Category Archives: English

Salem’s Lot

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Vampire Owl: I remember this as America’s answer to Dracula.

Vampire Bat: Do you think that Uncle Dracula would ever want to visit the United States?

Vampire Owl: Some parts of the nation are suitable for him.

Vampire Bat: You are talking about New Orleans where he won’t be an alien.

Vampire Owl: Uncle Dracula would need more than just one town or city.

Vampire Bat: You think that he still wishes to spread the undead curse?

Vampire Owl: I have read that it was the dream of the vampire elders.

Vampire Bat: Well, the vampire elders, even for a vampire lifespan, were too old to be alive.

Vampire Owl: They were still in their senses, even though tortured by light.

Vampire Bat: They are only that much in their sense as Dr Frankenstein during a science exhibition.

[Gets an egg puffs and three cups of tea with boost].

What is the movie about? :: In the 1975, a strange man from Europe opens an antique store in the town of Jerusalem’s Lot and starts residing in the long-abandoned Marsten House, which has a history of murders. It is then that Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) has returned to this hometown after a very long time, this time as a writer. He falls in love with Susan Norton (Makenzie Leigh), who also wishes to leave the town one day. The place seems to be a peaceful little town where almost nothing happens, and there is almost nothing of interest. But the new entrant from Europe has a huge coffin in there, and something sinister seems to be lurking in the shadows of the night. There are boys who go missing, and as no clue is found, the locals begin to be suspicious about Ben who had only recently arrived and after which these missing cases started. The police is unable to find any clue about the particular missing.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After the disappearance of the boy named Ralph Glick (Cade Woodward), his brother Danny Glick (Nicholas Crovetti) is also attacked, and after spending some time in the hospital, the boy dies, and is soon buried. Mike Ryerson (Spencer Treat Clark), gravedigger who buried the boy is soon attacked by the undead version of him and gets sick. It is Matthew Burke (Bill Camp) who first notices and identifies the signs of vampirism in the gravedigger and is able to connect the same to recent disappearances, illnesses and corpses. But things are worse than he could imagine as this is not a case of a random vampire attacking a few people in the town. Kurt Barlow (Alexander Ward) is an ancient vampire whose origins go a long way back, and is a source of pure evil. He would stop at nothing as the intention is to turn the whole town into a vampire colony and spread the undead curse even further. Can anyone even come close to stopping him?

The defence of Salem’s Lot :: The movie takes us to the 1970s feeling, and we see that again, and most of us who were not alive during the time can only know them through movies – this one seems to show that nicely, and place the vampire curse right in between. Finding the vampires around would be more chilling at that time as it is displayed in the movie, because there is no friendly neighbourhood vampirism as it has been popularized now. The movie maintains that original essence, and has vampires as the true evil creatures of the night, all prepared for some nocturnal hunting of humans. The setting is really well-constructed and the world suits works with perfection. The vampire attacks are shown with all the required intensity and the fear elements get good dose as the movie demanded. With the old style vampires with the long-established weakness and fear generation, the nostalgia returns like it has wings.

The claws of flaw :: The movie struggles to rise from the tag of just another old-style vampire movie which offers nothing new, and do not even make the book feel better with its content. There is the feeling of lack of depth at times, and the movie struggles to maintain pace. The length of the movie does not seem to justify itself and we see a lot of lagging in between. The struggle feels real, but it should not have been the case with a film which has the base material set from a long time ago – the whole things should have been as safe as adapting Dracula and adding so many new things to it, and still having the vampire world to work like a dream. Some characters do not really develop and we do not feel for them, even when they are dead. The emotional strength feels to be lacking, and the establishment of pillars of the movie might have been the problem as they threaten to fall. The mystery could have been deeper and it is to be noted that the new world would never cease to be terrifying even without vampires, as there are already existing monsters.

The performers of the soul :: The cast nicely blends into the 1970s setting and their work and appearance give us the best feeling of the time period. The blending into that world and characters work like a dream. The journey is led well by Lewis Pullman, who plays the protagonist who comes across the least possible evil and has to react quick enough to survive. Bill Camp is solid in a role which could be this movie’s Van Helsing, even though he does not survive that long with the undead curse spreading faster than that of Dracula. Makenzie Leigh seems to be the one person best suitable for the age with the work, and the character holds on so well. Alfre Woodard also keeps the anti-vampire battle going on well. John Benjamin Hickey could have had even bigger role to play when we see how things have been going. And then, the master vampire works really well, reminding one of Nosferatu.

How it finishes :: Salem’s Lot could have improved on the content of the book, but here it seems like just trying to use the available content and do nothing much to add to the same. There were lots of opportunities to bring a classic touch or visualize better, but the same are not taken by the movie. But the horror arrives well, and we are ready to accept the same. After all, horror is the one true feeling that everyone experiences and believes in, unlike the movies with college romance which is more myth for people who do not experience them. As part of the one true genre of horror, the movie has managed well. We are not supposed to expect more than what meets the eye as a usual thing though. This journey is indeed in the right direction to bring more horror to the scene, and take us back to the original vampire world – not that of the blood-drinking entities that glitter and live in the house on the other side of the street.

Release date: 3rd October 2024
Running time: 113 minutes
Directed by: Gary Dauberman
Starring: Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, John Benjamin Hickey, Bill Camp, Jordan Preston Carter, Nicholas Crovetti, Spencer Treat Clark, William Sadler, Pilou Asbæk

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Neverland Nightmare

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Vampire Owl: Do you know this guy named Peter Pan?

Vampire Bat: Yes, he was chosen to be a vampire but was just not good enough.

Vampire Owl: So, he is a dropout from the vampire academy.

Vampire Bat: He never really tried. He just pretended.

Vampire Owl: I do not see why such characters need to be vampires.

Vampire Bat: There are more undeserving vampires in our realm.

Vampire Owl: Well, death is only the beginning of character detailing.

Vampire Bat: Yes, I have seen vampires developing characters different from their previous existence. They were never exactly the same.

Vampire Owl: Death hunts and separates characters, I see.

Vampire Bat: So does the purgatory as we know it.

[Gets a Milky Bar and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Peter Pan (Martin Portlock) who has been working at a fantasy-themed circus performing a mime for children, is seen abducting children, and even murdering their parents or friends who get in their way. After many years post the abductions by Peter, Mary Darling (Teresa Banham) is a single mother who lives with her children Wendy Darling (Megan Placito), John Darling (Campbell Wallace) and Michael Darling (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) who are all going through a complex family situation. On Michael’s birthday, Wendy promises to pick him up from school and go to a cafe, but gets distracted while talking to her boyfriend who visits her after a long time, and does not notice that Michael leaves home on his bicycle. As he has to go through a road with woods on both sides, he is chased by Peter in a van, and after causing an accident, abducts the boy and takes him to his lair. Wendy feels that the boy is still in the school, and keeps searching for him, but meets with no clues.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The search gets more frantic with a phone call as Peter calls and informs them that he will take Michael to a place known as “Neverland” which will serve children the best. The next day, Peter attacks and slaughters a school bus full of children including the adults who accompanied them. Wendy’s best friend Tiger Lily (Olumide Olorunfemi) offers her help and asks her to stay with them, but Peter also attacks the house looking for another school kid, who is taken captive. A transwoman with the name Tinker Bell (Kit Green) who is convinced that the children Peter kills are actually going to the fictional land of Neverland is revealed to be Peter’s partner in crime. Wendy who follows Peter to his hideout finds a locked James Hook (Charity Kase) who has a hook instead of one of his hands. Now, Wendy finds herself in trouble, as things seem to go out of hand, and Peter Pan is more than just a common human being.

The defence of Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare :: The dark twists never cease to keep us interested, as the world reminds of the terrifying reality that could hide behind every text, especially when they seem sweet and suitable for kids – the children who grow with inherent evil would still take it to hearts and then there is the pure evil which is unleashed as an adult. The change to Neverland into a nightmare world with dead children, corrupted fairies and horror-styled locations possibly housing a psycho killer makes this that kind of a situation where the original tales would stay away from. The slasher elements work strongly here, more than the usual scares, as this is that gory affairs which brings fear in another way. The new wave of horror films based on the public-domain characters which followed, would have a lot more as it seems here, and the sequel would also unleash unmatched terror if things are to go as we expect. The evil here feels very much of a pure dark side, and that works.

The claws of flaw :: There is a certain amount of weakness that the movie brings on itself, as there seems to be a lag even in a short movie like this one. Some of the trouble might be because of the lower budget as CGI never really goes for the extra. The usual elements of the classic slasher horror also go missing, as this one is rather too much on the safe side – trying to be too safe and by listening to everyone, the essence of a work is often lost, and that might be what is reflected here. The movie keeps focusing on the kills, but never really tries to make the same interesting, and even the biggest moment of the movie that includes a bus kill does not have the strength even when it is talked about, leaving it to the side as if the deaths are not shocking or even worth talking about. As there are so many things unexplained, the sequel is needed immediately, or there will be that emptiness that haunts the movie here. The characters are also lost in the gore at times. Then there is the predictability which very much there.

The performers of the soul :: Megan Placito comes up with an admirable scream queen and slasher expert performance, even though that kind of a classic horror feeling is not really there – she does not get that many opportunities to go diverse, but manages what is with her with ease. She should make it to more horror movies, and not just slasher, but also action horror. There is also an emotional side to her performance which we will note. Martin Portlock’s antagonist is strong, but required more explanations and better layered character, as we do not really get into the soul of the same. He surely seems to have the main requirement filled, but one would have to wonder if that was all that was needed. Peter DeSouza-Feighoney playing the child does his job well and Hardy Yusuf who plays the other relevant kids is okay too. Kit Green manages the avatar well too. Olumide Olorunfemi and Campbell Wallace should have been around for a longer time and should have contributed more to the situation, but just manages with what they have here.

How it finishes :: Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is that kind of movie which could have done better, but instead just goes through what seems to be a normal routine. When turning childhood memories to nightmares, other movies of the same kind scored rather better without doubt. This one, despite having such a terrifying idea, struggles for some reason. It never reaches its potential, as limitations seems to be randomly created here. If you have watched Bambi: The Reckoning, you will know that the chance for going full horror was surely there. Maybe the sequel could bring much more, as there is more that could be revealed with a terrifying touch. Still, the horror stays strong enough, and as children have that inherent evil in them, they have lived through these characters who have also grown up to present the same evil to the society. These stories turned horror feels like that Lord of the Flies kind of treatment given by children on islands without civilization to control them – these will surely bring more evil as there is no world that cannot descend into chaos as long as children are in control; Willia Golding knew the same.

Release date: 24th February 2025
Running time: 89 minutes
Directed by: Scott Chambers
Starring: Megan Placito, Martin Portlock, Kit Green, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Teresa Banham, Olumide Olorunfem,i Campbell Wallace, Nicholas Woodeson

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Jurassic World Rebirth

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Vampire Owl: Are we going to see the dinosaurs again?

Vampire Bat: Yes, and they continue to remind us of dragons.

Vampire Owl: Do you feel that dragons really existed in the realm?

Vampire Bat: Yes, they could be summoned by the witches if they are powerful enough.

Vampire Owl: So, dragons originally became extinct like the dinosaurs?

Vampire Bat: The legends do not exactly mention dragons ceasing to exist.

Vampire Owl: So, have you ever seen one and inspire a Dragon Park like the Jurassic one?

Vampire Bat: You know that creatures of magic always coexist without you seeing them, right?

Vampire Owl: If they come back at some point, I would call it necromancy.

Vampire Bat: It would be just simple magic as they are not really gone forever.

[Gets a Bourbon biscuit and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: It is seen that in a dinosaur genetics laboratory located on Ile Saint-Hubert, an island in the Atlantic Ocean, a six-limbed Tyrannosaurus called Distortus rex escapes the secure containment due to the careless dealings of an employee. It kills the same employee and forces all the active scientific and military personnel to abandon the island. But many years later, there is a plan to return to area around this island. As the Earth’s climate seems to be inappropriate for the dinosaurs, most of them are restricted to equatorial areas which got climate which suits them and resembles more of the pre-historic age. These areas become exclusion zones for the creatures where humans do not go, and are also restricted by laws. Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), an executive at a pharmaceutical company plans a classified mission to collect some biomaterial samples from three huge dinosaurs, which would help in a cardiovascular disease treatment as heart diseases have been on the increase among humans with a lot of deaths occurring at young ages, and people have been willing to pay a lot for the same.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: On his mission, he recruits Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), a former government agent who is in need for some quick money and a paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) who feels that his job is lost due to nobody caring about the ancient species with dinosaurs rarely attractions any more. Zora recruits an old friend and assassin Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), maritime pilot LeClerc (Bechir Sylvain), skilled mercenary Nina (Philippine Velge) and security expert Bobby Atwater (Ed Skrein) as the mission would take a lot of effort in a dangerous environment. While they are traveling through the seas, another boat is journeying far into the ocean, as Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is sailing nearby together with his daughters Teresa Garcia-Rulfo (Luna Blaise) and Isabella Garcia-Rulfo (Audrina Miranda), along with Teresa’s boyfriend, Xavier Dobbs (David Iacono). When a Mosasaurus attacks and overturns their sailboat, they are found by the team, but are further attacked by a group of dinosaurs teaming up as one, leading the boat to crash. Now, can they make it out alive with or without samples?

The defence of Jurassic World Rebirth :: The movie, with the strength of nostalgia, transports us to a world that we would remember for what we see around, with memories nicely coming back to us from years ago. The world detail and the dinosaurs created here are very good as usual. The island is something that will stay with us for a long time, and the jungle environment provides us some nice vibes, not that away from the natural, but providing a feeling of something beyond the usual. This is that kind of a movie which is standalone, but us connected really well to the rest of the universe. The movie also manages to have one of the best crow-pullers at the top as the main character and there is also some extra sense of danger added with a family with a kid also in trouble and a little dinosaur also around. The danger and action are also not overdone, and the battles here are more realistic than ever, even in a fictional world full of strange creatures. The ending is also satisfactory, and brings together what happened in the very beginning of the movie. There is also that scope for a fine sequel created around here.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does seem to repeat a pattern with which we are a lot familiar, and it is more or less like seeing something we have watched some time ago, but with divergences here and there, yet staying close to the core. Even after so many years, it does not add anything extraordinary or special post the first flick. This is why a comparison would only serve the purpose of hype and better initial collections rather than let people see the improvement. A follow-up to the initial moments of the movie would have also been great, as it was too good. The action does feel to be a little less and walking and talking seems to be a little more than needed, which makes this movie a little big longer than one would expect. The characters are also not that much interesting, and there is not much of a detail provided about them to keep us invested in them. The family feels that just an unnecessary addition, especially as it has that kid to raise the tension, and it has that unruly daughter and strange choice of a boyfriend, the kind that has been on the reels in Kerala for quite a long time.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led by Scarlett Johansson, and makes one wonder if there was any other film in the franchise which would have more hype for the leading actress than anything related to its content. As the one person who has played Black Widow and has been there for so many Avengers movies, and even in the films with other superheroes, she gets into this role with ease in a mercenary mode. Jonathan Bailey also comes up with a fine display of that character who feels less important due to the society ignoring its past, but fights to save his world against all odds. Luna Blaise manages the irritating daughter who has fallen in dumb love well, and remains a symbol of disobedient children. David Iacono provides some humour as the useless boyfriend, while the child actor Audrina Miranda shines as the little girl with brain and empathy. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s father role works very well and often feels for him for having ungrateful teenage daughter around. Rupert Friend scores well as the only fully negative human being of the movie, and becomes the symbol of a corporate world of medicine which serves the most elite of society. Philippine Velge getting killed too early was disappointing, and we hope to see her in an action flick staying for longer periods of time.

How it finishes :: We have all been loving a lot of Jurassic Park movies in the recent past, and it is that love which we have had from childhood itself, as nostalgia lives on in relation to such creatures, even more than what Godzilla, dragons and wyverns have provided us – they have left us with enough for a life-time. The idea of the Jurassic Park coming right of a novel, had created something we were not going to forget, and so much was to come with the same on the screen with what felt like unlimited sequels. With this nostalgia running through, supported by improved classic visuals and an environment of unlimited danger that exists, this one makes the mission really interesting, thus remaining entertaining throughout the run. Transporting oneself to a world of dinosaurs will never get old, even though we do change from children of that first movie to adults watching this one. Well, this one is a little bit too derivative and repetitive, and thus if one feels that there has been too much of dinosaurs around here, one would not be complaining, but otherwise, this one nicely keeps the spark alive for the creatures from that far back in time.

Release date: 2nd July 2025
Running time: 133 minutes
Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ed Skrein, David Iacono, Luna Blaise, Audrina Miranda, Philippine Velge, Bechir Sylvain

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Bambi

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Vampire Owl: I feel that I know this particular animal.

Vampire Bat: Well, there is no vampire deer around here.

Vampire Owl: There are no new vampire appointments?

Vampire Bat: There has not been a vampire transformation in a long time.

Vampire Owl: But Dr. Frankenstein was transformed into a vampire.

Vampire Bat: He is not a vampire. Mr. Frankenstein just has some really bad teeth.

Vampire Owl: Well, he is known as the first vampire scientist in the media.

Vampire Bat: The media is just exaggerating things. They even talked about the hunt.

Vampire Owl: There was the great monster hunt which spread further.

Vampire Bat: It was not really a hunt. It was just a random experiment.

[Gets an uzhunnu vada and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: A young deer is shown as losing his family members, to poachers, to vehicles carelessly driven through forest roads and finds the rivers contaminated with radioactive waste. Drinking this contaminated waste transforms the deer into something else, a mutated creature known as Bambi. It drives him into vengeance, as he, as part of the forest, decides to take back the world which used to belong to them, and finish off whatever humans he finds on the way. Greatly increased in size and stronger than ever, the mutated version of him is something which would now stop at no force, seemingly becoming the apex predator which would not hesitate to kill at will. A big truck carrying toxic waste from a local radiation company known as Wibexr Pharmaceuticals would be a special target. At the same time, there are also other creatures of the forest, mostly herbivores, but have turned carnivores due to the same effect of the contamination. There might not be any innocence left in the forest yet.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: A few days after the contamination, a mother Xana (Roxanne McKee) and her son Benji (Tom Mulheron) take a taxi to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with Xana’s husband Simon (Alex Cooke) with whom she might get separated soon – and his family is also there including his dementia-stricken mother Mary (Nicola Wright), his brothers Andrew (Russell Geoffrey Banks) and Joshua (Luke Cavendish), Andrew’s wife Harriet (Samira Mighty), and their son Harrison (Joseph Greenwood). As Simon promises to arrive before dinner and celebrate with the family, the family stays waiting. On the way, Bambi attacks the taxi and brutally kills the driver while Xana and Benji manages to get out of the vehicle and somehow reaches the family house. The residents of the house do not believe in the story of a giant deer attacking, and feels that there is something else at work, but decides to be careful. Maty also seems to know the name of the deer and there are drawings of the creature in the house.

And what more would happen here as the world seems to be scariest with a contamination within a forest? :: Soon, Bambi reaches the place and attacks the house and kills Harriet splitting her into two with her reinforced antlers, forcing the family to flee in a caravan, losing the creature for some time. They drive into the forest only to find the road blocked and thus an unexpected dead end. Andrew tries to remove it, but Benji who panics upon seeing Bambi on the rear-view mirror drives off with him, Xana and Mary inside and Andrew is accidentally dragged behind them and dies on the road. Harrison who is left behind gets caught in a trap for animals and are brutally killed by a group of mutated rabbits. The group of Benji, Xana and Mary come up against Michael (Adrian Relph), a co-worker of Simon. Soon, they come across some truths which would be better if remained hidden, but then there is that mutated deer with some other ideas. Can the family and friends at least survive this night?

The defence of Bambi: The Reckoning :: The movie strikes well with its fear induced out of the cuteness of nostalgia, with such an inversion which goes so well with the situation that nature faces in front of human induced disasters. As this one flips into a horror revenge deer turned monster, the mood is so well-arranged and the environment is so much perfect. The Twisted Childhood Universe of horror taking on beloved characters gives it an appeal that we do not forget with ease. The monster deer created out of radioactive waste is designed very well and some inventive kills and gore also looks interesting. The haunting feels good and the presence of that kind of danger which seems to be present everywhere leaves the options of running, and there is the effective survival mode. The deer scares us like a rabid dog, as the looks shift to the face of a dog with antlers and the body of a horse, as this mutation never ceases to be scary. The dark mood is always present throughout the movie and there is also the talk about the need to save nature or it will hit back as forest would find a way for revenge.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have spready the horror further with moments which would be remembered for the variety of terror as a classic slasher, but that much is not there. The elements of the classic slasher are less explored here as there seems to be some confusion about how the induced evil on cuteness should progress. The character development is rather less, and the humans feel like just provided here to be prey with the scope to save only the expected characters by the end because the movie just wants to keep playing safe. The low budget effect also shows at times, and seems to limit the movie from getting to the next level, especially with a seemingly unstoppable creature on the hunt. The darkness in the movie seems to be created more to hide what could be a terrifying thing beyond all imaginations if provided with the best budget. It is sometimes too much away from the usual serious horror and the reminder of the childhood tale does not strike everyone that well as we look at it. This is not that much of a classical childhood thing for people around here as much as some of the others.

How it finishes :: Bambi: The Reckoning gets a cute little creature grow up to become a demonic mutant monster that would change many childhood stories. The original Bambi of Disney would not get that treatment here, and the direct inverted cuteness is something that will stay with the viewers who would also have a related childhood nostalgia going the other way. This is the movie which comes as an unexpected interesting entry. It becomes the reminder that the sweetest could be the evillest, and as William Golding’s Lord of the Flies had told us, there is always that evil in the cuteness which is always ready to come out. We can now have the feeling that this evil is actually right out of the inherent evil of children that was delivered against Piggy and Simon in that novel and its multiple film adaptations. After all, the movie reminds us that evil is real, and the horror is the ultimate reality. You will surely get the entertainment and a special nostalgic feeling out of this one in Amazon Prime Video, but if you expect more substance or a polished horror experience, you might need more.

Release date: 25th July 2025
Running time: 81 minutes
Directed by: Dan Allen
Starring: Roxanne McKee, Tom Mulheron, Nicola Wright, Samira Mighty, Alex Cooke, Russell Geoffrey Banks, Joseph Greenwood

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Killer of Killers

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Vampire Owl: So, we are going to have more of predators now.

Vampire Bat: We have always wanted many more of predators.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that we are not predators enough?

Vampire Bat: We stopped hunting quite some time ago.

Vampire Owl: The hunters do not change the basic nature.

Vampire Bat: Yes, but the hunters can surely evolve.

Vampire Owl: Vampires are not a scientific species, right?

Vampire Bat: Yes, according to science we are just humans who are not alive.

Vampire Owl: So, you still think that we evolve.

Vampire Bat: Well, this is not really evolution in the scientific viewpoint.

[Gets a chilli paneer dosa and three cups of Yercaud tea].

What is the movie about? :: Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy) is a nineth century Scandinavian Viking huntress who seeks vengeance on a warlord Zoran (Andrew Morgado) who killed her father, and her son Anders (Damien Haas) is also with her on this quest which would be one which could have her mind to finally rest. After years of search and a final discovery of the wretched people, she manages to slaughter Zoran’s clan, and find him in his heavily guarded fortress which they successfully breach without much difficulty. Unable to recognize Ursa from a long-lost past, Zoran mocks her for her father’s death and her incapability to defend her father or avenge him for this long a time period, before an angry Anders beheads him and ends that speech forever. But right after the battle, a Predator ambushes the group, killing Ursa’s experienced fighters one by one and also seriously injures Anders. Ursa manages to kill the Predator by using the floating ice and almost frozen water underneath after a fight underwater, but finds Anders dying in her arms. Soon, she is taken to a space ship by the predators.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Later in the seventeenth century Japan, Kenji Kawakami (Louis Ozawa Changchien) had to fight with his brother to become the next samurai warlord, and his hesitation to battle his brother leads to him being quickly defeated with a scar on his face. He leaves the castle, only to come back many years later, and after fighting his brother’s guards and defeating him, thus getting back to him, only to be attacked by a Predator who is looking for the strongest warrior to defeat and collect as trophy. Predator gets through the remaining guards of the castle and faces Kenji, who manages to defeat the creature with the help of his brother who dies of his wounds, while he himself is also injured. Kenji is then immediately transported to a space ship of the predators, and is imprisoned there with Ursa who continues to grieve for his son and hopes for a death in battlefield so that she can go to Valhalla where others will not be accepted.

And what more is to follow here as the predators keep hunting in different worlds during various time periods? :: In 1942, John J Torres who has always wished to a fighter pilot is finally drafted into the United States Navy under the command of Captain Vandenburg (Michael Biehn). Their squadron tries to investigate a mysterious aircraft that destroyed another unit, which they suspect to be a special advanced airplane built by the Germans whose military technology has always fascinated the rest of the world. Understanding that the object they managed to find in the plane is not German or of this world, John tries to warn others, taking charge of an old airplane which, he was trying to get ready to be part of the squadron. The Predator annihilates his squadron with relative ease until only John and the captain remained. Vandenburg sacrifices himself using the heat of the engine to buy more time for John, as the Predator destroys his plane with his weapons. John manages to outsmart the Predator in a well-planned movement with the flight, as the creature ends up destroying his own space ship. But John finds himself taken away later, and it is to be seen what the Predators intend to do with him and other captives.

The defence of Predator: Killer of Killers :: This movie gets into the Predator franchise incredibly well, as the animation is too good, producing some of the finest visuals on the screen. The historical worlds of different time periods at different locations keep us interested, as the essence of those situations is nicely taken. The expansion of the lore is to be appreciated. The idea of becoming the grand killer of killers do get our attention and has us interested. The movie is not that long, and as it is divided into fragments, the whole situation only keeps getting more interesting. The animated power is shown here like Justice League, Justice Society, Batman and others had shown already, but the quality of animation that we see here is even ahead. There is a lot of style around here, and the violence is also very much stylized. There are some fine additions which could be here due to the animated existence, and a base could be established in this way better than the usual methods. The final battle is indeed a joy to watch as things come together, and the world of Predators is nothing less than a classic alien planet.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not get to elevate Predator as a creature, and never does it focus on the characterization of the most valuable alien that we will ever know that has a humanoid form. We remember that the usual movies of the franchise have some classic hunters who are remembered for long, but not this time. As there is some anthology method followed here, one might feel that the connection is sometimes lost. The extreme violence might not be accepted by everyone, as this kind of movie is also supposed to cater to a much younger audience. Many fans of the franchise might have wanted to have a live-action universe which captures the essence of the hunting with real people. This world might have looked so well if it was in live-action, and that feeling also keeps coming back to us. The linking together of the character might not appeal that well, and the reason for choosing fighters and all these endless fights – all need to serve some better purpose. Some part of the movie just seems to be forced.

How it finishes :: This is one franchise that might never get old, as it has been a classic from that first Arnold movie to now, as we do have one of our favourite aliens of all-time, still living on, sand continuing to do well against all odds, as much as Alien series which had Prometheus, Romulus and Covenant bringing that universe back in power. The time, the aliens are part of different timelines, and connected to the history of the world. The worlds of Vikings, Samurais and World War Pilots get introduced to us beautifully, and this elevates the movie really well, as there is action, thrills and more than the usual in store. With some good animation, there is no stopping the movie, and this is really well-placed in the world of hunters. We can be sure that there can be a lot more to come in this particular franchise which impressed me even more than the Terminator series which has always been the more talked-about one. Nowadays, this type of movies releases less around here, but let us hope for the hunt to get more screens here when the next one comes.

Release date: 6th June 2025
Running time: 90 minutes
Directed by: Dan Trachtenberg
Starring: Lindsay LaVanchy Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez, Michael Biehn, Doug Cockle, Damien Haas, Lauren Holt, Jeff Leach, Piotr Michael, Andrew Morgado, Alessa Luz Martinez, Felix Solis, Britton Watkins

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Fantastic Four

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Vampire Owl: We should have been the fantastic two.

Vampire Bat: So, you do not wish to include Vampire Penguin and Vampire Panda to make it four.

Vampire Owl: This would be more than enough. Anyone else would make Vampire Alligator and Vampire Crocodile too angry.

Vampire Bat: You can still have a fantastic four plus two.

Vampire Owl: Why would I wish to make too many people become fantastic?

Vampire Bat: Maybe we can develop a team good enough to fight zombies all by ourselves.

Vampire Owl: To fight such mindless creatures, random vampire troops will be enough.

Vampire Bat: We do not have a standing military force anymore.

Vampire Owl: We, the vampires are always military civilians.

Vampire Bat: We are no longer the hunters that we used to be.

[Gets a tea cake and three cups of Valparai tea].

What is the movie about? :: Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) with the ability to extend his body to any lengths, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) who can be invisible and also generate force fields, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) with superhuman strength and durability, and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) who can control fire and fly, together makes the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four that keeps their Earth safe from evil that tries to keep unleashing on the common people. After after they gained superhuman abilities from exposure to cosmic rays during a space mission as astronauts, they have been appreciated and celebrated by media. The team became celebrities like no other, with on other heroes to rely on on that Earth. Reed’s inventions have improved technology while Sue’s diplomacy has brought peace for most of the world. When Reed and Sue reveal that they are expecting a child, thing could not be any better, with their world even thinking about a kid with superpowers, making it a Fantastic Five team instead of the usual four.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: One day, they witness meteors in the sky, and along with then, a humanoid alien called Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) descends on a surf board. She tells them that Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a gigantic cosmic creature has chosen to consume their planet and that all life on Earth shall perish without leaving any sign of previous existence. He is someone who predates the universe as everyone knows it, existing like a cosmic vampire as well as an unstoppable godlike power lasting for billions of years, feeding on planets. Silver Surfer has been providing Galactus assistance in his objectives in exchange for him sparing her planet. She has been traveling through space on a surfboard in search of the right planets for Galactus to feed on. The team decides to go to space to stop Galactus from coming to Earth and destroying it. They do not feel that this is something they cannot handle, as negotiation was also an option along with fighting just two superpowered aliens.

And what more in to follow as a planet faces total annihilation? :: They track the Silver Surfer’s energy signature and reach a planet which is quickly destroyed by Galactus, only to escape for the devastation at the last moment. The team is found by the Silver Surfer and brought to Galactus, who tells them that it is his need to feed on planets to hunger that has been going on for billions of years. Galactus senses that Reed and Sue’s unborn child has an immense cosmic power and could take on his place, thus freeing him from hunger. He offers to spare their planet in exchange for the child, but the team refuses and escapes to the spaceship. The team, with a tough effort, manages to delay Silver Surfer who was chasing them, and reaches Earth with Sue giving birth during the journey in space. As Reed reveals the details of their encounter with Galactus during a press conference, their decision to save one child over billions of humans on Earth leads to negative opinions on them. People call for the sacrifice of the child, as saving them is what superheroes should do, and one life should not be valuable than billions of lives. As time keeps running out, what can Fantastic Four finally figure out to save both the world and the newborn child?

The defence of The Fantastic Four: First Steps :: The movie has an interesting cast that begins well, except for the emotional lag, as they get into action nicely. The visuals are nothing less than stunning with focus not only on what happens on Earth, with other areas also getting some nice detail. Galactus, his spaceship and Silver Surfer, all look really good. There seems to be a lot of effort to make the whole thing close to comics as well as suitable for the real world in live-action. There are some stunning action scenes which keep the viewers thrilled as danger is that huge with almost no hope left for Earth, as even superheroes just hope and believe rather than go for anything with full confidence. Back on Earth, the retro-style futuristic world is something that will keep us interesting, and the nice use of colours do not cease to amaze us, as a new Earth is brought to us. The fact that origin story is skipped gives us some more time to work with the world, as we do know how these particular superheroes came into being, and the small reminder added in the beginning helps the new viewers too. It is to be noted that any connection made to the superheroes of the other universes is going to make the whole thing so huge.

The claws of flaw :: None of the new cast matches the team of Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis, with Jessica being the one true Invisible Woman as we know them – the new cast still got a long way to establish themselves in their newfound roles. That movie was just classic nostalgia material which could not be matched by that one reboot which came next either. Compared to that which had lots of fun, this movie becomes an emotional absurdity at times, especially related to a kid who is valued more than a billion lives. Even the antagonist’s helper seems to know this and values human lives, as she herself has gone through personal sacrifices to save others. This over-emotional side seems to curse the movie more than anything else, as the cheap melodrama often gets into our heads. The final battle also feels like the four members of the team having too much power against such a godlike cosmic undefeated creature, especially the character of Sue, which feels overdone in not just emotions, but also with the powers and meaningless anger. The characterization and story struggle often shows up as if it needed to be there.

How it finishes :: The superhero team in a fresh universe with a retro-futuristic 1960s model provides this particular movie with a new style, as this one also seems to get the critical appreciation on its favour, even though I would always love the Jessica Alba starrer above others for its simplicity with a classic tale without messing it up with too many misdirected emotions – the reboot never came close after that. There is some bigger action here and real danger, even though the attempts at solving problems seem to be misdirected, and emotional get the weaker side of superhero despite movie trying to make some characters feel too strong. Yet, the team of cast seems to work well as one, and the beauty of the visuals cannot be easily matched, whether on Earth or outside. For a fan of the Fantastic Four series, this version is surely more ambitious, and might mean more when connected with the universe with a sequel or as part of other Marvel movies. As we remember seeing a Fantastic Four spaceship in Thunderbolts, we know that something grand is yet to be seen and Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers: Endgame might not be the biggest Avengers movie on Earth.

Release date: 25th July 2025
Running time: 114 minutes
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Ralph Ineson

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

M3GAN 2.0

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Vampire Owl: So, we are now looking at advanced AI dolls.

Vampire Bat: Vampires do not need artificial intelligence at all.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein has been trying to bring AI to vampire world.

Vampire Bat: Well, we are going without science, for we have magic here.

Vampire Owl: The advertisements for AI seem to suggest otherwise.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein will keep adding absurd things to the same.

Vampire Owl: He is the realm’s most popular doctor and scientist.

Vampire Bat: He is the biggest pseudo-doctor and pseudo-scientist.

Vampire Owl: Nobody else has ever created a human being through science.

Vampire Bat: It was the raising of the dead. We have risen, and so have the zombies along with all those skeletons brought to life by necromancers and dark witches.

[Gets a parippu vada and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: At a time when people are protesting about the unregulated use of Artificial Intelligence in a world having machines exercising too much control, AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) aka Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics & Infiltration Android) is the latest robot created from M3GAN’s original design, and is declared safe for operations as a military unit. It is set to be used for high profile missions of the government including well-targeted assassination of enemies of the state. Confident about this achievement, the United States Army colonel Sattler (Timm Sharp), head of a top-secret branch of the Pentagon, arranges a demonstration. But during her mission, AMELIA reveals to Sattler that she is self-aware and manages to escape from his control. At the same time, Gemma (Allison Williams) who had created M3GAN (Amie Donald) has now become an author. She had changed her views after an artificially intelligent doll who had developed an advanced level of self-awareness and became overprotective to her human companion, leading to the need to deactivate her as part of an unexpected turn of events.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Gemma has been warning people against the dependence on technology, starting from children using smartphones, comparing it to drug addiction or sometimes saying that both are the same. She inspires an AI regulation bill and even makes some parents take away mobile phones from their children. Sharing the same ideas leads her to have a partnership with cybersecurity expert Christian (Aristotle Athari), and along with him, she goes on working with an experimental robotic exoskeleton with former workmates Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps). She still lives with her niece Cady (Violet McGraw), who is very interested in computer science despite Gemma wishing that she would do something not involving much technology, like playing soccer. Gemma turns down an offer from corrupted billionaire Alton Appleton (Jemaine Clement) to work for him, but soon has FBI after her, and maybe even AMELIA who has been killing those who were responsible for creating her. This might be bigger than she thinks.

The defence of M3GAN 2.0 :: As the second movie of the series, this one gets more into action and tries to be more entertaining than the previous as far as the common audience is concerned. The action sequences are really good, and they are also never overdone even when there is a chance to go down to the ridiculous. There is also the possible end-of-the-world situation which makes the whole thing even more interesting. The emotional connection works really well, and the final sequences are really good, with a classic ending. There are so many emotional moments, and focus is also there on self-sacrifice and understanding of the other. The CGI has been nicely worked out, and some fine locations have been created, both within and also outside. Then there is the humour that comes out of nowhere and scores so well. The contemporary concerns about Artificial Intelligence, negative effects of science, technology misuse and corporate power all get a chance to be present here. The talk about the mobile misuse among children is relevant to the core, and the idea of bad parenting is relevant for all times.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have developed further on the premise. The deviation from the original film with the style might not impress the fans of that particular film. The feeling that movie has chosen action instead of the creepy horror elements might not be satisfying to everyone. But the fact that it has deviated without missing its core or messing up things is to be remembered here. There is the feeling that Ivanna Sakhno was not given that focus which she deserved, as she is that android that needed a terminator-ish introduction. This is one android that has raised the stakes even above the original. The movie does have some doubt if it is to support or be against Artificial Intelligence, and seems to end up with a safe mode. One might feel that there could have been some nice scares with the available elements, and there could have also been so much more to talk about related to the themes. The beginning stages of the movie had also taken a little bit too much time to get going. When it starts to get going, it goes strong.

The performers of the soul :: Allison Williams leads the list of performers and manages to be the one who makes the difference. She shines as the aunty who wishes to be the mother to her niece as much as the scientist that we have already seen. Amie Donald’s android continues to impress us, and there seems to be always more to the technology than what meets the eye. Ivanna Sakhno’s android is also lovely, but does not get enough like the lady terminator of the third instalment of that “machine from future” managed. She could have had more to do, and more classic action, but gets limited – there is no Ex Machina-kind of crisis and classic moments added here either. Violet McGraw as Cady also adds more in this journey which has shifted to science fiction action. She would do even better with an extension of this world with another sequel in collaboration with the AI characters. Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps support well and even adds some humour around here. Aristotle Athari and Jemaine Clement have something extra to add, while Timm Sharp does well when he is around.

How it finishes :: The movie gets much more into action science fiction compared to the earlier film, as the idea itself had suggested, and therefore would appeal more to the usual audience. Those who enjoyed the first movie would continue to love the franchise with this one too. Moving from horror-thriller to action-thriller, this one also works, particularly in its own way. It becomes a classic holiday blockbuster with a twist, as the thrills often come out of nowhere and some suspense also comes all of a sudden. In the end, you will ask yourself about the role of technology in your life and how Artificial Intelligence would affect your life. Next time, when you are going through some Artificial Intelligence, you will wonder about this particular flick. This movie could inspire more of similar works, as Artificial Intelligence always require our attention, and a future with a robotic influence is not that far away. Let us have more of similar robots that will catch our attention related to the idea and expanding them.

Release date: 27th June 2025
Running time: 120 minutes
Directed by: Gerard Johnstone
Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ivanna Sakhno, Jemaine Clement, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Thunderbolts

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Vampire Owl: Are they talking about the God of Thunder?

Vampire Bat: The Marvel original heroes are done for now.

Vampire Owl: What about the DC heroes? They have godly people too.

Vampire Bat: Well, they have already destroyed Man of Steel.

Vampire Owl: Yes, I have heard that they brought dogs instead of cats to be super.

Vampire Bat: I believe that they always had dogs, like we have wolves.

Vampire Owl: We still have more cats, bats and rats.

Vampire Bat: Yes, after most of the wolves aligned with werewolves and took some dogs from the human world to assist them too.

Vampire Owl: But we still ended up winning, didn’t we?

Vampire Bat: Well, you know that everyone is afraid of big bats and black cats.

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

What is the movie about? :: Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) worked for a long time in Malaysia and finally destroys a laboratory for CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who has been on a run to destroy any evidence of her involvement with a superhuman project known as Sentry. As Valentina faces impeachment for her work with OXE Group with the Sentry project, she plans to erase all evidence by putting all her agents in one place against each other, as Yelena finds Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko), Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) with weapons and bullets flying all around. Antonia gets shot dead by Ava, while a young man called Bob (Lewis Pullman) is released from a suspended animation pod, only to remember nothing about what has been happening with him. As they are locked in the room, they realize that they are going to be incinerated according to the plans of Valentina who wishes to erase her past and all who were part of it, thus saving her from impeachment.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The contact with Bob brings the worst memories of Yelena and John back to them, and she also takes the gunfire to help the others escape, only to display his superpowers, as he seems invincible, but losses consciousness, and is captured by Valentina, who understands that he was the only survivor and positive result of her project. With the help of her assistant Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan), she intends to use Bob as her success story from the Sentry project. Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) arrives to save the team led by Elena, only to be captured by Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) who became the Winter Soldier again long after being elected as a member of the United States House of Representatives. But they soon realize that they need the team of Black Widow, Captain America, Winter Soldier, Ghost and Red Guardian to save the day against the evil plans of Valentina who would unleash the Sentry that she cannot control. Mel who has her doubts decide to help them, but they might be too late to become the New Avengers.

The defence of Thunderbolts :: Here is the one movie with big battles without magic that comes after the golden age of Marvel seems to have ended and sent us to some depression. Florence Pugh remains the heart and soul of this movie as she lives in the character like nobody ever did in the universe with the emotional side. As she joins the forces with so many others forming a team, we are reminded of Avengers assembling as much as a Justice League forming. But this team is a lot more interesting than the rest as it is one team that we least expect to be together and they are also fighting a villain who is so much stronger, unlike the underdeveloped superheroes who are too strong to like the much disliked and boring character of Captain Marvel. But our heroes here are all having their troubles and the movie is about the changes that they undergo, shown in a beautiful way. The dynamic characters run through the movie really well here. Psychological trauma, redemption, mental health and flawed characters keeps the world running in a different way, and the way in which emotions and humour blend so well in here needs some appreciation.

Positives and negatives :: Thunderbolts misses a main character Taskmaster played by Olga Kurylenko, which should have been the second most important character here, considering her skills and the immense possibilities in battle. Even though there are some big fights here, there is no moving towards that ultimate terror and colossal destruction, and the movie’s plan to keep close to the mind and heart is worth some appreciation too. Still, those massive multiversal crises, deeply complex plot twists and so many connections from past will not make way here – but the movie rises above the same with its simple and classic journey. The recent entries might not stand a chance to get even close to the quality of this one. It is indeed more of an experience than the usual superhero movie, and we can feel that there is always something to be done in the universe, and running out of ideas might not be the right thing to do. Well, we do have a lot more to come, and with DC coming up with change, let us see how things would come together.

The performers of the soul :: Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova steals the show, not just with the action, but also with emotional moments. The dialogue in the last moments to the father figure about being alone and being reminded of the terrible things she had done through thoughts that keep coming back to her – it might be the greatest emotional dialogue delivered in any Marvel movie. We also see Violet McGraw doing the younger role nicely. Lewis Pullman’s Bob brings multiple sides of a personality really well, and keeps reminding us that with great power, comes responsibility and terror from different sides. The disappointing moment of the movie would still be the early death of Olga Kurylenko’s character, and it pulls the movie back for some moments, and takes some time for it to get better – we know how capable she is with action movies, and we have to hope for the character to make a return. Geraldine Viswanathan makes a fine impression in between, while David Harbour brings so much humour. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a strong antagonist while Hannah John-Kamen has her moments. Sebastian Stan stands strong as expected.

How it finishes :: Thunderbolts becomes the one movie long after Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers Endgame that becomes the classic, even though Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness had held the ground for some time. The movie is also the best dealing with anti-heroes since Suicide Squad, as the next version of the same did not rise up that level, and Deadpool and Venom never really showed that power. This movie is the reminder that Marvel Cinematic Universe still has that power, and the dumb and ridiculous comedy associated with Deadpool would not live for long, but this right combination of action, emotions and comedy is surely going to stand tall. The fact that this one managed less at the box-office is not a problem of this movie, but that of the audience that has been losing that class. Maybe with a sequel, this one would have better audience. But without such an audience, the greatness of this universe might be at stake, for there are so many other superhero universes from Gundala to Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra. Note that the movie also becomes renamed as The New Avengers by the end of credits.

Release date: 2nd May 2025
Running time: 92 minutes
Directed by: Jake Schreier
Starring: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Olga Kurylenko, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Final Destination: Bloodlines

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Vampire Owl: Is somebody talking about blood now?

Vampire Bat: I am sure that there is blood, but not as you think.

Vampire Owl: Maybe, they are talking about vampire bloodlines.

Vampire Bat: Vampire bloodlines no longer remain a topic of discussion at least among the awakened.

Vampire Owl: So, you are not going to listen to the vampire elders anymore.

Vampire Bat: The vampire elders do not call the shots these days.

Vampire Owl: They are no longer the unwritten rulers of vampire kind?

Vampire Bat: They have never been the rulers, but advisors.

Vampire Owl: Advisors who have always made decisions all by themselves.

Vampire Bat: Well, the value given to their decisions was certainly higher. But now, we live in a world of monster hunters.

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

What is the movie about? :: Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger) and her boyfriend Paul Campbell (Max Lloyd-Jones) manage to attend the grand opening of the Sky View, the tallest tower in the city which has been a prestigious project, and will have the richest and the most influential people around. He intended to propose to her at the top of the tower which also has the perfect restaurant for a classic romantic dinner. Iris who is about to accept his proposal and also reveal that she is pregnant with their child, has a premonition of that chain of events that causes the tower to collapse in parts, killing everyone inside. There would be nothing left in that area which would be in shambles. She managed to stop the major factors that set up the events in motion including stopping a kid from throwing a coin which gets stuck, and warning the attendees not to step on the glass floor which would and thus prevents the total collapse but, in doing so, she had disrupted Death’s intelligent design. The tower was then closed for renovation, but after many years, was torn down, and nobody talked about that incident again.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Many years later, Iris and Paul’s granddaughter, bright college student Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) who spends most of her life in books, is haunted by repeated nightmares of the tower accident and returns home after a long time, seeking the right answers. She is welcomed at home by her father, Marty Reyes (Tinpo Lee) and younger brother Charlie Reyes (Teo Briones). Still, searching for answers, she leaves with Charlie to visit their uncle Howard Campbell (Alex Zahara), aunt Brenda Campbell (April Telek), along with their happy cousins Erik Campbell (Richard Harmon), Julia Campbell (Anna Lore), and Bobby Campbell (Owen Patrick Joyner). When Stefani asks about her grandmother, Howard explains that she was sick and had mental problems, often called crazy with no way to be normal again. But she finds letters from her grandmother in a cabin, and traces her to a highly fortified cabin in the woods where she lives, but terminally ill with cancer and awaiting the slow arrival of death instead of the quick and brutal one.

And what more is to follow here with death’s grand plans? :: Iris recounts the Sky View accident and tells her that Death is taking the lives of everyone in the specific order they should have died. Then there is that family that were not supposed to have, and Death is taking them too, one after the other in the order of their birth. The fact that Iris has remained alive for long has kept her bloodline alive too, but as she steps out of her barricaded house to give her granddaughter her research on escaping death, she also shows how Death works, with a simple sequence of events leading to her brutal impaled death. She does not completely believe that death is coming to them in the specified order, but then the brutal death of Howard awakens her. The rest of the family realizes the seriousness only when Julia who has been confident herself and does not listen to others, falls into a garbage truck and gets squeezed in between. Now, they realize that deaths are going to keep happening, and it might just end their family. Can they find a way to stop Death from unleashing the eerie plans perfectly on them? Death who is a master of doing his perfect work shall not wait though, as he is already late.

The defence of Final Destination: Bloodlines :: The opening scene with the destruction of the tower and the deaths is one of the impressive beginnings that one can ever have, and it is one of those occasions when the death of a kid character is so much satisfactory. The visuals are the most stunning during those moments, and has us scared this time about going to the top of a tower – this actually released at a time when we were in Colombo and about to go to the top of the Lotus Tower – the effectiveness was right there to be taken. The deaths remain impressive, and the way in which the death’s plan comes to meet the requirements remain classic and something that we will remember for a long time. The familial side seems to work better than the previous movies too, as death seems to mean more here as it haunts the bloodlines. When death would come to haunt a family, things are always going to get more personal and fueling emotions. The appreciation that the movie received in comparison to previous movies will further fuel more viewers on Jio Hotstar where it finally reached. The lad role is well done by Kaitlyn Santa Juana, who would always be a lovely scream queen and we feel that Brec Bassinger would shine the same, as we remember her from 47 Meters Down: Uncaged.

The claws of flaw :: The predictability factor remains here too, and visual effects could have also scored more. The characters are also not given that much of importance as we look at them. As it is all about death anyway, the movie does not innovate in an overall manner, even though deaths get that focus as expected. The film never gets that much innovative out of the best idea, which seems to repeat a little too around. Still, the side characters are not provided that much significance, especially that of people like Anna Lore who plays Julia who just dies off too soon. The effects used here are not of quality all the time, as some of them feels like coming from a lower level. The gore is just given more importance over suspense, twists and haunting – there seems to be not that power in the investigation to cheat death, and nothing much seems to be gained by the same. There could have been some variety or some findings that come as the special ingredient here, but the same is not there to be taken.

How it finishes :: This seems to be the Final Destination movie with the best opinions so far, even though the third with the roller coaster deaths was the one which had me going as a child despite knowing well enough about the flight and truck deaths. The movie keeps the nostalgia running, surely in a stronger way than the recent flicks from the same world of death, those with the bridge collapses and racing car accidents. Its presence in Jio Hotstar makes it very much accessible to many. For those who are fans of Final Destination style classic deaths, this is more than worth watching, starting from the opening sequence, seemingly bringing some quality back around here. Still, it hesitates to use the movie’s full potential and develop on what could be its strength as bloodlines also come into the picture. Well, Fast and Furious showed us the power of family, but this one, despite having such a family hunt around, do not bring enough focus around here. Still, this remains very much fun, and a reminder that we are all going to die, and possibly a very painful one, reflecting our own painful existence in a sad and depressing world.

Release date: 16th May 2025
Running time: 110 minutes
Directed by: Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein
Starring: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger, Tony Todd

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Elevation

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Vampire Owl: So, we are going back to the post-apocalyptic?

Vampire Bat: Yes, we are back to an end of the world event.

Vampire Owl: It only qualifies as the end of human world.

Vampire Bat: Well, they are the people of the apocalypse.

Vampire Owl: They like these apocalyptic stories so much too.

Vampire Bat: The truth is that they are the ones bringing the end of the world.

Vampire Owl: So, do you think that the humans are going to be finished soon?

Vampire Bat: I do not see why they won’t be.

Vampire Owl: I hope none of them get transformed into vampires anymore.

Vampire Bat: We are not turning anyone anymore. There will be no more human vampires.

[Gets a marble cake and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: A number of mysterious creatures called Reapers emerges from sinkholes leading to underground and begins attacking humanity, with most of humanity not surviving the very first month. These creatures keep coming, and there are no bullets or missiles that could destroy them. The creatures establish themselves as the new apex predators, and just kills humans at will, while human weapons prove to be meaningless against them. Small numbers of human survivors live in different communities eight thousand feet or more above the sea level where the creatures do not reach. The new small towns are built exactly about the eight thousand feet limit, and there are boundaries drawn to make sure that nobody will dare to cross that limit and become prey to the newly arrived hunters. But there would always be an occasional traveler who try to get through for resources, communications or something else, but that do not end well for the person, and only serves the hunting creatures well.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Three years later, Will (Anthony Mackie) who has been a single father for quite some time after the death of his wife Tara (Rachel Nicks), is trying to save his son Hunter (Danny Boyd Jr) who is suffering from a lung disease which only seems to be getting worse with them staying at the higher elevation. Nina (Morena Baccarin) holds the guilt for Tara’s death, as both Will and Tara were helping her in an expedition to find out the weaknesses of the Reapers before being attacked by them, and the experiment had ended with the untimely death. Will’s only good friend is Katie (Maddie Hasson) who develops a liking to him and also supports his son who faces usual breathing problems whenever he has some strain in that altitude. Will, concerned about his son, decides to do something about the situation, facing isolation from other communities and not having enough oxygen filters for his son. So, he decides to go and get a few oxygen filters after leaving his son with the elderly neighbour Hannah (Shauna Earp), and maybe find some more support in the process.

And what more is to follow in this terrible situation which seems to mean the end of humanity as we know it? :: He makes Nina agree to come with him so that they can go to her former laboratory and maybe find some clue to killing or at least temporarily stopping them. At the same time, Katie also decides to join them, despite Will asking her to stay and take care of things there. She feels that she could finally be useful, and does not wish to stay like this living in an area in the hills, doing nothing but wait for some creatures to die or humanity to be extinct. Their plan is to travel to a mine below the safety line and reach their destination through it without gaining the attention of the creatures. Nina has a device that can detect a nearby Reaper through their high bioelectromagnetic pulses. They gather supplies along the way, including a grenade launcher, but a Reaper spots them, and they just manage to escape at the last moment, as even grenades seem to have no effect on them. Even if they get to the laboratory, will there be a chance to stop creatures like these?

The defence of Elevation :: The movie surely gets the post-apocalyptic setting right, and is successful in taking us to that particular world which would come now or later. The mountain setting adds to that feeling as we feel the loneliness and depression which is prevalent in this particular world. The movie being not that long also works in the movie’s favour. It also does not overuse its content, and the creatures are also there creating the impact. As much as the visuals, the sound effects also contribute to create an impact, in a lesser level of The Quiet Place. The post-apocalyptic world keeps us close to the genre here, and we obviously get what we want. Anthony Mackie who is known for multiple Avengers and Captain America movies as well as Outside the Wire and The Woman in the Window, gets into action with ease, and leads the movie in style. With his name of character being Will, one also feels a certain nostalgia of having Will Smith in similar movies of action, adventure and apocalypse. Morena Baccarin, the Deadpool and Gotham star remains impressive in a role which has multiple faces.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not use its resources to best advantage, despite the premise holding on so well in the beginning. Maddie Hasson’s character is missed too early, as she was just getting better with each scene, and we wanted to see her in those final moments. The father-son relationship seems to be just added to feel an emotional effect, but that is not felt in a deep manner, especially when the world seems to be too close to an end. The movie’s stay at the safe zone might not satisfy everyone, as one cannot help seeing it as somewhat a derivative of other movies. The creatures are also not seen that many times up close to create some unforgettable horror. The backstories could have also been explored in a better way. A lot of world-wide destruction is left for the imagination, and so are many other elements of the creature attack. The chance to go to a higher level is missed here, and a lot of action could have come in some corners, as the final line of defence is often what would matter the most in a big apocalyptic movie.

How it finishes :: Elevation makes a strong point among the post-apocalyptic movies, even though it will not be among the best, and there were surely chances to make it bigger in scope and also to add more action without killing one of its main characters too early. As the ending leaves scope for a sequel, we can hope for getting the canvas bigger in the next one. The movie is a strong enough visually pleasing survival-monster action-adventure thriller which becomes an entertaining, watch. It would just feel like going deep enough, but not to its end. The cast mainly of three works really well, and their success in making us feel that the danger is real, and do take us to the environment to which we also become a part. After all, this is surely going to be our future, as an apocalyptic event would come in one way or the other. This is another one of those movies which prepares us for that unstoppable doom – these kinds of movies should be more or less be saved as the manuals for the end of the world scenarios even though hypothetical, and available of Jio Hotstar.

Release date: 8th November 2024
Running time: 92 minutes
Directed by: George Nolfi
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin, Maddie Hasson, Shauna Earp, Rachel Nicks, Danny Boyd Jr, Tyler Grey

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Union

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Vampire Owl: I remember going to a vampire reunion. But it was a mirage.

Vampire Bat: Vampires are always together. Why a reunion?

Vampire Owl: They can wander all around the realm.

Vampire Bat: There is just a small area which is accessible to vampires in the realm.

Vampire Owl: It is still a pretty good area as long as we do not fly through.

Vampire Bat: There is too much of witch traffic on the broom to fly.

Vampire Owl: Why do we even care about the witches?

Vampire Bat: There is always something about the witches in the news.

Vampire Owl: So, we have also started watching the news?

Vampire Bat: Well, we only know even about the wars through the news.

[Gets a uzhunnu vada and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg) is a construction worker in New Jersey who goes through his usual life in a regular pattern without thinking otherwise. One day, his childhood sweetheart Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry) meets him in the local pub and he ends up waking up in London after she tranquilizes him. She explains to him that he has been recruited for a secret mission by the group known as The Union, working as a secret organization in connection with FBI, Interpol and other teams. Their team, despite going through a top-secret mission, ended up losing a number of their team members and also ended up missing their target, leading them to assign someone without a past on the mission. Tom Brennan (J K Simmons), the head of the group hopes that Mike is as good as what Roxanne told him that he used to be during his childhood and youth. Mike who was going to attend a very important wedding as the best man and dating his former teacher, finds him somewhere he never expected to go.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Roxanne assures him that he can go back to his town and job if he does not want to take the risk, but he decided to go for the same anyway. Their physical expert and trainer Frank Pfeiffer (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is not sure about letting someone untrained in there and giving him just enough for the field within two weeks of special training. They do a detailed briefing for him on a high-stakes mission, and feels that his unassuming identity would be the perfect cover. This would be a very important mission to retrieve information about undercover agents and top-level officers in various intelligence agencies. The sensitive information on individuals who have served allied Western nations would soon be auctioned off to the highest bidder, and as Iranians, North Koreans and Russians look forward to this information and with a possibility of Chinese also going for it, it is now or never for the West. This could be their last chance.

And what more is to be added here as situation keeps getting more complicated? :: He is chosen to be sent by the Union with five million to buy a device which could bid at the intelligence auction, under the watch of the Union agents. Mike is immediately ambushed by some other trained professionals. The team somehow gets him out in time, but the auction device gets damaged without any chance for repair. With no more money to spend, The Union decides tries tracking down the Koreans’ mercenaries hoping to acquire their device. They find and steal the device, only to find out their communication expert Athena Kim (Alice Lee) has been murdered and that their headquarters has been blown up with an unidentified bomb. They feel that there is someone spying on them from the inside, but things might be more complicated than that. They might soon be on the run without a hideout or safehouse. One wrong movement and there might not be any agent left for the Union.

The defence of The Union :: The movies lead actors Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry carry the movie on their shoulders effortlessly, as we enjoy the moments with them together, and they also add some fine humour in between as the movie never really goes dark with its content. When we are looking for a cool spy movie with action rather than the drama and the dark side making it scary, it has enough momentum to keep us engaged with all those fights scenes and high-powered car chases, getting only bigger as the movie gets closer to the end. The global locations are really good, and some stunning visuals provide us with much more to look out for – the action in those beautiful areas of the world got our interest early enough. The ending is well-executed, and the supporting cast as well as the antagonists get something more to do here too. The journey also never goes overboard like some of those Bollywood movies, and there is also nothing forced here with things going on smoothly.

The claws of flaw :: The beginning stages do not induce that much of an interest into this movie, as there seems to some pulling back right there. The bringing in of the main character to the team itself seems to be not convincing enough. Most of the characters are not really developed as if to inspire a possible sequel, as most of the spy genre flicks have been thinking about. The common style of spy flicks and action thrillers with a touch of comedy are remembered here without offering those big surprises or that innovation which was clearly possible. It never really takes its elements to the next level. The twist in the middle seemed to be rather expected, and the big spies not able to guess the same thing even though the audience could easily do the same, is rather disappointing. There is a certain artificiality to proceedings as the Men in Black kind of smooth movement is often not there to be taken. The movie might not last that long in memory, as there is no specific classic moment and there is nothing that we will remember for very long.

How it finishes :: We have an entertaining journey here as there are no dull moments in the spy world as soon as we know what the movie is up to. The movie nicely goes on with its adventure as the tale progresses. The light-hearted action with some suspense works fine, and the chemistry between the main characters work very well. Things are rather simple around here, as you do not eagerly wait for more, but something special could happen in the second movie, if there is one – the team does work really well. For a relaxed weekend with the light action, this will offer more than enough on Netflix. After all, this is that kind of a genre which offers more to one-time watch rather than any other. Netflix already offered a movie which gives similar kind of effect, Lift – once you watch, you enjoy it and the time spent remains good. Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg are our eternal stars too, aren’t they?

Release date: 16th August 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Julian Farino
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, Mike Colter, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica De Gouw, Alice Lee, Jackie Earle Haley, J K Simmons

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Uglies

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Vampire Owl: Are they calling vampires by new names now?

Vampire Bat: They are not even sure that we exist.

Vampire Owl: They are calling us these names without even knowing about our existence.

Vampire Bat: People can even hate non-existing entities.

Vampire Owl: Will that make sure that they exist?

Vampire Bat: Well, that depends on the final conclusion.

Vampire Owl: I am not letting them conclude about us.

Vampire Bat: Why do their conclusions matter to us? Are they hunting us?

Vampire Owl: Because they think and we exist?

Vampire Bat: Thoughts and existence are not co-existing around here.

[Gets a parippu vada and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Tally (Joey King) and Peris (Chase Stokes) are best friends in a post-apocalyptic world where future seems to offer not much divergence. It is shown that the world has fallen into the ultimate chaos after a group known as “Rusties” exhausted all natural resources and polluted its environment, leading to fight among themselves. To keep the remaining humanity alive, Earth’s best scientists created a set of genetically modified orchids which acted as the energy source without polluting the air or water. Humans who went through the worst and their descendants had to undergo a surgical procedure to enhance human beings in both appearance and fitness so that they could all look the same, with everyone beautiful, lovely and charming. The surgery is performed on humans who are called “Uglies” until then, and would turn them into the “Pretties”, letting them into the colourful area of the city where there are celebrations and only happiness, with no sad or grieving face ever seen.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Tally and Peris are Uglies, but Peris would leave for his surgery first as he is older. He is excited about it as the batch is welcomed to a new world by the representatives of the new world. The two have scars on their hands, which they promise to keep despite the procedure means to make them perfect without even such a scar. They also promise to meet again and rekindle their friendship. But as she finds him again, she realizes that he is not really bothered about her, and had even broken the promise by getting the scar on the hand removed. This leaves Tally sad and depressed, but is forced to flee the area as she is chased by machines, but is helped by Shay (Brianne Tju) who has been planning to rebel against the government. Shay is hoping to travel to “The Smoke”, a land of freedom within nature based on a book written Henry David Thoreau, one of the last copies of those older books available during the time when not much has remained against chaos.

And what more is to follow as things get stranger and weird? :: Shay who becomes best friends with Tally, asks her to reject the surgery and remain what she really is. She believes that hope is in the outskirts of the city and only a man named David (Keith Powers) who leads the resistance against the government can lead them to hope and truth, and they will remain who they really are, not perfect, but as the right people. As Shay leaves Tally to find David in the outskirts of the city, Dr. Cable (Laverne Cox) hold the surgical procedure of Tally. She tells Tally that that David is a dangerous man who will hurt Shay, and is building a weapon to destroy the city and what remains of this perfect civilization. Cable feels that only Tally can find Shay as their friendship is very deep. She asks Tally to do something right now and save her new friend, and find herself becomes the perfect person among Pretties and rejoin with her former best friend. She wonders if this is the right thing to do, but as she cares for Shay and her own surgery, she would have to agree. But how far will she go to achieve her newly found objective?

The defence of Uglies :: The movie is led nicely by Joey King and Brianne Tju follows the same path really well. The themes remain very much clearly seen, from beauty standards to conforming to the laws and freedom as well as self-worth. The impact of technology on people is clearly seen and also its adverse effects on the environment. It reminds us that the future will never be bright, and that there will always be someone to control humanity. The movie seems to have built a world that we will remember for long, as there is a bright one, a devastated one and one in between, all of them looking like a lot of work has been done around here. The stylish world of the Pretties world will surely catch the attention of lovers of futuristic designs and the other world is of interest to the lovers of post-apocalyptic and dystopian situations. The looks of different sections of people also get our attention. There is also some fine futuristic action as the movie gets to an end, a certain amount of mystery is also felt around here. There is surely hope for a future sequel too considering where the movie ended.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s supporting cast do not come up with that much as we look at it, and the characters are also not that much developed except for the two main ladies. The story does seem to be just a repetition of what we have been seeing all the time, and it does not bring that much of a change when on the screen. There is not that much time taken in making the world better, as there are more things under-explored than what is shown in style. The archetypes seem to be given more focus not just with the situations and the world, but also with the characters who give the feeling that we have surely seen them before. There could have been more commitment around here, and even with themes, going deeper does not seem to be something of relevance here. The ending is also not that strong, even if it was meant to stay faithful to the novel. It is a case of wonder why so much power is not felt around here, even though such strong themes are dealt with, and from the title itself, the exploration of the themes seems to begin and only feel like getting stronger as the world moves forward.

How it finishes :: The movie goes through the pattern set by The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner and Divergent, with the setup closest to the last one mentioned – then there are these movies‘ sequels. If you like these movies and its sequels coming right out the Young Adult movies, you are sure to like this one too, for the world and action remains interesting with themes and messages that catch our attention, despite not using the strengths to the best or finishing that well as one would expect from a movie like this. The lack of originality and the presence of predictability do not affect this one like in some other cases, as it remains visually that good and the leading lady handles the situation well, and as messages are rather direct, there is no holding back. As it released directly to Netflix, the visual style might not be that powerfully felt, but this is the kind of entertainment that we can have on a fine weekend, and there is no shortage of enjoyment in this movie of the post-apocalyptic and dystopic future that would come to us in one way or the other.

Release date: 13th September 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 102 minutes
Directed by: Joseph McGinty Nichol
Starring: Joey King, Keith Powers, Chase Stokes, Brianne Tju, Jan Luis Castellanos, Charmin Lee, Laverne Cox

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Lift

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Vampire Owl: This reminds me about that need for a lift in the castle.

Vampire Bat: The castle is not that tall and there are not enough floors.

Vampire Owl: We are not really going to need permission from any organization. We are vampires.

Vampire Bat: I am telling this to you because there is no need with a smaller number of floors.

Vampire Owl: I do get tired just with these many floors.

Vampire Bat: You know that you are an owl and can fly if there is an emergency.

Vampire Owl: Vampire Owls are made different. We are vampires first and owls last.

Vampire Bat: That does not mean that you cannot fly.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein would still prefer the lift.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein might want to keep having a tour of the castle.

[Gets some tapioca chips and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: A heist crew has been creating trouble for Interpol all around the world as they have been focusing on art heist at the unexpected locations, mostly in Europe. The team includes Cyrus Whitaker (Kevin Hart) the master thief and leader, Denton (Vincent D’Onofrio) a master of disguise and expert in trickery, Camila (Úrsula Corberó) expert pilot and beauty with the brains, Magnus (Billy Magnussen) safe cracker and seeker of adventures, Mi-Sun (Yun Jee Kim) hacker and computer expert and Luke (Viveik Kalra) an engineer and master of electronics. The team undertake two simultaneous heist works, one of stealing a Van Gogh painting in London and then kidnapping of renowned NFT artist N8 (Jacob Batalon) in Venice. Despite the best efforts of Interpol Agent Abby Gladwell (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the team manage to be successful at both places, and the presence of Abby in Venice does not help at all. The team’s escape plan creates a joke out of Interpol team that comes chasing in boats.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is revealed that the team had a fake kidnapping plan for N8 to have the paintings rapidly increase in value after being stolen, making the value rise from $20 million to $89 million. They had pre-sold the Van Gogh painting for $20 million which gets them $89 million much to the dismay of Interpol and the local police that had come chasing after them. Abby Gladwell uncovers evidence implicating Denton and arrests him, hoping to get to the rest of the team using him. But Abby’s superior Huxley (Sam Worthington) decides to have Cyrus and team take on a mission which would provide them with full immunity from international law if they manage to pull it off. The plan is to capture a billionaire named Lars Jorgensen (Jean Reno), who intends to make more money with the help of a hacking group called Leviathan which is able to create massive flooding in Europe by hacking into security facilities of dams – he would do stock manipulation at the same time. But are they capable of such a big thing?

The defence of Lift :: Lift looks good throughout its run, starting from the stunning watery world and old architecture of the city which has enchanted us through years. The global settings ad London, Brussels, Tuscany etc to the list, making it feel international and extremely good-looking. A heist in such a height featuring two airplanes, one of them being an Airbus A380 and the other one a futuristic concept model would not cease to amaze you. There is that feeling of quality written all around the movie, with everything looking so good, and having a cast that seems to come from all around the world. The movie also does well to make us believe in the impossible, and never do we feel that it is doing a little too much. The polished feeling never really leaves us as we look at the world in front of us. It dies remind us to watch films like Red Notice, Army of Thieves, Now You see Me and even that local flavoured ones from this part of the world, Varnyathil Aashanka, Sapthamashree Thaskaraha and Kohinoor.

The claws of flaw :: The movie just seems to do the usual for most of the time, and not much more gets to elevate the whole thing. The predictability factor stays with us, and the ending seems to be too quickly done, with no big action or dialogues to go with it – everything just gets solved so easily, and there seems to be no danger around here, except when one is reminded of the same; yet, things go smooth enough even with those mistakes and weaknesses. The characters could have also had better introductions and backstories instead of focusing on those two main leads. The romantic side surely feels force, and one cannot stop thinking that it could have been with some other characters instead. The villain is not given the option to be that menacing, as he is on the screen only for some time, and he just do the usual talking. There could have also been more heists around here, and the difficulties faced by them could have been given more focus. The movie also lacks the moments which would make one go for it again, and never goes for divergence, as it chooses to be safe and just the usual.

The performers of the soul :: Kevin Hart leads the way here, and the humour works very well with him, especially with a combination to Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who remains solid as the Interpol agent around here. Their moments work for the humour, but not that much in favour of the romance, as comedy surely gets to be much more. There are moments with them that quickly elevate its humour, sometimes all of a sudden when the situation is serious. Among the crew, the most convincing is Úrsula Corberó, who shines as the pilot and scores like no other, even getting an unexpected part in flight fights. Sam Worthington remains solid, and I had hoped that the Avatar–Titans star would have had a bigger role to play in this – he is a bigger star than any other at least in this part of the world. Billy Magnussen adds some cool moments here and there. Yun Jee Kim is a joy to watch throughout the movie as she gets closer to those computers and do the job in style. Vincent D’Onofrio’s moments are also to be remembered, and Viveik Kalra is not that far behind. Jean Reno could have surely had more villainy to add.

How it finishes :: Lift go on with an old model in a new world, and it feels effective even without that much of an innovation around here. With the effectiveness of humour as much as the nice action that comes in as a bonus. In a world that is so well captured, we are glad to see it as much as enjoy that action – the movie also gets to add its own big action. This might not be among the biggest heist movies that you will ever see as far as story is concerned, but this one surely has its heart at the right place with a team that works together and sticks together in style. As it is available on Netflix, it provides some pure fun on the OTT, and it might be the right entertainer for the weekends and festivals without thinking too much about it. There might be those movies which depend too much on an overdose of heroism and nonsense, but this is not one of them. I was actually surprised that nobody really told me about this movie, but this one is surely worth your time, and this is surely something you can keep as a distant sibling of Fast and Furious movies, but with no cars at all to go for that speed on road.

Release date: 12th January 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Starring: Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D’Onofrio, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, Jean Reno, Sam Worthington

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Woman in Cabin 10

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Vampire Owl: I hope they are not talking about Cabin 10 in the castle.

Vampire Bat: We do not have cabins here. We have resting places.

Vampire Owl: Okay, then it should be Resting Place 10.

Vampire Bat: I also do not think that there is the number 10 in the castle.

Vampire Owl: You mean those young vampires cannot count?

Vampire Bat: No, we start with the number 13. It is our lucky number.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that you do not count downwards either.

Vampire Bat: Then, we will have to stop at zero or one.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein usually counts through the negatives.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein does things in the most ridiculous ways.

[Gets a Milk Bikis biscuit and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Laura Blacklock (Keira Knightley), known in the field of journalism as “Lo”, is one of the best-known figures of investigative journalism, and is recovering from the trauma of witnessing the death of one of her informers, and her co-workers keep asking her to take a break, at least a short one so that they could come back stronger. As she could not be completely out the job, which she never wishes to be, she gracefully accepts an invitation from terminally ill billionaire named Anne Bullmer (Lisa Loven Kongsli). She is asked join her and her husband Richard Bullmer (Guy Pearce), along with their extremely wealthy guests, on their high luxury superyacht which is sailing to a fundraising gala in Norway. She is never really out of the journalism job, as she has to write about the Bullmers’ new charitable foundation while she is there, and get it to the public through the media. Laura finds this to be a good break from the office for a change, and is offered the best of amenities.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: There she meets Ben Morgan (David Ajala) again, a fellow journalist and photographer who used to be her lover, and has been assigned to cover the programmes with his camera. Dr. Robert Mehta (Art Malik) who is also on the ship to help Anne, feels that she does not have much time due to the spreading cancer. While trying to avoid Ben, Laura ends up in the cabin numbered 10, and sees a blonde woman, but the meeting is short-lived. But when she feels that there is someone who fell off the ship, and drops of blood from a distance, she feels that the lady in that cabin might have fallen off, but Captain John Addis (John Macmillan) assures her that there was nobody in the cabin, and it has been empty all the time. But she is sure that she saw someone, but everyone assures her that it could be the trauma. She also feels that she was pushed into the swimming pool, and that someone wrote something on her bathroom’s glass when she was naked and taking a shower, as if someone is keeping a watch on her all the time after talking about the cabin 10. Now it remains to be seen if she is hallucinating or if there is something more sinister around.

The defence of The Woman in Cabin 10 :: The sense of mystery remains central to the main idea of the movie as it keeps us guessing, even when the pace is not that much to be taken here. The cast seems to be rightly suitable for the movie, as we see them rising above the simplicity of the movie here. The luxury yacht setting works well to build atmosphere even though there is not much focus on the facilities of the ship as it could have been done. The contrast of emotions facing different realities going between what is seen and what is not, goes on well. The movie remains suitable for the OTT streaming, and as it released directly to Netflix, it does feel like the right one for the platform. Based on the 2016 novel by Ruth Ware, this is one movie which seems to keep that kind of a mood, even though that freedom to visualize could have meant more. The setting that provides the view of the luxury yacht keeps working well, even though that much focus is not provided there. The twist is pretty good even though revealed easily and without providing a powerful impact when it is known.

The claws of flaw :: The movie is just too slow for this kind of a run, and it often seems to walk slowly with utmost care. The drag is felt on so many occasions, and there is nothing much to keep us interested in between, as we just keep moving around without the real sense of danger or any kind of fun, making this one not dark, but rather dull in between. This one surely needed at least some moments of terror or some classic visuals – after all, we have such a good-looking luxury yacht, and the makers could show some parts of it so that those who might never travel in one can enjoy the beauty; that could make the whole thing more interesting. The failure of the movie to do anything special and instead go on a path as if to bring that final suspense and twist which comes in as end nears would not make a movie become a favourite, even with some fine performers around. The movie does need to know itself more as much as its audience. After all, we are all looking for something extra in a movie.

The performers of the soul :: The movie gets the advantage of having Keira Knightley around at the top. As we have always known, even after these many years, she is one performer whom we have trusted to do the job. Her presence itself is an assurance that the tale will go on well with the support of fine performances that will automatically come. She provides a true reflection of what happens on the ship. Guy Pearce also stays solid in a very serious role as we see multiple character depths on him, while David Ajala adds on well, and is a more relevant character than one would think about. Art Mallik adds a certain amount of depth to the whole thing. Gitte Witt can be seen adding some more good work too. Other performers like Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Hannah Waddingham, John Macmillan, Paul Kaye, David Morrissey, Kaya Scodelario, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Daniel Ings and Christopher Rygh add on further. Lisa Loven Kongsli’s smaller role is notable than one would think. There are not too many characters with that much of a depth for us check in detail with the performances.

How it finishes :: The Woman in Cabin 10 is that kind of a slow thriller with its suspense and thrills coming on slower and slower as the finish is near. There is no denying its ability to bring the suspense and twist and keep it thrilling as the end comes, but the way in which it does the same cannot be interesting to many people. I have found this one to be something of interest, but not by that much. I would not deny the fact that I have been looking for the secrets to be unveiled as the movie progresses, but remain surprised how it ended just as if it had to end, for there are many more things that could be done. For now, this seems like a movie meant to go be identified as a thriller, but not done without that much of an effort – if this was a Malayalam movie, it would have identified as a drama movie, with some extra additions becoming part of it. As it is on Netflix, it would not hurt to watch it when there is spare time, and come up with some explanations on how it could have been better, and enjoy the journey as much as it can be, without too much of expectations to go with it, for we will survive.

Release date: 10th October 2025 (Netflix)
Running time: 95 minutes
Directed by: Simon Stone
Starring: Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, Art Malik, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Hannah Waddingham

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Red One

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Vampire Owl: So, you are telling me that we are not the true red ones.

Vampire Bat: We always wear black. You know that already.

Vampire Owl: We do have the red borders on clothing.

Vampire Bat: It is just a symbolism of blood.

Vampire Owl: So, we are not that much into bloody colours.

Vampire Bat: Any blood on clothing can lead to suspicion.

Vampire Owl: Well, everyone knows that we are vampires.

Vampire Bat: It is not about knowing; it is about providing proof.

Vampire Owl: There would be enough proof available from the CCTVs.

Vampire Bat: Well, those could be staged as it would be over in a flash.

[Gets an oreo shake and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: MORA (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority) has almost always existed as a secret military organization meant to keep the balance between humanity and mythological creatures, thus keeping both worlds safe and without making itself known to mankind. As part of the organization, Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson), Head of North Pole security for Saint Nicholas a.k.a. Santa Claus (J K Simmons) for quite a long time. After serving for long as the strongest member of the team and an expert in his field, Callum decides to quite after this final Christmas journey though. But things do not go that easy as Santa is kidnapped by an unknown group of soldiers who are able to bypass the security measures of his building with ease. Callum lets the director of MORA, Zoe Harlow (Lucy Liu) know about the same, and the group is put on full alert, understanding the alarming situation where there would be no Christmas at least for one year.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The question remains why one would want to abduct Santa Claus, and the names of the usual suspects come into the picture before any other investigation. It is discovered that the top-secret location of Santa’s abode was leaked by Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans), a hacker and bounty hunter, divorced and non-believer, who would do anything for money. After a tracker is placing on him, Jack is forced to team up with a reluctant Callum due to unforeseen circumstances. He points them to the broker and middleman Ted (Nick Kroll) who provides them the name of the winter witch Gryla (Kiernan Shipka), who wishes to punish everyone who has been evil in one way or the other, which would mean almost all of humanity. They ask for help from Santa’s estranged brother and Gryla’s former lover Krampus (Kristofer Hivju), but he is not interested. With the winter witch only getting more powerful and Santa getting weaker, what all paths can lead to saving the man in trouble?

The defence of Red One :: Red One keeps on with the Santa Claus side of Christmas which is never short of opportunities. There are some fine action sequences with some visual splendour that goes on and on throughout its run. The main characters keep making things interesting as the movie progresses, and we find their teaming up to be an interesting one without second thoughts. There is some humour that is added here and there, and with the two main characters around, that was always going to happen at regular intervals. The addition of Chris Evans becomes the fine twist in itself, as we usually find Chris Pratt, Ryan Reynolds, Seann William Scott or someone doing similar works, especially after Captain America model came up – this remains a welcome change when we look at it. The idea of Santa Claus being kidnapped and the celebration of Christmas itself being canceled is one idea that keeps us going for it. With more hype in this part of the world, it could have surely achieved more and made a lasting impact due to its quality of making itself.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have used some magic of Christmas to add to its strength, instead of going in a predictable saving the word from evil witch mode. It instead chooses to go for the safe path with the least intervention of religion and mythology, seemingly to satisfy that group which has the least interest in these types of movies. One keeps wondering why the film hesitates to take any part of the religious and spiritual side when the same could brought on with the right morals and never compromising on the overall quality. You have a Santa Claus and you have the Rock defending him, with the Captain America turned new character with special skills, and the limitations still seem to apply. There seems to be the feeling that all of these would be enough to make this a blockbuster with Christmas around the corner. Maybe there was the idea of thinking too much about one’s own existence in a world of too many movies.

The performers of the soul :: Dwayne Johnson a.k.a. the Rock once again has one side in control in that kind of a role which he has never been tired of doing. He plays the strong defender and bodyguard of Santa Claus to perfection as one would expect him to do. His status as an entertainer is further asserted here. Chris Evans becomes the reluctant hero who is not that interested in saving people or the world, very much unlike the Captain America roles he had been playing until Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. He switches his style really well around here. On other days, you would think about many other actors playing this kind of role, but this time, we have fine change that surprises. Lucy Liu has less to do, but the performance here is done with some fine conviction. Kiernan Shipka evil villain also remains an effective one – we are never really short of some more witches on the scene, and with the presence of the darker side of magic, they always make things more effectively terrifying. J K Simmons makes a fine Santa Claus in between.

How it finishes :: You expect more for the Christmas season, especially with such a grand cast involved in the proceedings. But the movie never really raises its level, despite having some fine moments around. Its quality as entertainer and as something interesting for children would never be questioned though, and we see the fun around. The movie keeps reminding us about the Christmas spirit throughout the December. There was always chance for more, but we are glad to watch some fine Christmas entertainment. You will have the choice to watch something else, and if you are watching this one for a Christmas, there is more chance that you will opt for this one instead of any other. The Rock during Christmas season is more and more happiness, whether it is in the WWE ring or in a movie. You have those electrifying moments, whether with Santa Claus, or with the Undertaker, Triple H or Stone Cold Steve Austin. This one is presently available on Amazon Prime Video, and among the choices, this one shines with the Christmas fun out of nowhere.

Release date: 15th November 2024
Running time: 123 minutes
Directed by: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J K Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Reinaldo Faberlle, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, Wesley Kimmel, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Marc Evan Jackson. Jenna Kanell, Gursharn Arya, Jon Rudnitsky

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.