demon at hand, better innovation would have made sure that this sequel could achieve new heights; for this is that kind of mystery that prevails over the existence of this particular creature, and I have found it a surprise that this one never really uses the same to its full advantage – it works in its current form, but couldn’t it have been a lot better with what was already established?

Soul exploration :: This movie handles the idea of its predecessor very well – a demon who corrupts the soul of a child, causing him or her to do the worst, and then owning that soul for himself; it is the kind of idea which takes one back to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The demon uses its resources in the best way to utilize the inherent evil in man to its own advantage, and in the case of children, it is just too easy. The demon always knew the easiest way to find a soul, and it is the kind of creature who understand the ease in getting into the newer generation. We see such humans who are reflections of this demon in our lives, don’t we? For them, taking advantage of the weak is the easy way out. Demons among humans and also the other way around – the difference is becoming rather too little, isn’t it? Maybe it is the time of the hybrids.

How it finishes :: I am sure that a lot of fans would have wished for a better sequel to this movie, but can be assured that this one is also an interesting work on the idea of the demon looking for his soul property. I wish that this one had tried better, for bringing more out of its demon and also the sequences between its leading actors; maybe if there is another sequel, they will look forward to make things better. As of now, Sinister 2 will work because of its antagonist and the idea of working with the children. Just like the Insidious sequels, this one is no match to its predecessor, but if you haven’t watched the original, this is sure to be a very new experience for you. As I have said many times, there is something about Bughuul, as he is the one supernatural creature who stands different by a distance.

Release date: 21st August 2015
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: Ciaran Foy
Starring: James Ransone, Shannyn Sossamon, Robert Daniel Sloan, Dartanian Sloan, Lea Coco, Tate Ellington, John Beasley, Lucas Jade Zumann, Jaden Klein, Laila Haley, Caden M. Fritz, Olivia Rainey, Nicholas King

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Batman v Superman

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: I am not in favour of such people who claim to have powers above our kind. And they call superheroes only to fight each other? Strange, isn’t it?

Vampire Bat :: I don’t think that you should mind; Superman is from far beyond our realm; he is not even part of a known planet.

Vampire Owl :: Still, I think that there is going to be too much of a superhero crowd here.

Vampire Bat :: I had reserved that dialogue for Captain America: Civil War, and when there are X-Men around.

[Gets the tickets with some cheese popcorn].

✠ This was recently posted by me at Kiagia.com: http://www.kiagia.com/index.php/current-film-releases-movie/1355-batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice

There are not many movies which the audience has been waiting for, during this year, as much as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This follow-up to Man of Steel has taken almost three years to be finally there for the audience to enjoy the weekend, and this time, it is for Easter. With movies like Wonder Woman, Justice League Part One, The Flash, Aquaman and Justice League Part Two lined up to follow, this one had to arrive at least now, to create that much needed base for Justice League and the other lesser known heroes to the fans outside North America and Europe.

Time has passed after the battle between Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon) which spread chaos and destruction all around the city of Metropolis. There were a lot of casualties, and the wound was not healed with time, as the new superhero had transformed into a controversial figure, with some people appreciating his presence as the savior of mankind while the others finding him as a threat and the false god – someone who is more of an alien than a man for the people on Earth. The television channels take over that particular topic and as it continues to be the hot item for discussion, there is someone who is a lot mad at this superhuman.

Batman (Ben Affleck) is a very unhappy man, as Bruce Wayne had his own troubles with that particular battle between the two aliens. After twenty years of fighting crime in Gotham City, he feels that it is his chance to avenge this alien for the death and destruction which he showered upon humanity with one big battle. At the same time, Clark Kent finds Batman as that kind of dangerous vigilante who should be stopped from taking law into his own hands when police should be handling such cases. With Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) also feeling the need to get rid of Superman, he will find a way to make the two heroes battle each other while having another plan in his mind.

The number of people waiting for this movie has been very high, even more than the grand wait for Captain America: Civil War. The need to watch the two big superheroes going against each other was what everyone really wanted to see. Even though that surely happens, it is not exactly what the movie is about. There is too much of time taken in this movie to get to that, and the basic idea is also not about their dislike for each other. With Wonder Woman not that much utilized, the movie’s aim just becomes establishing something like a base to bring the Justice League idea into the scene, even though that is not done with full strength either.

The movie is still with some very nice moments, and the action sequences work pretty much fine around here. It is also one of those rare opportunities to see Batman and Superman, along with Wonder Woman together in a movie – there are the others too, like Aquaman, The Flash and The Cyborg, but they are just present there in some videos. Batman also has too many dream sequences to make one wonder what the motive behind the same might be. The viewers do end up wishing that something better was created out of the material with two superheroes having similar thoughts of saving the world, but being so different from each other that it creates tension.

Unfortunately for the movie, the villain played by Jesse Eisenberg is just not menacing enough – this is not the Lex Luthor whom we had wished to see around here. Both Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck plays the too simple superheroes here, as they just go through their plans without much of the thoughts behind them – the audience might have felt that there could be more behind their ideologies, but things seems to go rather straight and clear with this movie, which troubles the cause. Amy Adams as Lois Lane has things going better, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is the one who scores the most as any superhuman – at least her side is rather clear here, and it is one character that never goes down the level in this movie.

This one might also be the worst movie from Zack Snyder who has directed movies like 300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch and Dawn of the Dead. The best thing about this movie though, is that the audience is going to be treated with some bigger movies with roots in this particular flick; Gal Gadot is sure to be an awesome Wonder Woman in the big movie which is to arrive, as that is proven here with ease. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is surely not that bad, but it is not up-to the expectations either. You can still watch this one for the action sequences, and also for having that base for what is to follow with the movies which are on the list to arrive.

Release date: 25th March 2016
Running time: 150 minutes
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot, Scoot McNairy, Callan Mulvey, Tao Okamoto, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, Michael Cassidy, Kevin Costner, Christina Wren, Michael Shannon, Carla Gugino, Robin Atkin Downes, Patrick Wilson, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Patrick Leahy, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Soledad O’Brien, Anderson Cooper, Nancy Grace, Charlie Rose

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Knock Knock

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: It has been a long time since we saw a movie starring Keanu Reeves.

Vampire Bat :: Well, John Wick and 47 Ronin proved okay, but nothing huge for us.

Vampire Owl :: Nothing since The Matrix Revolutions for me.

Vampire Bat :: Actually, I consider it since Constantine.

Vampire Owl :: Yes, those were the best times.

Vampire Bat :: And John Wick: Chapter Two is also coming. I believe that it will be better than the first.

Vampire Owl :: The female leads look very much new though.

Vampire Bat :: I have noticed that too. But I am more looking forward to how this story will progress.

Vampire Owl :: I read that it is a remake of Peter Traynor’s 1977 movie called Death Game. Any knowledge of it?

Vampire Bat :: Not at all.

[Gets three cups of tea with tapioca chips].

What is it about? :: Evan Webber (Keanu Reeves) is a happily married man, and an architect living with his wife and children. Due to a shoulder injury and a lot of work, he is unable to go to a trip to beach which was planned earlier; so his wife Karen (Ignacia Allamand) leaves with the children and he is left alone in the big house. He decides to spend his time working and waiting for Louis (Aaron Burns), the assistant of Karen who works as an artist who will move a particular sculpture to an art gallery. When he is busy with the job, he hears someone at the door and sees two girls, Genesis (Lorenza Izzo) and Bel (Ana de Armas) outside. They claim that they were here for a party, but lost the address to the place and their mobile phones are also dead which left them stranded with nowhere to go.

So, how and where does things take a big turn? :: Evan invites them in, and offers them internet and computer for them to locate the place. They get fresh at his home and he also arranges the closest available driver for them, but that would also take forty five minutes to arrive at his place. The girls make themselves at home, and more is revealed about them. But soon, Evan will come to know another side of them, and it is not really that beautiful as what they seem to be. Almost everything which they had told him would prove to be just lies and nothing else. He almost gets away, but these two won’t stay away until they have their sadistic games imposed on him. There is no hope for him except for Louis who won’t be expecting this kind of trouble.

The defence of Knock Knock :: There is a certain message here in the movie, and there is the next level of morality tale stored inside – the need to resist temptations despite the situation is shown here. Powered by performances and moments of thrill, the movie is an interesting mixture of things; a home invasion movie with a certain amount of dark humour which is present throughout, and a little bit of the erotic side also being there – it also doesn’t go the way of the director’s two most known movies, Hostel and Hostel: Part II. It is a welcome change that we have here, as the environment has been changed, and the blood and gore gets a lot down by a long way. The torture porn does go away this time, and this movie surely has its moments. There is no way that one will end up finding this one not entertaining; that is for sure.

Claws of flaw :: This is another thriller which surely had a lot of scope, and that is not used as one would have wanted. It could have explored the psychological side better, but it decides just to go weird without much of explanations. It also has too much of the ups and downs throughout its run. If you are looking for the erotica elements, that is going to be a disappointment, because it is also rare. A number of scenes also feel repetitive, and without the idea to bring the needed change and variety through the material which has already been used many times in a good number of ways. There was better chance to use the moments in the first half to reach a big climax and finish in the end which is unfortunately not that much there. The Naomi Watts starrer Funny Games from 2007 could do a home invasion thriller with a psychological side better, and You’re Next as well as The Strangers had their own ways of handling the horror with the home invasion!

Performers of the soul :: If you wanted to see Keanu Reeves as the chosen one or in the form of the chaser of demons, you are not going to have that here; this gets not even close, as his character remains hopeless for most of the time. The thoughts of the hero from The Matrix trilogy and Constantine takes the back-seat, as he once again brings a fine performance here as the protagonist completely in distress throughout the movie, starting from a few minutes into it. Never will you see the tendency to go John Wick around here, and there will be no samurai effect. The girls are good, and I would like to mention Ana de Armas more, as she manages to take a certain amount of cuteness to the wicked side; Lorenza Izzo has the evil side working strong in the movie too. I surely had my doubts, but they worked really well here!

How it finishes :: You have to admit that unlike most of the people, both the critics and the general audience had said, this is surely a good one – most of them surely had problems with how things went around with this movie only because they wanted something else, and it is from this strange and somewhat detestable want that the hate for this movie could rise. You have to watch this one to know that the same won’t affect your ability to like this flick. Unlike some mentions here and there, you can’t consider this one horror; for the same, you can look into the recent horror movie reviews including It Follows, The Vatican Tapes, Jessabelle, The Remaining, The Pyramid, The Lazarus Effect and The Woman in Black: Angel of Death; plus there is my personal favourite Gothic horror romance, Crimson Peak.

Release date: 9th October 2015
Running time: 99 minutes
Directed by: Eli Roth
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas, Ignacia Allamand, Aaron Burns, Colleen Camp

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Vatican Tapes

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: It has been a long time since some horror, right?

Vampire Bat :: Yes, there are not many horror movies releasing here these days; sometimes, there is just none at all.

Vampire Owl :: The world was so much better during The Conjuring days. There was abundance of horror then.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, after that, a lot of horror movies didn’t release here. I have a long list of that.

Vampire Owl :: And there were a few which released too late.

Vampire Bat :: And also the rest which came to some theatres only; those multiplexes – only those where we couldn’t go.

Vampire Owl :: And there was like one show at times when it was not comfortable for us.

Vampire Bat :: And they got cancelled or disappeared completely just too soon.

Vampire Owl :: This is why we should find out own horror.

Vampire Bat :: Exactly! Otherwise, how can we recharge our strengths?

[Gets three cups of tea with tapioca chips].

What is it about? :: After showing a few videos with shots of possession and exorcism, we are taken into the story. A young girl, Angela Holmes (Olivia Taylor Dudley) begins to show some strange behaviour after cutting her finger with a knife during a birthday celebration. Her father Roger Holmes (Dougray Scott) and boyfriend Peter Smith (John Patrick Amedori) are concerned, but it seems to be more of her fear for the hospital as she hasn’t been there since her early childhood. But one day, she is bitten by a raven while traveling inside a bus, and it makes the injury even worse. Her weird behaviour just continues. One day, she doesn’t wake up at all and had to be taken to the hospital again only to cause a car accident. With that, she slips into a comma and doesn’t wake up for a long time, and in the end, the doctors decide to declare her dead.

So, how and where does things take a big turn? :: Roger meets a priest Father Oscar Lozano (Michael Peña) who used to be with the army earlier. The priest becomes suspicious of what has happened with Angela, but as the hospital declares her case hopeless, he decides to provide her with the last rites. But as he begins the same, it turns out that she is not dead at all. That surely makes everyone happy, but things don’t remain the same after her return to the normal life, as it gets worse. The hospital cameras identify her trying to hurt a newborn, and after seeing and questioning her about the same, a detective murders himself with two bulbs. She is moved to the asylum, and things don’t get any better – murders happen and so does chaos. The hospital abandons the case, and now there is only one chance left.

The defence of The Vatican Tapes :: There is a story smoothly told here, and there is no rush with its idea. The ending also signifies that there is scope for something bigger with a possible sequel. The Vatican Tapes also doesn’t go with the cheap scares, and uses it central idea to generate the fear. There is nothing jumping out of darkness, and there is no manifestation of the demons. Instead, what happens here is the realization of the horror that is warming up, and the unlimited terror which is going to be unleashed later. The usual horror characters, especially the annoying ones are missing, and the movie finishes with the rather realistic end to what could happen – a possible end of the world coming closer rather than the exorcists saving the day. The horror in this movie is more on the background and getting right into the viewer with the basic idea!

Claws of flaw :: The movie hasn’t really used its video footage to its advantage, as most of those videos could have been shot just like the rest of the movie. The exorcism scene also doesn’t bring that much strength as expected, and won’t satisfy people who keep seeing the same thing all the time. Something more brutal, or shocking; even something at least surprising was the need of the times considering the number of exorcism movies and the rest of the horror which have come to us in the recent years. There is also not that much information about the demon and the possession, except for bringing that Anti-Christ idea up – a better explanation was a lot in need here, especially with experts in such matters already there as characters; it was never going to be that difficult. Maybe, the sequel, if there is one, can solve some of it.

Performers of the soul :: Olivia Taylor Dudley is the big asset for this movie, as she comes up with some very nice and creepy moments with her performance as the one coming back from the dead, as well as the fully possessed person. We would remember her from the lesser known horror movie Chernobyl Diaries and the more recent Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension. The Vatican Tapes has what might be one of her best works among those popularly known – there are those points which you will want to recollect. She will have a bigger job there if there is a sequel for this one. The next notable performance is from Michael Peña who plays the priest who comes to know about this particular possession. Peter Andersson has a smaller, but nice performance here, and lets look out for Djimon Hounsou in case of a sequel.

How it finishes :: The Vatican Tapes is surely an interesting movie, and it will appeal to those who like the movies concerning possession and exorcism. It might not be everyone who are looking for some terrifying events throughout its run, and it is surely better than how it is rated at IMDb and what the critics have said about it. There is also the presence of evil portrayed well enough without adding those ghostly or demonic images, and the connection there with the horror is really well-made – it is gloomy, and hope of something better is not easy to have in here. It does try to be different than a usual exorcism movie, as this one doesn’t end with evil. Yes, it is horror, and is not a pretendor to the genre like some movies which get heavy critical appreciation as horror or superhero movies, but in reality, they are not.

Release date: 24th July 2015
Running time: 91 minutes
Directed by: Mark Neveldine
Starring: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Kathleen Robertson, Michael Peña, Djimon Hounsou, Dougray Scott, John Patrick Amedori,Peter Andersson, Tehmina Sunny, Noemi Gonzalez, Bruno Gunn, Ashley Gibson, Daniel Bernhardt, Alex Sparrow, Jarvis W. George

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Wrecker

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: Do you know that we are appointing a new group called the wreckers for the vampire army?

Vampire Bat :: I don’t know about that, but we are surely going to watch this movie.

Vampire Owl :: The poster does remind me of Joy Ride and its sequels.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, that was what came to my mind the first time.

Vampire Owl :: I liked that series, right up-to the final movie.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, and the big trucks haunting people on deserted roads always make some impact.

Vampire Owl :: They are like the most convenient areas for serial killers.

Vampire Bat :: Well, there is absolutely no doubt about that.

Vampire Owl :: So, another human serial killer movie for today.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, another one from their long list of bad people.

[Gets some tea with tapioca chips].

What is it about? :: Best friends Emily (Anna Hutchison) and Leslie (Andrea Whitburn) are on a road trip, as the former doubts her boyfriend of cheating and has taken a break. As they go on on a joy ride, they decide to take a short-cut which seems to be rather less traveled. During their journey, they come across a tow-truck which doesn’t let them pass. When they do, it is behind them, and later it overtakes them just to keep wandering around their car. It almost makes them hit another car, and continues to torment them throughout their journey. Providing them with no relief, the truck is always around them, and nothing seems to let it go away. As they stop to have food, they see the truck there too, and try to identify the driver, but ends up being angry at the wrong person.

So, how do things go from there and is there a chance for escape? :: They find out that the man giving them the chase is someone else, but they never get to see him. But they continues to travel as the truck has gone long past them. Well, things only get much worse from there, as it is no longer about being chased – everything gets rather direct then. As their car losses one of its tyres, they are forced to run and they separate from each other. The car doesn’t have much of fuel, and only Emily gets back to the vehicle, with no sign of her friend around. A police officer who is found on the way also gets run over the the truck. There seems to be no hope left as the truck driver seems to know the road so well, and is ready to pounce at anyone anywhere. The only chance here might be to get off the road, or is it?

The defence of Wrecker :: There are thrills in abundance in this movie, as most of the movie is focused on the road; there is no time for drama as things only get quicker and the situations become more life-threatening. The truck idea is something that will always work – I recently saw one strange long-haired person on the road riding a modified bike and showing his middle finger to the buses; it is the kind of person whom we wish a psychopath trucker should take to make the society better; those times when we think that serial killers are needed. With Joy Ride‘s Rusty Nail whom we consider among the top killers in a thriller-horror, the scope of such a character has only increased, and Wrecker does make some good use of that. The truck shots are well-utilized, and there are some nice moments here with the vehicle. The movie is kept short too.

Claws of flaw :: This movie could have done a lot better in using this already successful idea – the scope was even more for sure. This could have been more entertaining with horror taking the main stage – a lot more of the scares were possible with a psychopath trucker in the pockets. A bigger story could have also been in store, and a legend could have been easily brought on this. The whole thing needed a better touch in making things more interesting. There could have been a big psycho killer in store here who could make things better in the sequel – the chance is left there in the end! A better thrilling finish could have done this movie a lot of good too. Andrea Whitburn leaves the action a little too early. The destruction which shown to be committed by the truck is also a little too low; the killer also remains too unknown.

Performers of the soul :: The movie clearly depends on Anna Hutchison to make it work better than it really is. She does a very good job here with the same. She is good with this, as we had seen her in The Cabin in the Woods. Most of us would also remember her from Spartacus: War of the Damned – she plays the main character here, and the focus is all on her, which makes sure that the movie gets better. Andrea Whitburn plays more of the supporting role, as there is a lot of time when we don’t get to see her at all. The supporting cast doesn’t really get to do much, and we never really get to see the face of the driver who goes on rampage – so, except for a few people who show their faces and say some dialogues, the whole thing is left to Anna Hutchison and Andrea Whitburn.

How it finishes :: The movie seems to have a lot of similarities with the 1971 flick, Duel; Joy Ride and its two sequels are also quite similar. I have loved the three movies belonging to the Joy Ride franchise, from the Paul Walker and Venna Wilcox Leelee Sobieski starrer to the last one which released in 2014. Wrecker doesn’t go that much of a different way compared to these movies. If I had to choose between Joy Ride and Wrecker, I would choose the former though, as Rusty Nail is already one of the most interesting serial killers around, and the entertainment factor was also high with those movies. But Anna Hutchison is the one person who makes the difference for this movie, and this one also goes somewhat a different way in its treatment – and is surely slower.

Release date: 6th November 2015
Running time: 83 minutes
Directed by: Micheal Bafaro
Starring: Anna Hutchison, Andrea Whitburn, Jennifer Koenig, Don Knodel, Michael Dickson, Ashley Evans, Lori Watt, Kurtis Maguire, Dave Blattler, Celia Reid, Andy Nez, Emily Schutz, Riley Schutz, Dylan Rhymer, Kurt Harder

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

2015 in Review

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Dr. Tennyson

Happy New Year, everyone. This is the annual review summary time! Here are my choices for the year, the movies which make it the list with the positive and negative elements for the year 2015. This is going to be the list with most of it having the side you won’t be able to agree with 😛

Best Malayalam Movie: Mili
This is one of the first movies which I watched in 2015, and it is also the only movie in the year which I watched twice – a fine inspirational story starring Amala Paul playing an introvert girl as the protagonist. Click here for review.

Best Hindi Movie: Baby
There is absolutely no doubt about this one, and this one actually made me expect more from Bollywood this year, but that was not to happen. I should have watched this Akshay Kumar starrer more number of times. Click here for review.

Best English Movie: American Sniper
This one released here later, and so happens to be part of the best movies list for this year – it is not a 2014 movie for the regular viewer; I would make that clear. I believe that this movie deserved a better appreciation at the Academy Awards. Click here for review.

Best Action Movie: MI5: Rogue Nation
The Tom Cruise starrer, the fifth movie of the franchise always had a big chance to be the best action flick of the year, and from what I have heard and read, I am sure that a lot of people can easily agree on this choice. Click here for review.

Best Horror Movie: Crimson Peak
Not really the usual horror of these days, this one brings some old fashioned horror and uses its surroundings to the best effect. There is something more than just supernatural about the ghosts of this Guillermo del Toro movie. It is also a contendor for the next award. Click here for review.

Best Comedy Movie: Adi Kapyare Kootamani
The best comedy entertainer managed to arrive in the last few days of the year, and this Christmas release was the one which made sure that the fans had a lot to enjoy and be happy about. The best thing is that it will also have a second part. Click here for review.

Best Visual Experience: Jupiter Ascending
The world of Jupiter Ascending is the kind of universe which we feel the need to go right from the moment we see it in the trailer. It also has a story which can be further developed with even more visual splendour if a sequel ever manages to come up. Click here for review.

Best Thrills: Ex Machina
There has been a shortage of good thrillers this year, but Ex Machina which is one of the best flicks of the year is a slow and steady thriller-drama science-fiction which burns making you think, and makes us feel the intensity throughout its run-time. Click here for review.

Big Surprise: Mumbai Taxi
You can’t claim this one to be something huge, but with a group of new faces, this thriller has managed to create an impact unexpected. This didn’t go on to make it big, but is still worth the position for the genuine attempt without the big stars. Click here for review.

Righteous One: My God
This one successfully takes the righteous path, even though it didn’t do that well as people might have expected. With Suresh Gopi doing what he does the best, I believe that this inspirational movie will do better when it comes on the television. Click here for review.

Magical Movie: Charlie
With some magic in the store related to how its titular character as well as the journey is presented, this Dulquer-Parvathy is the movie which finishes the year with some special feeling for the season of Christmas. Click here for review.

Powerful Experience: Rani Padmini
This Manju Warrier – Rima Kallingal starrer brings the message and inspires its viewers quite a lot. Among the movies which needs to be watched for a wide variety of things, this one with two lady protagonists going on a journey, is a must watch. Click here for review.

Game Changer: Kunjiramayanam
This one was supposed to be the movie with the least star power during the Onam season, but ended up as being the one which gathered the best opinion, with the number of shows only increasing as time progressed. This movie surely knew its audience Click here for review.

True Inspiration: Su Su Sudhi Vathmeekam
Jayasurya has made some nice choices of movies and this is undoubtedly one of them. Telling the story of one man who rises above his limitations, there are surely no better inspirational movies during these days which are applicable as widely as this flick. Click here for review.

Personal Favourite: Avengers: Age of Ultron
I have been waiting for this movie for a very long time, and I consider this one better than its predecessor which is often overrated; it also has that kind of a villain and the thrills which makes it completely worth the one hundred rupees ticket. Click here for review.

Best Love Story: Anarkali
Unlike the other movies which have been forced on the viewers by the blind fans who want everyone to agree with them even before watching the movie, this one is one of the best love stories which have released for a very long time, and is supported by great visuals. Click here for review.

Unnoticed One: Love 24×7
Unlike the other movies of Dileep, this one got surprisingly very less amount of attention, and not much of the audience interested in it. It is not something huge, but it is an interesting flick which should have got better collections at that time. Click here for review.

Worst Malayalam movie: Thinkal Muthal Velli Vare
Rimi Tomy had decided to act, but that was as much a wrong decision from her as Jayaram made the decision to be part of this movie which is not funny and it never even gets close to making people laugh. From the beginning to the end, this movie continues to have something which nobody can call comedy.

Worst Hindi Movie: Tamasha
Beginning with the usual “girl meets boy and the sing songs and have sex” story, this one has a journey from France to Japan through India, and in the middle, there is an idea which is presented in the worst possible way. This is one of those situations were I walked out of an almost empty theatre and I was not surprised.

Worst English Movie: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Here is one movie that believes violence is the only way to make things funny, but there is absolutely no fun in this movie which had the audience throwing all the abuse towards the makers, and this time, I couldn’t really blame them. There are many ways to make a good, funny spy movie, and this one surely isn’t the right way.

Most Undeserving Hit: Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
I was really surprised about this movie’s run. This felt so outdated, and I am sure that even a lot of old vampires will feel the same about the movie. It was the fourth highest grossing Bollywood movie of all-time, and was still going when I last looked at the list. No, I haven’t watched Dilwale, if you are going to claim that for this title.

Worst Drift: Jilebi
Absolutely no focus on delivering what it really promised, this Jayasurya starrer completely deviates from what it promised offer. There is no real feel-good factor about this, and the message also takes a flight to the Bermuda Triangle to meet its end, making the movie with nothing. It is depressing, because the chance was there; but not taken.

Worst Drag: Shaandaar
As it keeps dragging more and more without bringing anything positive, the movie has nothing that invokes interest except for its silliness which is beyond the borders of the known world, and the only thing that it can boast about is about being one of the dumbest movies around. Thankfully, this one cost me only fourty rupees; that kept me from being depressed.

Worst Emptiness: Rudra Simhasanam
Supposed to be a horror movie with some black magic, this one is another movie in which Suresh Gopi shouldn’t have acted in, as the main role goes to Nikki Galrani with her worst performance ever in a Malayalam movie; she can be happy that not many people watched this. The movie has stylish sets, but everything else is empty, making this the great empty flick of the year.

Worst Lie: Mariyam Mukku
With the whole story based on something that doesn’t really happen, the ending seems to say otherwise. With not knowing what is truth and what is lie throughout its run, this movie along with a heavy dose of boredom makes its cast also part of the whole thing. This was the first Malayalam movie which I watched in the year, and sadly it failed, ruining the beginning.

Worst Stupidity: Utopiayile Rajavu
A fine source of irritation comes in the form of this movie which maintains its stupidity as Jewel Mary has a terrible debut because this one released before her critically acclaimed flick. This one was claiming to be a satire, but it is never even close to being that, and the magic realism is used in the worst possible way to make the movie seem more stupid.

Unbearable One: Kingsman: Secret Service
I would like to provide this award and title to this movie too, as it is one movie which I won’t dare to watch again even if I have nothing to do other than watching this one television. I would rather be bored than watch this miserable spy flick again. There are too many negative categories to which this one can belong, and it is that terrible a movie.

Clueless One: Kanal
Despite a pretty good beginning, this movie deviates from what it could have been. Going through a clueless journey, Kanal only becomes all that it shouldn’t have been, and it affects not only the flow, but also the performances of the cast. With such a nice cast, this movie doesn’t do well enough, and it is a case of shame. Maybe the plan was something else – who knows!

Biggest Hype: Ennu Ninte Moideen
This is one of the movies which I liked and surely has its true love, but the hype related to this one has been unbearable. With the blind fans copying the same messages everywhere as if it is spam and abusing everyone who don’t agree with it, this movie is the great overrated flick along with Amar Akbar Anthony which comes second on the list. Click here for review.

*This is only based on the movies I have watched and it remains my personal opinion with all the specialties; the fans don’t need to go psychopath on the comments section.

PS: Most read movie reviews of the year:
1. Kunjiramayanam
2. Anarkali
3. Rani Padmini
4. Premam
5. Ivide

2015 Theatre Status:
*84 movies watched on the big screen this year, with 70 of them reviewed. There were 26 English movies, 40 Malayalam movies, 14 Hindi movies and 4 Tamil movies. Total Reviews including honorary ones and short-films = 89.
+Movies inspiring more than one theatre visit: 1: Mili {2 times}

Theatre Status from Previous Years:
*89 movies watched on the big screen in 2014, with 66 of them reviewed. There were 44 English movies, 32 Malayalam movies, 10 Hindi movies and 3 Tamil movies. Total Reviews including honorary ones = 73.
*103 movies watched on the big screen in 2013, with 71 of them reviewed. There were 44 English movies, 43 Malayalam movies, 12 Hindi movies and 4 Tamil movies. Total Reviews including honorary ones = 109.

Most visits from outside India in 2015
1. United States :: 2. United Arab Emirates :: 3. United Kingdom :: 4. Australia :: 5. Qatar :: 6. Canada :: 7. Russia :: 8. Switzerland :: 9. Singapore :: 10. Netherlands

And I once again wish you a great year ahead 🙂

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Posted on December 25, 2015 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: I believe that they are talking about Uncle Dracula returning to the castle.

Vampire Bat :: I don’t understand why they would do that. It is not possible.

Vampire Owl :: Or may be a man who is the messenger of Uncle Dracula.

Vampire Bat :: Don’t you know that the return of Uncle Dracula is not of concern for the humans these days as they don’t even believe in his existence?

Vampire Owl :: I guess I misunderstood the title then. I thought this would mean his return because the world needs it.

Vampire Bat :: It stands for United Network Command for Law and Enforcement as I have read on the internet.

Vampire Owl :: So, no true uncles are involved. It is actually good because some uncles are so irritating with their comparisons of their nephews and nieces.

Vampire Bat :: It is actually based on an American television series of the 1960s. There was also one called The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. during the same time period.

Vampire Owl :: So, it is clearly new for us. During that period, we were not into television series, and surely none from that part of the world. Do you think that it will be good?

Vampire Bat :: Well, we will surely have to watch and find that out. This comes from Guy Ritchie, the man who brought the two Sherlock Holmes movies to us, and will bring a King Arthur movie next year.

[Gets a cup of tea with chocolate chip cookies].

What is it about? :: At a time when the Cold War was going strong, years after the Second World War, a former professional thief and the present CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is on a special mission. He brings Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander), the daughter of Udo Teller (Christian Berkel), an expert scientist who was working for the Nazis, out of East Berlin, as they manage to go past the KGB operative Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) who gives a big chase. But it turns out that the job is not anywhere close to being finished yet, with the two rich shipping company owning couple Alexander (Luca Calvani) and Victoria (Elizabeth Debicki) Vinciguerra who are Nazi sympathizers have the scientist with them, and Gaby’s uncle Rudi (Sylvester Groth) working with them might be their only chance to get to Udo. The time might be less because the couple might be creating their own nuclear weapons.

So what is the possible solution here and where do they go? :: So, with chaos and destruction staring them right on their faces, CIA and KGB decides to bring their best men together, with Napolean and Illya working together to bring solution to this new problem. Gaby and Illya are to pretend to be engaged as they go to meet her uncle in Italy. Solo also poses as an antiquities dealer and stays in another room in the same hotel at Rome. So, another game begins far away from home, and the question remains if these three can get along. Gaby’s best interest seems to be in finding her father, and the two agents have the interests of their own nations and the agencies to keep steady. With their own agendas being there, what can these people do to ensure world peace in front of an enemy which is more united than they are? Saving the world is not a choice though, isn’t it? Especially when USA and USSR did join forces!

The defence of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. :: One thing which you can be hundred percent sure about this particular flick is that it has some simple, light-hearted fun. The humour that has been used in this movie never crosses the limit, making it appropriate for almost all kinds of audience, a quality which is not easy to maintain for the Hollywood movies of these times as they intend to go for sex and violence instead. Well, that should have made the censor board very happy or they would have been on a grand cutting process around here. The thrills are present and there is one twist and some nice smaller turning of events. The movie also has a fine style going throughout it, and the music used in the flick gives an even better feeling. What surprised me the most is how this flick, even with its simplest scenes, could bring smiles on our faces – a quality which the more appreciated movies like Kingsman: The Secret Service completely lacked and replaced it with boredom.

Claws of flaw :: The fact remains that there might not be anyone who has watched that telvision series around here, as the idiot box presence improved only later around here, and the number of channels only increased even later. So, the case of nostalgia is completely going out through the window for ny person from this part of the world. The movie could have also used a lot more humour here because the possibility was very much there – there were some nice points where it could have added so much more to the movie. The three protagonists could have taken them in easily. The story could have also been more polished to bring the suspense and thrills to the next level – it is something which could have made sure that The Man from U.N.C.L.E. will be the spy movie which worked for a genre-based audience. There could have also been more melee combat here. As this is more like an origin story, a possible sequel should solve the problems!

Performers of the Soul :: The three leading performers in this movie are nothing less than complete fun. Their characters have something special, and they are nicely brought on screen with action and humour. They are the ones who make us wish for a sequel for this one. Among the three, the big performer is undoubtedly Henry Cavill who has the thief turned into CIA agent played with charm; coming right out of Man of Steel – one wonders if he will make a nice James Bond in a parallel universe. His agent makes a fine combination with his former nemesis character Armie Hammer, and both nicely compliment each other. You will love the third one, played by Alicia Vikander too. It won’t be that big a performance or something of very high quality like her work in Ex Machina, but she is cute and full of fun in this movie. You will surely get something a lot better than her Seventh Son though. You will also notice Elizabeth Debicki making a nice lady villain.

How it finishes :: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is indeed a fine spy movie with fun. Unlike Kingsman: The Secret Service which was always running out of ideas making it use violence and ridiculous sexual remarks, this movie here knows exactly where it is going. The collections and critical appreciation for that mindless flick is a reflection of how much the quality of the viewers and critics have come down, but thanks to movies like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. that we can have movies which are actually fun and not just claimed to be so. Our movie here shows Kingsman: The Secret Service how it is done, and how it should have been accomplished. On one side, we have interesting spy movies like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and on the other side, we have boring and clueless spy stuff like Kingsman: The Secret Service; and thankfully, I know that the former was the more successful one where I watch movies!

Release date: 14th August 2015
Running time: 116 minutes
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, Hugh Grant, Luca Calvani, Sylvester Groth, Simona Caparrini, Misha Kuznetsov, David Menkin, Christian Berkel

PS: Favourite pre-Christmas movie at the theatres right now: Anarkali. Merry Christmas 🙂

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Jessabelle

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: Are you sure that this isn’t related to Annabelle? There is not even a distant relationship that you know about?

Vampire Bat :: Not at all. There is just the name which ends in the same way. There is no relationship with The Conjuring either.

Vampire Owl :: I know many people who thought that they were related, and there are some who thought that there was another doll of the same kind.

Vampire Bat :: We, the people of the horror, shouldn’t fall into such rumors. But the similarity in the name might have attracted more viewers.

Vampire Owl :: Yes, I know. But I just believed that for some time.

Vampire Bat :: We could actually go for it in the name of some nice sequences which are there in the trailer. The poster is quite interesting

Vampire Owl :: And also after looking at the producer’s long list of horror filmography.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, that too. But nothing in the name of Annabelle which is not related at all.

Vampire Owl :: Let it be so then! We shall take on this ghost too.

Vampire Bat :: Okay, now we can proceed for the movie. Keep your mind open for more horror.

[Gets a cup of tea with chocolate chip cookies].

What is it about? :: Jessabelle Laurent (Sarah Snook) and her boyfriend has an accident with their car hit by a truck just before they decide to start a new life together. The pregnant Jessabelle has miscarriage and her lover is dead in the accident, with her limited to a wheel-chair. A few months later, she decides to go and live with her father Leon (David Andrews) at a small town of St Francis as he agrees to pick her up from the hospital. It has been a long time since she last saw her father, as she was raised by her aunt after her mother died of cancer when she was a baby. He takes her to their old home, and provides her with the room of her mother which was kept locked for many years. She doesn’t remember anything about her childhood, and she decides to look around the old house and the beautiful surroundings on her wheel-chair.

So what happens at this new place far away from the city? :: Jessabelle is not a person who will keep herself on the bed all the time. For passing time, she finds some videotapes shot by her mother. She decides to watch them and know more about her mother whom she never met as a kid. Even though, the tapes begin nicely with words of motherly love, it soon gets weird with talks about death, transition to something else and the feeling of a certain presence in the house. Leon says that her mother was getting weird and not herself in the final stages of cancer as he tries his best to stop her from watching these tapes, but as he tries to burn them, gets burnt himself inside the shed. She also has regular nightmares, and feels the presence of something in the house. With her father dead, it is only her old friend Preston Sanders (Mark Webber) who is left with her for help.

The defence of Jessabelle :: There are scary moments in Jessabelle and there is creepiness, even when not fully utilized. The environment contributes to that feeling, and this is done by keeping blood and gore to the minimum. Coming from the director of two movies of the Saw franchise, that might be a surprise for some people. The bath-tub scene is the best one, even though that too could have been better. But the movie manages to maintain a certain mood, not trying to bring anything huge – not a big attempt here at all. The final revelation is a fine one, and the twist is something which can be rather easily guessed only for those who have watched many horror movies. But it keeps us guessing until the movie reaches the final stages. It often becomes a mystery thriller instead of a full horror movie, and there is even some drama – it also works as part of another genre which makes up for what is missed out with the horror side.

Claws of flaw :: There is no denying the fact that this movie has its own dose of cliches. There are moments of such horror which have already been tried, and the story itself reminds oneself of the Kate Hudson starrer movie, The Skeleton Key – especially with the ending; but the difference here being the use of Voodoo while it was Hoodoo in that horror movie which came earlier. The chances of you liking this movie if you liked that one is high, but there will be some repetition associated with this in the final moments. There is also a certain amount of slow movement in the case of Jessabelle, and more horror could have been brought here especially while using the marshy surroundings of Lousiana. The environment was something which could have been better used to the advantage here. The potential was surely there to bring something better than what is on screen.

Performers of the Soul :: As you might have noticed in the movie Predestination, Sarah Snook is very much a talented actress, and she does an excellent job here too. Here, she proves to be the right choice for horror too. If she did a bigger job in that science fiction drama, here the movie is better, without ambiguities or boredom as there is the direct entry into horror and mystery. Mark Webber has very less to do here though, and it is the same with David Andrews and Joelle Carter, as the movie is completely focused on Sarah Snook and her Jessabelle. Amber Stevens West plays the ghostly Jessabelle with the needed intensity, but the number of appearances of the ghost is also too less as far as the horror fans are concerned. The bath-tub scene and the car scene are the two notable ones related to the same.

How it finishes :: When you look at the critical appreciation of this movie and the total rating at IMDb, you will hesitate about watch this one. But this movie is undoubtedly better than what you see everywhere; it has never been easy for the horror movies to get the critics on their side – it is more like a curse which this particular genre has inherited through the ages, even though there are exceptions. Sometimes, most of the critically appreciated movies are not really that good horror at all. So, watching Jessabelle is not a mistake that you make, but an attempt to see how another horror movie will work. You have to note that The Lazarus Effect, The Remaining, The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death and The Pyramid got lesser rating on IMDb. You can watch this one along with The Skeleton Key which is a similar movie in heart and soul.

Release date: 7th November 2014
Running time: 90 minutes
Directed by: Kevin Greutert
Starring: Sarah Snook, Mark Webber, David Andrews, Joelle Carter, Ana de la Reguera, Amber Stevens, Larisa Oleynik, Chris Ellis, Brian Hallisay, Lucius Baston, Jason Davis, Vaughan Wilson

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Remaining

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: This movie seems to be about the end of the world.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, it is about that and also what happens during this ultimate horror being unleashed on Earth.

Vampire Owl :: Do you think that mankind has a chance to see this possible end before they kill each other with their deadly weapons?

Vampire Bat :: I strongly believe that mankind will destroy itself in wars before God decides to bring his wrath on them.

Vampire Owl :: It is a strange thing, isn’t it? People blame God and sometimes the religions a lot, but can’t even love their own people even when they are outside the beliefs.

Vampire Bat :: A lot of things that these humans do are strange. If we think about them, we will only have a lot of negativity in our lives.

Vampire Owl :: For now, I will only hope that at least this movie happens to be good.

Vampire Bat :: Well, the movies about the end of the world are usually better than those which talk about the things like romance, which are mostly fake and exaggerated.

Vampire Owl :: Lets watch this soon, before mankind kills each other. Otherwise, there will be nobody left to read your review.

Vampire Bat :: Lets go for the movie right now!

[Gets a cup of tea with butter cookies].

What is it about? :: Dan (Bryan Dechart) and Skylar (Alexa Vega) are getting married and the friends are enjoying the occasion. The occasion is well-planned and the wedding ceremony goes great. Among their friends, Tommy (Johnny Pacar) has been in love with Allison (Italia Ricci) for quite some time, but she is in a relationship with Jack (Shaun Sipos) who is another person in their friends circle. Everything after the ceremony also seems to be going on well with an abundance of joy, and while people are having fun, suddenly some people start dropping down dead. With some people in the party dead in a second and the others having no idea what to do, Dan, Skylar and Jack run out of the building, in hope to find Allison who had left earlier. Outside the building, they find terror being unleashed in the streets with chaos and destruction all around.

So what is this sudden death and panic all about? :: The incident is associated with rapture which is related to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Earth, and all the believers who are dead as well as the good believers among the living have their souls taken into eternal life. Skylar finds the reference to the same in the Holy Bible, but is attacked by a winged demon which is unleashed on Earth for the end of days. Joined by a girl called Sam (Liz E. Morgan), the find sanctuary in a church where a lot of others including Allison have also found shelter. There they find Pastor Shay (John Pyper-Ferguson) who tells them that he has been a pastor only by name and he has used his title only for his comfort, and took God’s name just for the sake of doing it. Surrounded by demons, and Skylar fatally injured, time runs out here.

The defence of The Remaining :: There is a certain amount of mixture with the genres with the horror elements, the thriller side and the disaster moments which make the most of it. The drama side is also present as the survivors ponder over their lives, the flashbacks and what remains their hope. There are also some elements of the found footage genre which are well-used. Some scary moments will justify the same, and that makes one wonder if this could be made into a video game; something in which survival is impossible – the certainty of death which prevails in this movie works very much in its favour, as death is the safe place to go, as always. The performances are pretty good even though there is nothing extraordinary around here. Italia Ricci is the one who gets the most attention, and I have felt that Liz E Morgan provided the most interesting performance here.

Claws of flaw :: The special effects are kept minimal here, and one might think that there is not enough disaster here for a disaster movie, and not that much horror that such evil mentioned in the movie could bring. A collection of better horror and disaster elements might be required by many. People might also have problems with its idea, and it won’t always be easy to take the right point of the theme for everyone. There is also the presence of some cliche elements here and there, but horror needs them up-to an extent. In the end, you will ask why this one couldn’t be better, especially as it has the theme and everything else ready right here. There seems to be a problem here about understanding what exactly should be the focus, but that only shows at times; there are questions like we had gone through in The Lazarus Effect.

Soul exploration :: The movie’s idea of rapture is rather far-fetched for most of the main Christian congregations. I haven’t heard about this myself except for the meaning of that word in the dictionary. But lets leave that behind and take the right point out of it, and take the secular meaning here. We know that unlike the Western idea about secularism which goes for the separation of the religion and the state, the concept of secularism in India has equal participation of all religions instead. Taking the exact meaning of this movie through its context might be easier, but what I have thought about more is about what I can take out of it for use in the common man’s life. The questions that we can take back home are about being the good person related to all religions – are we really good just because we keep visiting the religious places?

Further soul exploration :: No, the questions don’t end there, as more needs to be asked. Does goodness come naturally by saying that we believe in God and are part of certain religious groups? What does it take to be a good person in a materialistic world which has comfort written all over it, and people are just by the monetary gains rather than the goodness factor? Do we have what it take to be a good person instead of being the great achiever – why are stories of achievers considered inspiring instead of tales of good men and women? Shouldn’t good people be given all the attention rather than those who are branded as achievers only to mock and abuse those who are struggling in their lives? How many people go for a good man or a good woman in wedding without looking for the high salary, family status and dowry? Lets give these questions a few thoughts.

Release date: 5th September 2014
Running time: 88 minutes
Directed by: Casey La Scala
Starring: Alexa Vega, Italia Ricci, Johnny Pacar, Shaun Sipos, Bryan Dechart, Liz E Morgan, Kimberley Drummond, John Pyper-Ferguson, Erin Murphy, Kim Pacheco, Hayley Lovitt, Mary Austin, Judd Lormand, Rusty Martin Sr, Katie Sawhill, Defecio Stoglin, Kaitlyn Christian

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Guest

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: Do you mean to say that we have guests at the castle? Is it for the Christmas vacations?

Vampire Bat :: Not at all. I am just referring to the next movie which were going to watch.

Vampire Owl :: But I have never heard about it.

Vampire Bat :: It has Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe in the lead.

Vampire Owl :: I can recollect the latter name; count me in.

Vampire Bat :: I was pretty sure that you will remember Maika from that horror movie.

Vampire Owl :: Yes, this even reminds me of that headless guest that we had last year. It was one guest that we should have never had.

Vampire Bat :: I believe that this one will be even more mysterious.

Vampire Owl :: Well, there is no limit to the strength of mystery.

Vampire Bat :: And that is some truth clearly spoken.

[Gets a cup of tea with chocolate chip cookies].

What is it about? :: David Collins (Dan Stevens) has arrived at the home of his friend in the military, Caleb Peterson (Chris Harding) who had lost his life at the war in Afghanistan. His grieving mother Laura Peterson (Sheila Kelley) is soon attached to the newcomer and his stories about her son, as she asks him to stay with them for a few days in her son’s room because it will make her feel better after the loss her son. Despite some initial doubts, her husband Spencer Peterson (Leland Orser) also approves of his presence as they get along over some drinks. Their son Luke (Brendan Meyer) becomes good friends with the man as he helps the boy in dealing with the bullies who keep haunting him. The daughter Anna (Maika Monroe) also manages to have a positive opinion about him in spite of the early disapproval which she had.

So, what is this person all about? :: With him being the new best friend to Luke, David has all the members of his family in his pockets. But he is there for another reason. He is still the good guy there, even with Anna’s friend Kristen (Tabatha Shaun) who is attracted to the new friend and everyone seems to like him. He knows how to get along with all kinds of people. But as Anna wishes to know more about him after overhearing certain talk on phone, she calls the military base for more information – but curiosity makes things different, and the situation take a twist. More about David will be revealed, but this new knowledge won’t do that good for anyone around. Some things are better left unknown, but unfortunately for them, this one comes to light.

The defence of The Guest :: There is one thing absolutely clear about this movie, and it is that The Guest is a lot entertaining, and right from the beginning, you get the feeling about it. There is the shot of a person running with a backpack, and then suddenly there is the music indicating possible horror and you will see the title. The next forty minutes go smoothly, with some drama and only small signs of the big change coming up; and as we go through it, the last thirty minutes become deadly. The music used in the movie is really good, and its idea to reveal things in a slow and steady manner makes sure that we get more and more interested in the whole thing. There is another smart movie to use some Halloween stuff here, and it helps a lot in the final stages. Those scenes just feel so good, and this is how the movie ends well.

Positives and negatives :: There is one thing that will bother some viewers, and it is that the movie doesn’t really come up with a relevant flashback and leaves questions unanswered – as on one side, it keeps one guessing even after the movie with further conspiracy theories, and at the other, it makes one wish for it to be there. Most of us surely love a flashback, but we won’t find it here, and there won’t be that much explanation from the protagonist either except for some acceptance; and a little change in the ending would have been better. There is also a certain amount of interesting humour in the movie, as The Guest qualifies with a mixture with thrills, action, psychological elements, suspense factor and all that is needed in the right entertainer. The Guest knows the many ways and the different sides of making the viewers interested. The fact that it manages to be an entertainer with brain is even more satisfying for the audience not to go through just the masala.

Performers of the soul :: Dan Stevens is deadly as the protagonist, the man with his own collection of mysteries – and we are left with this memorable performance to ponder about. One can notice how well he adapts to each situation as the character demands. He is too good almost everywhere, and this character is to be remembered by the fans of the genre or rather the genres – the mystery stays as he performs great. His next big movies include Criminal Activities, Oppenheimer Strategies and Colossal, three thriller movies along with the romantic musical fantasy, Beauty and the Beast – these should be too good. I haven’t watched much of his performances, and so hoping to see more. Maika Monroe has the next big performance here, and you will find her lovable from the beginning itself. We loved her in It Follows and she is excellent here too – would love to see her in Independence Day: Resurgence.

How it finishes :: There will be so many things that you will love about this movie, and you don’t need to be the fan of a particular genre to like the flick. There will be variation only in the degree of interest here. You will surely want to see more works of Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe after watching this one. The Guest also comes from Adam Wingard who directed You’re Next and so you know that you can expect something interesting, and it is the same which is delivered here. If you think about what other movie this one reminds you about, that should be The Stepfather, and the 2009 remake had Amber Heard as the leading lady, but the similarity is minimum; The Guest is also ahead here. You will certainly find your needs for an entertaining thriller satisfied here.

Release date: 17th September 2014
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Starring: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Leland Orser, Sheila Kelley, Brendan Meyer, Lance Reddick, Tabatha Shaun, Chase Williamson, Ethan Embry, Joel David Moore, Steven John Brown, Brenden Wedner, Alex Knight, Frank Bond, Jesse Luken, Kelsey Montoya, Justin Yu, A. J. Bowen, Chris Ellis, Candice K. Patton, Chris Harding

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Pyramid

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: I have received this letter from this small community living on the side of the undead lands.

Vampire Bat :: I have received a copy too. But I am yet to read it.

Vampire Owl :: It is about better representation on the movie adventures list along with the other communities who are getting all the attention as of now.

Vampire Bat :: Well, sometimes one community gets the attention, and at other times, some other one will. They will have to work hard to get more attention.

Vampire Owl :: But it says here that they are among the oldest existing communities and that they came back from the dead in the impossible circumstances at times when we vampires hadn’t really become the true undead.

Vampire Bat :: What? It is impossible! Look at the final sign. Who are they?

Vampire Owl :: It says “The Friendly Neighborhood Graveyard Mummies”.

Vampire Bat :: Zombies, werewolves and now the mummies. I thought that they were finished when they were sent to China in 2008 with Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Vampire Owl :: Well, they were not the same. There are no Pyramids there and so the Mummy existence has to be questioned. I believe that their depiction in that particular movie has also motivated them further to search for the right movie.

Vampire Bat :: That should mean that now we have to find a Mummy movie. I have the perfect movie in my mind.

[Gets a cup of tea and butter cookies].

What is it about? :: While the 2012–13 Egyptian protests are going on in Egypt, a team of archaeologists lead by Dr. Miles Holden (Denis O’Hare) and his daughter Dr. Nora Holden (Ashley Hinshaw) manages to discover a special pyramid from under the desert. As the top part of the structure is excavated, they find out that it is not like the other pyramids and has only three sides instead of the usual four. Using the satellite facility, they find out that the pyramid goes a long way down and that there is a tunnel which goes into its highest point. Due to the possibility of a civil war in the country, they are asked to return home, with no idea of when they can explore more of the pyramid. But as they consider this the biggest discovery of their careers, they hesitate to go back empty-handed.

So, how does the big twist occur? :: Despite a worker being dead due to the toxic gas in the pyramid, they decide to use a remote controlled rover machine from NASA to explore as much of the pyramids they can, and the gadget expert Michael Zahir (Amir K) makes sure that it can be done. But the machine is lots inside the structure, and it turns out that they can’t return home without the expensive thing. So, accompanied by the reporter Sunni Marsh (Christa-Marie Nicola) and the cameraman Terry Fitsimmons (James Buckley), they decide to go and find the machine themselves, with oxygen masks and with ropes tied to their waists making sure that they don’t lose the way. But they will know that what awaits them inside the structure is more than just the difficulty in finding the path.

The defence of The Pyramid :: There are lots of scary moments in The Pyramid, and the setting is very well established right in the beginning itself. It has been a long time since we had a good Mummy movie, and even though this one has none either, the pyramids and the undead brings us close to that feeling which we had while watching the movies with those mummified antagonists. The mythological twist which happens in the movie is a real nice one. The moments which make the most of the movie, until the final creature is shown makes some nice impact as darkness and the creepy atmosphere inside the pyramid is amazingly good – they could have got more attention going for the last few minutes of this movie. There are some nice traps too, even though that side is not used to the full potential. This one is also more serious than your friendlier adventure starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz.

Claws of flaw :: The Pyramid is in no way close to being the best horror movie of the year. It has an antagonist revealed in the end which doesn’t look scary enough, and thanks to the CGI which is not that effective, we won’t get the desired strength at the end. The creatures needed to look better and more menacing; here they are just the dangerous creatures as we know them to be so. The movie also needed a better development of the mythical story of Anubis and Osiris, working on the tales about the gods and kings of Egypt much earlier and in more detail so that everything could come together in a stronger way by the end of the flick. There is also no perfect ending as one would have expected as this has strong mythological roots. Those who have a lot of knowledge in the Egyptian Mythology might also feel different, with possible innacuracies as I have seen in some forums, but I am not an expert there.

Soul exploration :: There is not much here for the acting department because the movie’s focus is never there. Still, Ashley Hinshaw has a fine presence and does a good job in this movie which asks nothing too much from its cast. Christa-Marie Nicola should come next in grabbing our attention, and the rest also just follows the routine in a horror movie – be in trouble and hope not to die. The feeling of inescapable is right there throughout the movie as we keep having the feeling that the situation is a lot more than the usual supernatural stuff, and nobody can escape death this time. It is the certainty of death that the protagonists are facing, and the inability to find a solution to the early return to the other world means that there is more than all the discoveries science has ever made and religion has ever solved- it is a symbol of human helplessness.

More of the soul exploration and the finish :: The one thing which is special about this movie is that it takes another path while dealing with pyramids, not of the usual mummy story as one would expect. There is a nice reflection of the Egyptian Mythology along with its gods Anubis and Osiris. There is some history and mythology explained in the middle as well as by the finish, and if things were more creative by the end, The Pyramid could have been a lot better movie. There are times when some movies are underrated, and this one is such a movie. We did see such problems with The Lazarus Effect, I Frankenstein, Annabelle and The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death. This has been happening with horror movies for quite some time and you have to watch these movies to know if they are good – you really can’t go and agree with the rest of the world without thinking, especially the critics.

Release date: 5th December 2014
Running time: 89 minutes
Directed by: Grégory Levasseur
Starring: Ashley Hinshaw, Christa-Marie Nicola, Denis O’Hare, James Buckley, Daniel Amerman, Joseph Beddelem, Amir K, Garsha Arristos, Omar Benbrahim, Philip Shelley, Faycal Attougui

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Mockingjay II

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: So, this is the name of the movie in reality. It was written here on this newspaper as Mocking Hay and I was wondering what it was about.

Vampire Bat: Here, on this other newspaper, it is written as Mockway. It is a more distant spelling. I do wonder what they might have called Goosebumps.

Vampire Owl: It is because of this wrong spelling that we felt that this was a movie which we knew nothing about, and made the choice not to watch it earlier! I don’t understand why they can’t have people who are able to spell this. I am beginning to doubt how they choose the people behind this.

Vampire Bat: They make such mistakes and still we read them. Then, we see that at some other editions of the same newspaper, and even at some other columns of the same, it is correct and then we are made sure that this particular title is another movie. I don’t understand why we are like this, looking at the mistakes, being mislead, understanding that it was too silly a thing and then continuing to read the same newspapers – actually, we even watch the same news channels which we don’t like.

[Gets the tickets with some cheese popcorn].

✠ This was recently posted by me at Kiagia.com: http://kiagia.co/index.php/current-film-releases/1200-the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-2-movie-review

A science-fiction dystopian adventure book from the US author Suzanne Collins was made into a movie in 2012, with Jennifer Lawrence playing the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen. This movie adapted from the first book of The Hunger Games series was very successful. With The Hunger Games and its sequel Catching Fire becoming grand success at the box-office, the third book in the series, Mockingjay was divided into two movies. Here we have the second part of the two, and this movie finishes the franchise. There was one movie in the franchise releasing each year from 2012 onwards, and the last three movies of the franchise have all released in the latter half of November.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) continues to be the Mockingjay and the one grand symbol of revolution as the districts unite against President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland). The attack from a brainwashed Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) did affect her, but she is back there on the warzone with her speeches and charisma only to be shot by a loyalist from District Two. Even though Katniss wishes to kill President Snow herself, President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) asks her not to risk her life again, and advices her to remain as the inspiration and the symbol of their defiance. As she is someone who can motivate the crowd with her presence, she agrees to Coin’s idea.

But Katniss is not the one to keep away from her ultimate aim, as she sneaks into an aircraft leaving to join Commander Paylor (Patina Miller) who is planning a huge assault. There, she is told to be part of a squad lead by Boggs (Mahershala Ali) as they have to evade the booby traps or the pods on the streets which are left by game-makers of the Hunger Games. Thus the journey will be more of less like the seventy sixth Hunger Games. They will be joined by Peeta as they are to go through the streets facing the unexpected threats which await them. The Capitol and Snow will think that she is dead, not once but many times, but Mockingjay is not someone who is going to stay dead as the squad keep going towards the big destination.

The problems caused by breaking down one book into two like Harry Potter and Twilight can be seen. The fans will surely prefer this because they can watch more of their favourite franchise. More of Katniss Everdeen will be there for them to see. But as the last book is divided into two, this movie surely has been cursed with a certain amount of drag. This certainly wouldn’t have been there if Mockingjay was just one movie instead of two stretched movies. But there is one advantage that this movie does possess, and it is the ability to finish the franchise in the right way. The finish is all about that climax which has one shot from the bow of the protagonist that determines everything, even though there are some predictable sequences after that.

The second part of Mockingjay is surely ahead of its predecessor because of the quality of the material in the latter part of the book. If you have read the book already, you will feel that this movie is a good adaptation even with the stretched parts. There are some nice conversations to go with the interesting action sequences, even as there is nothing much here to compete with those which we have seen in the first two movies. There are some traces of what was seen in the games earlier, but there is no big combats shown here. The special effects are good, and the dystopian world will once again grab your attention. The weapons as well as the other gadgets will also catch your eyes.

The movie has its touching moments and thrills which are surely present. There is also some reflection of the real effects of war on the common man which is nothing more than destruction and chaos. The lives of the civilians and morality are two things which are used to one’s advantage as shown here. But the movie does end with hope, despite the deaths, and we know this factor as something which was too far away in the previous movies of the franchise. For those who are new to this franchise, they will find themselves in trouble as the movie goes directly into the story, but with some focus, a certain clue about the dystopian idea and some understanding on what this franchise is about, they can still go through this movie.

As it was in the case of the previous movies, Jennifer Lawrence still remains the biggest asset as the Mockingjay. It is a pleasure to watch her as Katniss Everdeen once again, as she does her job with no trouble at all. As expected, she has and handles those best moments of movie; there is one other point which comes with a sudden impact, related to mutant creatures in the sewers – that was a grand one too. Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth provide the needed support very well. Maybe, the movie could have finished better without using the epilogue from the book, even though that would be ignoring the faithful fans of the book. Here ends another movie based on another Young Adult Novel, and despite the flaws, it is a good finish to the franchise.

Release date: 27th November 2015 (India); 20th November 2015 (USA)
Running time: 137 minutes
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, Natalie Dormer, Willow Shields, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Gwendoline Christie, Stanley Tucci, Evan Ross, Donald Sutherland, Mahershala Ali, Patina Miller, Stef Dawson, Paula Malcomson, Meta Golding, Wes Chatham, Elden Henson, Michelle Forbes, Omid Abtahi, Misty Ormiston, Kim Ormiston