Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: This is obviously a movie about the Lich Queen.

Vampire Bat :: What? I am pretty much confident that you have got it wrong.

Vampire Owl :: I am talking about the last part of this title.

Vampire Bat :: Dude, the Lich Queen hasn’t been dying for that long; she was always the undead, and it was one of the quickest transformations ever.

Vampire Owl :: Okay, that guess didn’t work that well.

Vampire Bat :: And you can’t even find out the last time Lich Queen was a girl; that was like thousands of years ago.

Vampire Owl :: So, she really belong to the “old is gold” category.

Vampire Bat :: Do you know that when this movie premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, there was a standing ovation?

Vampire Owl :: How can I know? I wasn’t there at that time.

Vampire Bat :: Just watch the movie, will you?

[Gets three cups of tea with jackfruit chips].

What is it about? :: Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) goes through the high school without any real friend, and being just okay with every group of people around him. With people around him divided into groups, he just maintains friendly relationships with everyone and manages to go around being kind of invisible. The only one person who is close to being called a friend is Earl (RJ Cyler) with whom he had been making weird short-films parodying various popular movie titles. He has a crush on a girl at the high school, Madison (Katherine C. Hughes). He doesn’t have a high opinion about himself, and wishes to go on unnoticed; but things change when one of the girls at the same high school, Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke) is diagnosed with blood cancer.

So what happens next? :: As his parents (Nick Offerman and Connie Britton) force him to go out with her and provide some confidence in this time of need, he decides to just go – his words about him not knowing her enough goes through into deaf ears. Both of them don’t really like the company of each other, but they get along later, and Earl also joins their team. The two decide to make a movie dedicated to her according to a suggestion made by Madison, but falls short of ideas while her disease gets worse very fast and she decides not to fight this situation anymore. Most of the schoolwork just go ignored too. So, what will happen to this doomed friendship? Does Rachel survive, or will she at least have enough time until the movie is made? Will Greg’s relations with others get any better?

The defence of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl :: This one surely feels real and close enough to life, and there are no exaggerations of any moment. Even without such an attempt, this one manages to be a sweet movie close to heart. There is nothing extraordinary being done here in the tale, as everything goes on towards that awaiting end which is emotional as well as satisfying. We become part of this journey, and it is one that is worth traveling – the light-hearted take on the whole thing helps, and we get to see a positive side in almost everything. Well, going to watch this movie, you know what you will be expecting, that is a lot of tears in store, but the movie manages to rise above that with its funny side, and all the laughter there will make the day better. The movie also leave you with something to think about, related to friendship and brotherhood – there is none that is really mismatched.

The claws of flaw :: This is one movie which had potential for more, not only with its emotional side, but also with those funny moments which seem to be rather too less utilized. With each character, and with each moment, you just feel that there was going to be something more, but almost every character other than the three in the title goes a little less used. Most of this movie also remains predictable, as we move towards that finish which brings no big surprise. The use of commentary about happenings won’t help much either; talking about the dying girl not going to die or getting better just for the audience to hear can’t help at all. I haven’t read the book on which it is based, but Me and Earl and the Dying Girl doesn’t make an attempt to create a difference with this material as a whole; it mostly sticks to the safe zone to move you.

Performers of the soul :: Olivia Cooke is the one person who makes this role very much believable here with an amazing performance – she expresses herself as this character so well. I had seen her for the last time in Ouija, and she is surely someone with a lot of potential, as we watch the cute, talented actress here making the best use of this opportunity. Thomas Mann and RJ Cyler makes a nice team here too; the former cent percent reminding us of someone we have known at some point of time, and the love for movies that these people show will also make sure that someone else we know gets reflected there. The former’s character with his ability to do distant friendships will be one of the best reflections of some people who keep strange and different ideas about friendships, keeping everyone as friends just for the sake of doing so.

How it finishes :: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is that particular movie that makes one feel as one with the protagonists. There is nothing outside the normal world here, as there are many things to which we can relate to. There will be moments when this one will remind you of the Shailene Woodley starrer The Fault in Our Stars, but Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is no romantic flick, as the focus remains on friendship throughout its time. It is that kind of a movie that takes us through the transformation that the protagonist has, and we get so close to the characters there, and in the end, we are part of that world in which enough has been discovered, and more than that needs to be found out later. There is no real “dying” as far as trying to make things better is concerned, right?

Release date: 12th June 2015
Running time: 105 minutes
Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Starring: Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, RJ Cyler, Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Jon Bernthal, Connie Britton, Katherine C. Hughes, Chelsea T. Zhang, Natalie Marchelletta, Matt Bennett, Bobb’e J. Thompson, Karriem Sami, Marco Zappala, Etta Cox, Masam Holden, Kaza Marie Ayersman, Cheryl Kline, Joan Augustin, Mark Granatire, Kayana White, Linda Kanyarusoke, Drew Palajsa, Elly Silberstein, Nicole Tubbs

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Kill Command

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: I remember having made such a command.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, I totally understand. To your zombie minions?

Vampire Owl :: No, to the Frankenstein Monster.

Vampire Bat :: No wonder nobody gets killed by that command.

Vampire Owl :: My question is about why nobody has told me anything about this movie yet.

Vampire Bat :: Nobody I know have heard about this movie either.

Vampire Owl :: But I have a feeling that we will like this one. The poster is so nice.

Vampire Bat :: A science fiction action thriller will only do good at this time. We never really get much of such movies.

Vampire Owl :: We are going to make Dr. Victor Frankenstein proud by watching such movies.

Vampire Bat :: And we have Vanessa Kirby as the central character.

[Gets three cups of tea with bananachips].

What is it about? :: The story set a long way into the future, as technology has gone beyond human expectations, transforming lives as well as combat. Captain Bukes (Thure Lindhardt) and his team of marines are off to a training facility in a remote island. They are joined by Mills (Vanessa Kirby), a human who is genetically enhanced by robotic technology, being part of one of the many types of machines and hybrids who are supposed to replace the human soldiers later. The idea is simple, to finish off the machines which were designed by Mills and get out of the facility, as she herself will observe the whole thing. The soldiers don’t really trust Mills, and hesitate to consider her as one of them. But they trust themselves to go through this training with ease, as the opponents are just mindless machines who have always been there as part of the programme.

So what happens next? :: Even though things seem easy in the beginning, soon they find out that the machines are copying their battle style, and are learning how to counter the human soldiers, using the human idea against themselves, and steadily becoming the superior force with better skill acquired through the experience of fighting with the marines. This no longer remains a training programme, but a battle for survival, as there are more effective killing machines on the island than they had imagined. So, with marines getting killed one after the other, what are the chances of them completing the training or at least getting out of the island? What role does Mills play in this newly declared war, and on which side does her loyalties lie? Where did this simple training programme go wrong and how can the marines make their last stand with machines everywhere?

The defence of Kill Command :: The movie has great CGI; it was rather unexpected for a lesser known movie which seems to be made from a lower budget. It is the kind of movie that you can watch instead of all those high budget movies which keep coming for you, with almost nothing inside them other than the repetition of what we have been seeing for many years. The machines look really good and environment including the surroundings and the insides of the buildings are all nicely designed. There is also a lot of action going on here. There are some nice thrilling moments with the machines around, and you can look forward to a big adventure. This is also a short movie and things go on smoothly throughout its run, leaving no boring moments behind. The acting is also good, and there is something special about how it turns out on the screen – you see even a few nice scares to go with it.

The claws of flaw :: There will be similarities to be found when in comparison with other movies, with its central idea. A better treatment of the same subject could have been done with more entertainment and further twists. This one often takes its progression straight, taking things for granted, and not making the best use of everything. There is also a certain amount of predictability that comes in, and it hesitates to go as the movie progresses towards the end – a better finish would have also been nice, as everything seemed to be moving towards the big final moments, but that never really happens. There are the nicely designed machines, there is the partially machine character, there is a special environment which can bring mystery and horror, and also a lot of action, but all these are not used to create the maximum impact, which would have raised the level of this flick.

Performers of the soul :: The best of this movie are its machines; we will get to love how they look and work. This whole thing can be compared to one big video game that you might have played during your childhood – there is that kind of a feel throughout this flick. The cast includes mostly unknown names as far as people in this part of the world are concerned. The best among them, and the one who leads the way as the protagonist, is great to watch – Vanessa Kirby who has played Estella Havisham in the BBC version of Great Expectations, makes her half-human, half-machine character work with ease. Genetically enhanced characters or cyborgs are not really the best characters had to be that good, and I would consider this particular one to be another memorable mixed existence. The rest are there in support, which they manage well.

How it finishes :: Kill Command is that kind of a movie which can create a great video game out of itself – it is like a perfect setting for a First Person Shooter, especially one featuring some arena battles following games like Unreal Tournament and Quake III Arena. As a sci-fi action thriller, it makes a nice impact, even without trying too hard. With the kind of material that exists here, I would want to have a sequel, and I am pretty sure that it can surpass this one. Kill Command provides you with that feeling that some nice sci-fi movies can be made without the big names and those huge action sequences that destroy everything around. Just a few machines, some people and a remote location is enough to make the whole experience better with some nice CGI and performances, as long as the resources are used nicely. I would consider this movie to be a fine addition to those simple, but effective sci-fi movies – this is no Ex Machina, but still a fine work.

***This is the 300th movie review on this blog!!!

Release date: 13th May 2016
Running time: 99 minutes
Directed by: Steven Gomez
Starring: Vanessa Kirby, Thure Lindhardt, David Ajala, Bentley Kalu, Tom McKay, Kelly Gough, Deborah Rosan

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Deadpool

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: Oh! Mr. Pool, Dead. I have heard about him.

Vampire Bat :: No, this is not about that zombie who became part of the undead team by falling into a pool.

Vampire Owl :: Oh! His love for Brain Biriyani had caught my attention. So this is not really him!

Vampire Bat :: He is a mutant. You saw him in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Vampire Owl :: Yes, some part of the memory is back, I guess. But this version seems to be the cooler one.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, which is why it has managed all those positive opinions.

Vampire Owl :: I miss the Wolverine claws more though.

Vampire Bat :: Lets see what all can be managed from this one. There should be some interesting mutants.

Vampire Owl :: Lets go for the Pool, Dead then.

Vampire Bat :: I don’t see why not. After that I will find a poster that will make people confused with the genre.

[Gets three cups of tea with jackfruit chips].

What is it about? :: The first person we meet in the movie is a man in red, introducing himself as Deadpool in a taxi. As he gets into a fight, we are taken through the flashback, as Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who works as a mercenary after years of working with the special forces, meets Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). As they begin a relationship together, he is diagnosed with cancer. He doesn’t want to stay there with Vanessa and die, even though she insists that they can face this together. So when he is approached by a stranger who claims that he is able to not just cure his disease, but also give him extraordinary powers, he decides to give it a try while running out of options. He runs away from home, and reaches the secret laboratory, agreeing to the conditions.

So what happens next? :: There he comes across Ajax (Ed Skrein) who is in charge of the place and attempts to create a mutation in the test subjects. With the support of Angel Dust (Gina Carano), he hopes to create people with superpowers, but not with an aim to help mankind or not even with an objective in favour of the country. The defiance and the choice of words from Wade don’t go well with Ajax, who tries to force a mutation out of him, and even though that provides him with an accelerated healing ability, leaves him disfigured. After escaping the laboratory, he prepares for vengeance, with a red mask and a new choice of name, Deadpool. Now ashamed of facing Vanessa, he looks forward to finding a cure for his scars from the man who caused them.

The defence of Deadpool :: The entertainment never really stops with Deadpool. It is funny, with a lot of action sequences and a fast pace that it maintains till the end. Deadpool chooses to be different, and completely dismantles the rules which brings a certain enjoyable divergence that we can all appreciate. It is obvious that you don’t wish to see the same people saving the world again and again – guess what happens with watching the same for eternity? Change is a necessity, and Deadpool has realized that. It is the energy in this movie that makes sure that it works, and for the same, we can thank the actors. The dialogues in the taxi happen to provide some big boost to the funny side – it is such a nice beginning to this flick, along with the opening credits. Deadpool might not be the hero character to be loved by family audience, but the movie is heroic enough to go the divergent path.

The claws of flaw :: Deadpool could have surely gone forward with a better story, and it should have avoided becoming the same as those superhero movies which it seemed to make fun of. It often becomes what Meet the Spartans was to 300, Vampires Suck was to Twilight and the Scary Movie series was to Scream, Signs, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Blair Witch Project, The Ring, The Grudge, The Village, War of the Worlds, Saw and so many others. It is nearly impossible to take Deadpool seriously, but it is still pretty much a serious story, and there lies the contradiction that makes one wonder and think about that Deadpool who was there in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. One can also feel that some moments here are supposed to be funny, but they aren’t. With the final moments, Deadpool is not so different as one would expect either, and some blood and gore to that.

Performers of the soul :: Ryan Reynolds has some very nice moments as the new big anti-hero and he never hesitates in stealing the show. We remember Morena Baccarin from Gotham and she makes a great choice for this role – I feel that her character with her there, has a lot more potential. Meanwhile, the one person who brings something special in there is Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead – from that name itself, she provides a lot more to the funny side. From being Daario Naharis in the Season three of Game of Thrones to being the new Frank Martin in The Transporter Refueled, Ed Skrein brings a fine villain here for a change. Coming back to another big movie from Fast and Furious 6, Gina Carano is another right choice – there is nothing to blame in the casting; even with those characters of lesser significance.

How it finishes :: Deadpool is no usual superhero movie, as there is nothing heroic in what he does, as said by the protagonist himself. Consider it as a usual superhero movie might not do it that much good, and I would consider it a harbinger of change in this genre, just like what Batman Begins and its sequels did earlier. But unlike the Dark Knight trilogy, this one leaves the audience with no real inspirational message – you can still dive deeper and maybe come up with something that is buried deep. But even if such a thing can be done, Deadpool is a movie which is made for some fun, and there is not much to taken seriously out of it – that is a fact which we can conclude by just listening to the main character; the conversation in the taxi makes that even clearer. Deadpool could have been a better movie, but they have chosen to keep it funny rather than that!

Release date: 12th February 2016
Running time: 108 minutes
Directed by: Tim Miller
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, Leslie Uggams, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapičić, Karan Soni, Jed Rees

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Conjuring 2

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: We were so close to missing this movie; it could have disappeared leaving us with only those positive opinions about this movie.

Vampire Bat :: But we didn’t miss, and it is the beauty here.

Vampire Owl :: Now, we have some new horror to report about here.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, and it is sweet to see so many people choosing this movie over the other inferior movies.

[Gets the tickets with some cheese popcorn].

✠ This was recently posted by me at Kiagia.com: http://www.kiagia.com/index.php/current-film-releases-movie/1454-the-conjuring-2-movie-review

In the year 2013, when The Conjuring released, there was new life for the horror genre. The first installment in The Conjuring movie series had such huge success that it made sure that there will be more to come, and after the spin-off Annabelle, the sequel to the original arrived, and has managed to be the talk of the town again. This movie continues the adventures of the American paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine, the Warrens who were associated with going through a good number of cases of haunting throughout the country. The Conjuring is based on the case of the Enfield Poltergeist which goes back to 1970s in England where there were claims of poltergeist activity and the Warrens were involved in the investigation.

Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) are checking the Amityville house in 1976, but Lorraine goes through a vision through the murders which happened at place and comes across a creature that looks like a demonic nun, along with a scene of the death of Ed. It has her worried about the future of their paranormal investigations, and she feels that there is some terrible fate awaiting them as long as they go on with their job. She does have another visit from the demon in her dream, and Ed also draws a portrait of the demon. It is in the year 1977 that the Hodgson family comes up against some weird incidents at their house. The police are helpless against these, and they decide to call the local priest instead to figure things out.

The family includes a divorced mother Peggy Hodgson (Frances O’Connor) and her two daughters, Janet Hodgson (Madison Wolfe) and Margaret Hodgson (Lauren Esposito), and her two sons, Johnny Hodgson (Patrick McAuley) and Billy Hodgson (Benjamin Haigh). It all begins with Janet, the second of the children beginning to talk to darkness and also seems to sleep-walk during the later hours of the night. There seems to be the presence of an evil entity, that claims that the house belongs to him and everyone else is trespassing. As the rest of the family also witness the presence of something not of this world, they stay at the neighbour’s house, but even then, they are not spared. At more than one occasion, Janet is possessed, and her situation only gets worse.

This finally brings Ed and Lorraine to the haunted house. They consult with other paranormal investigators, including Maurice Grosse (Simon McBurney) and Anita Gregory (Franka Potente) and they come across the spirit of an old man named Bill Wilkins (Bob Adrian), but the Demon Nun (Bonnie Aarons) is not really out of the equation. Soon, they will find out that the spirit of the old man, the demon, the vision of Ed’s death and the new case of possession and haunting, they are all connected to each other. With fear of death in their minds, can they go past the spirit and the demon to save the little girl who has put her faith on them? Or will the house remain haunted forever, and the family destined to remain in trouble?

It is difficult to compare the two movies, but one can safely say that this sequel is almost as good as the original. The success of this movie can be attributed to many things, including the setting which has been used here, the one strong demonic antagonist which is very well supported well by a secondary opponent, the jump scares that excels in quality and the acting department itself. With a huge number of scares in store, the movie is certain to keep all of its audience entertained. The attempt to scare begins with the first moments at Amityville itself, and they just keep coming as if to remind you that we are not done with you yet, and that we will always have something to scare you.

The best moments of the movie include the first appearance of Bill’s spirit, the Demon Nun coming out of the portrait, the possession of Janet, the sudden appearance of the Crooked Man and the spirit rising from underneath water. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson have done their parts wonderfully, and one got to love Madison Wolfe who played the possessed child. The one problem that people can have with this movie, is with those emotional moments, but they are actually very less in number. Throughout its run, The Conjuring 2 does make the viewers feel that they are part of this dangerous journey through the haunting, and with successfully doing the same, manages to be the sequel that the original movie deserved.

The Conjuring 2 has almost everything working in its favour. If you have watched the original, you will need to watch this sequel, and if you haven’t, still you need to check this one out. It works for everyone, and so we can be assured that there will be sequels to this movie, Annabelle and also that spin-off titled The Nun featuring the antagonist of The Conjuring 2. Here, we have a movie which needs to be watched with its entire splendor on the big screen, and it is a safe bet to make. This is also a franchise that knows what it is doing, and so the fans can be sure about getting their money’s worth with more titles which are to follow.

Release date: 10th June 2016
Running time: 147 minutes
Directed by: James Wan
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Frances O’Connor, Madison Wolfe, Simon McBurney, Franka Potente, Lauren Esposito, Patrick McAuley, Benjamin Haigh, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon Delaney, Shannon Kook, Sterling Jerins, Bob Adrian, Abhi Sinha, Robin Atkin Downes, Bonnie Aarons, Javier Botet

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Visit

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: That reminds me that we haven’t visited Uncle Dracula for a long time.

Vampire Bat :: We are not supposed to do that before submitting a report about The Conjuring 2.

Vampire Owl :: Well, at least we can add new movies to the list of flicks we have watched.

Vampire Bat :: I believe that watching one more horror movie will only do us a lot of good.

Vampire Owl :: Yes, it is a kind of regeneration, I agree.

Vampire Bat :: And this one is from Manoj Night Shyamalan.

Vampire Owl :: Which was the last movie from him that we watched?

Vampire Bat :: That should be After Earth.

Vampire Owl :: Lets forget about the past then.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, I surely have a better feeling about this one.

[Gets three cups of tea with jackfruit chips].

What is it about? :: Two kids, Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) decides to go on a five day visit to their grandparents whom they haven’t met before, as their mother Loretta Jamison (Kathryn Hahn) had left the house to live with the man of her dreams, and never talked to them after that. She goes on a cruise with her new boyfriend, as the children leaves to enjoy their holidays with their grandparents. The two kids meet their grandparents (Peter McRobbie and Deanna Dunagan) and they are extremely delighted of this family re-union, calling the two elders, Pop-pop and Nana, and the elders also look very happy to see the children. They even shoot a documentary about their visit to their “reclaimed” grandparents.

So what happens next? :: But things don’t go that smoothly as expected, as there is something really strange about the grandparents. The bed-time is set at half past nine, and whenever they try to go out or even look outside their room, there is something really weird going on with the grandparents, especially their grandmother. Her behaviour only seems to get even more strange as days pass, and their grandfather beats up a random stranger on the streets for no real reason. There is a girl named Stacey (Celia Keenan-Bolger) who had come to visit the couple, but they don’t find her leaving. By hiding a camera, they discover even darker secrets, and they realize that there is something wrong about their grandparents even though their mother doesn’t believe them. They decide to find out what it is.

The defence of The Visit :: The movie has an interesting run throughout, and we are left guessing about what is wrong about these people, and then the twist comes by the end – it works very well. There are some really creepy moments in between, and they actually come out of nowhere, mostly when we are least expecting them. There are also some funny moments in there, and The Visit should qualify as an entertainer in most of the lists due to the same reason. Running for just a little bit more than one and half hours, The Visit makes sure that it keeps us there, very much interested in it. There is not much of blood and gore here, and without using that much of the jump scares, the movie manages to be an interesting horror flick, which means that there is some nice skill going on there.

The claws of flaw :: The movie takes a certain amount of time to get to its thrilling side, and until then, the possibility of terror is not that much ascertained. The found-footage elements were not necessary here either, and we could have actually done without them. It is the kind of thing that I have hated in almost all horror movies, yes even those highly popular ones. The premise could have been better used, as this kind of a story can always bring a high amount of creepiness into play. There are also some silly moments around in this one, and the scary side could have been introduced a lot earlier. One can often compare it to a very strange and gloomy fairy-tale, but it never really gets there in totality – that would have been another interesting thing.

Performers of the soul :: The kids Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould have done fine job here, even though there is not that much to perform in this horror movie which focuses on the two elders. But the funny side works very well for them. Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie brings the best of a strange couple here, and the former has the best moments in the movie. She has her hide and seek moment, the oven scene, the scene when she is scratching on the walls and those final moments of horror from under the bed which all leave some impact on the viewers varying only in the degree. Above them all, there is one thing that we can be more certain about, and it is that Manoj Night Shyamalan has returned to form, and it will be interesting to see what his next movie is about – 2017 will have the thriller Split with James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy who was earlier seen in The Witch.

How it finishes :: Compared to the rest of the movies of its genre released in the last few years, The Visit surely has managed to come up with a separate identity, even though it doesn’t completely use its premise to the best advantage. The last two movies from Manoj Night Shyamalan including The Last Airbender and After Earth never really got close to keeping me interested. But this one surely brings him back, with certain amount of skill in creating those moments of horror, rather than sticking to the usual formula. My favourites from him will always be The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, but this one also makes it to the interesting movies list with his name on it. When talking about the movies with story from him, I would go for Devil as my favourite.

Release date: 11th September 2015
Running time: 94 minutes
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, Kathryn Hahn, Benjamin Kanes, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jon Douglas Rainey, Brian Gildea, Shawn Gonzalez, Richard Barlow, Erica Lynne Marszalek, Shawn Gonzalez, Michael Mariano

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Brooklyn

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: Let me see this. Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay; some big nominations right there.

Vampire Bat :: I told you that this is the right movie to be watched.

Vampire Owl :: Based on Brooklyn by Colm Toibin; so the novel is also there to read.

Vampire Bat :: But the last time you read a novel was when global warming hadn’t even started.

Vampire Owl :: Yes, but I make exceptions, like with the Lich Queen.

Vampire Bat :: That was when she wrote the “poem of undead death” and you had to read it or be bitten by animated corpses which were worse than zombies.

Vampire Owl :: Yes, but that still counts as reading.

Vampire Bat :: Saoirse Ronan is your favourite from Byzantium too; lets not forget that.

Vampire Owl :: Things are becoming clearer now…

Vampire Bat :: And City of Ember as well as Atonement which goes further back. Enough reasons there!

[Gets three cups of tea with jackfruit chips].

What is it about? :: In the 1950s, Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) lives with her sister and mother in a small town called Enniscorthy, along the South East coast of Ireland. As she is unable to find good work, her sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) writes to Father Flood (Jim Broadbent) in Brooklyn who arranges her travel to the United States of America in hope for a better tomorrow for her. Suffering from from seasickness and then homesickness, she has a troubled road to the new city far away. Despite the problems that she faces, there she joins the bookkeeping classes and also comes across Anthony Fiorello (Emory Cohen) whom she meets at a dance, and falls in love. But the sudden death of her sister will call her back to Ireland. The question remains about what she will choose after that incident – Enniscorthy or Brooklyn?

So what happens next? :: With her mother alone and hoping for someone to be there with her, Ellis, who is now Ellis Fiorello after getting married in Brooklyn, will choose not to reveal the news about her marriage to anyone and remain in Ireland. There she will meet again with her old friend Nancy (Eileen O’Higgins) whose wedding she hope to attend by extending her stay there, and she also meets another man, Jim Farrell (Domhnall Gleeson) again. She also manages to find work as an accountant where her sister used to work, and the choice becomes a lot more difficult. Can her love for the man whom she met at her worst times turned into the best make sure that she will go back to Brooklyn, or is it the newly found comfort back at home that works better for her heart and brain? Whatever it is, Ellis will have to make the choice.

The defence of Brooklyn :: There are not many love stories that are so smooth, and so effective, even at such slow pace. You will feel the beauty of the world that we see in this movie, visually for sure, and also otherwise. There has been the lack of good romantic movies in the recent past, as the degradation has always created more and more movies full booze and sex, and no real love. So, it is great to have a movie like this, in which you can feel the love, and enjoy the top level performances from the leading cast. The emotions are effective as well as beautiful here, and as we are taken to that certain time period, we will feel the need to be there too, with the people, the buildings and the nature itself; and there is a certain amount of happiness that the movie that leaves us with.

Positives and negatives :: Brooklyn might feel kind of slow, which can make it seem to be a little bit too long for the interests of some people. It is the old-fashioned love that reflects the nature of the age during which it is happening. It is a fine level of feel-good that we have here, and the fairy-tale love story that everyone would wish for, with all its simplicity. Saoirse Ronan makes that kind of impact, that we will fall in love with the life of this particular Irish girl. In the end, we are left with the much needed idea for the age, that true love succeeds, and returns where it deserves to be. Brooklyn surely has a huge heart, and its soul is at the right place; it is also smart and makes its point perfectly. It should be why an old-fashioned movie gets itself on top, facing all those movies which might seem ahead of it when we look at them. Brooklyn, without doubt deserves all the appreciation that it has earned.

Performers of the soul :: Saoirse Ronan has been an amazing actress, and right from her first few movies years ago, she has never failed to create an impression, and Brooklyn is no different. I first noticed her in City of Ember, and Byzantium happens to be my favourite movie featuring her. From the beginning to the end, it is her show that is going on here, going through the changes on her character which such perfection. She makes things feel so real, whether it is about the sadness, the romance or that feeling of happiness – all that twinkles in her eyes. It is into her world that we enters, and leave with bliss! I have felt that this one goes deep, and wished that she had won an Academy Award for this one. Meanwhile, Emory Cohen plays his role with no trouble, as the character becomes one memorable one; Domhnall Gleeson nicely joins in and makes the point.

How it finishes :: Brooklyn takes that beautiful message of true love to another level, as it remains sweet and cute throughout its run. It talks about why it matters to be with the person whom you have always loved no matter what comfort the other things can provide you with. In a new world in which people only look for one’s job, house, money and family name to get married, the movies that follow the old style of love become a lot relevant. These days, whether it is love marriage or arranged marriage, people have been too much focused on money, and living through such an age of self-proclaimed ancient, rich aristocratic people and families, we need movies like Brooklyn – for true love should be what the poets have written about, and not what these sex-romantic-comedies define for the new generation.

Release date: 4th November 2015
Running time: 112 minutes
Directed by: John Crowley
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Bríd Brennan, Jenn Murray, Fiona Glascott, Jessica Paré, Eileen O’Higgins, Emily Bett Rickards, Eve Macklin, Nora-Jane Noone, Michael Zegen, Paulino Nunes, James DiGiacomo, Christian de la Cortina, Ellen David, Eva Birthistle

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Captain America: Civil War

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: We have missed too many big Hollywood movies this year. It is a case of heavy disappointment.

Vampire Bat :: You are talking about missing The Jungle Book more than any other.

Vampire Owl :: Yes, we missed the nostalgia. There was the same thing in Malayalam too.

Vampire Bat :: But we won’t miss this one at all. The Captain is here at the local theatres this time. Captain America movies have always been among the best superhero flicks, and you know how Avengers come up with the big action all the time!

[Gets the tickets with some cheese popcorn].

✠ This was recently posted by me at Kiagia.com: http://www.kiagia.com/index.php/current-film-releases-movie/1398-captain-america-civil-war

The two movies which constituted The Avengers series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had managed to be special treat for the fans. There is no chance for questioning Marvel this time either, with another action-packed movie here which features most of the superheroes excluding the Incredible Hulk and the hammer-wielding Thor. With the Avengers supposed to be grouped into two teams under Captain America and Iron Man, the expectations were set high, and this movie delivers too, following the path of the two earlier Avengers movies as well as the two Captain America flicks, as the story continues from where it had left things, in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

As the Avengers are going through one of their routine missions, things don’t really go on as planned and an explosion occurs, killing a number of Wakandans. Later, the U.S. Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) tells them about the United Nations plan to come up with the Sokovia Accords signed by 117 nations, which will bring a certain amount of control in the functioning of Avengers to avoid loss of human life and property. Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) who is saddened by his own creation of Ultron, destruction of Sokovia and isolation from Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) comes up with the decision that they have to sign the Accords, and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) supports him on this, along with Vision (Paul Bettany).

But Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) has no faith in the government or an international organization, as Captain America turns from being the patriot to the insurgent while trying to protect his old friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan) who is once again termed as “the Winter Soldier” and is blamed for an explosion which follows. A revenge-seeking T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) also joins Tony Stark’s team which also has James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and he recruits a young Peter Parker (Tom Holland). But the truth about Bucky is more than what meets the eye, and to defend the same, Captain America will need the support of his other allies which will include Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner).

Among all the superheroes that Marvel has created, Captain America has remained the most interesting one; the two movies of the Captain has been among the best movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with Captain America: Civil War, the three movies make a fine trilogy of action thrillers. As it has been in the previous titles, Chris Evans makes an amazing Captain America. Just as the title suggests, this one easily becomes his movie. Elizabeth Olsen once again has a special charm as the Scarlet Witch while Paul Rudd brings more entertainment even though he arrives late. Robert Downey remains solid as Iron Man. The next two characters we notice the most are nicely played by Anthony Mackie and Chadwick Boseman.

Even though The Hulk and Thor are not present here, this movie brings more superheroes, some whom the fans might already know and the others being mostly unfamiliar to most of the audience outside North America and Europe. The new additions include the Black Panther and Spider-Man, while Ant-Man, Falcon and Vision get to be part of some full Avenger action. Ant-Man adds some nice fun as the movie nears the end while the young Spider-Man and all the jokes related to this version of the superhero remains just irritating. There have been many versions of Spider-Man before, and this one here remains the least impressive of them all. The Black Panther remains special though, and the character is a smart addition.

The story doesn’t have the strength here, but the action sequences and the visuals make up for it. Still, the previous Captain America and Avengers movies had better thrills, story-line and there were even bigger action sequences. But this one here has the biggest group of superheroes, and with so many of those interesting characters present, the movie becomes a treat to watch. Unlike the previous movies, the focus too shifts to the relationships between the main characters, from between Captain America and Iron Man to Vision and the Scarlet Witch, there is a powerful emotional side to this flick, and there is also the testing of loyalties as well as old friendships. The battle is not against the villain this time, but between themselves and their own people.

The movie is also thought-provoking to an extent, even though that side never really gets the spotlight. It has all the entertainment that one needs for the weekend, but adds a little bit too much that is not really needed, from Spider-Man who was just there for the sake of being present, to some of those emotional sequences which often seem a little bit too much. The movie never really needed to go childish with Spider-Man. It surely has an advantage over Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as expected, but could have still been an even better movie. The potential for this movie was so much, and just enough of the entertainment is delivered here. With two parts of Avengers: Infinity War to come, one has to wonder what all these events will mean for the team of superheroes. You need to be ready 😀

Release date: 6th May 2016
Running time: 147 minutes
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Victor Frankenstein

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl :: None of our undead doctors have approved of this movie.

Vampire Bat :: That will not be a problem at all, because neither have the critics.

Vampire Owl :: So, we should still watch this one?

Vampire Bat :: As long as there is no ban, we can surely do that.

Vampire Owl :: Thankfully, we are not from a realm where there are bans on certain types of food, cinema and clothing.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, unlike these humans who are elected for no reason, Uncle Dracula is a lenient and intelligent ruler. Even the brain-dead Lich Queen knows better.

Vampire Owl :: We should let the clever film makers from the human side to work on their movies here.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, that will also be a big bonus for tourism; all is well as long as they keep their hatred, vanity, greed and envy outside our realms.

Vampire Owl :: And to avoid any temptation for the vampires, they should lock their necks, especially those veins…

Vampire Bat :: Stop! I am going to pretend that I never really heard that!

[Gets three cups of tea with tapioca chips].

What is it about? :: The tale begins and goes through the perspective of a nameless hunchback (Daniel Radcliffe) who works as the clown in a circus. He has been part of the circus for so long, and is more of a property of the circus, treated badly by most of the people there. But he secretly reads books that are stolen, mostly related to science, particularly human anatomy. He has feelings for an aerialist, Lorelei (Jessica Brown Findlay) who is injured during one of the shows. With no hope for her survival after falling from a good height, the hunchback tries his best to do anything, and at that exact moment, is aided by a stranger known by the name Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy) who was attending the circus performance. Both succeeds in saving the girl who is taken to a hospital. This becomes the turning point in the life of the hunchback.

So what happens next? :: Victor Frankenstein has been a very ambitious medical student who has been working on something special. His aim has always been to make a discovery that would change the future. He has been scarred by his earlier experiences and wishes to make amends with his father (Charles Dance) who thinks that he is good for nothing and will never be anywhere close to his brother. He wanted to create life, and fascinated by a simple, uneducated hunchback’s knowledge in human anatomy, decides to recruit him for the cause as his assistant, and make things better and easier. So, he plans and manages a grand escape for the hunchback whom he names Igor, after his former room-mate. He drains the new assistant’s hump with his expertise and successfully hides him as the room-mate that he once had.

How does the journey go? :: The newly named Igor instantly impresses Victor, and they realize that they can go a long way forward. The police inspector Roderick Turpin (Andrew Scott) who investigates the disappearance of the hunchback realizes that something strange is going on, and it is against God. Considering Victor’s experiments as sins and his creations as unholy, he decides to stop him, whatever it might cost. They also come up against Lorelei once again, but this time as a different person. She also asks them to rethink about going against the natural order of things. But Victor and Igor are so close to their first case of success, but will that bring them glory or terror? What role will Lorelei play in this dangerous attempt at glory? Is it really an act against God, and what danger can this new creation from the grave bring?

The defence of Victor Frankenstein :: The visuals are really good with this one; there is a lot of style associated with the movie, and the cast also saves the day. Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy are good, especially the former who seems to have more control over his character. Jessica Brown Findlay also brings some charm while Andrew Scott is a fine opponent to the protagonists. The differences when compared to the original story has been nicely created. The messages are well placed, and they are mostly against vanity and the false ambition which stay strong within the main protagonist – he is so close to becoming Doctor Faustus, not just Doctor Frankenstein. It also asserts that there are things that cannot be changed and we have to accept them. There are some nice dialogues which keep making the point too. It has its own dose of entertainment too, and that matters.

The claws of flaw :: Victor Frankenstein needed a better flow in its story. It surely begins nicely, but gets lost at times. It is quite strange that the movie doesn’t try that hard to deviate from its source material from which it hasn’t really followed – there seems to be an attempt to return but at the same time staying different. The movie needed to be more certain with its story, and also could have dealt with its main characters differently – even though the main actors handle the whole thing well, better characterization and a much better background would have done them all, some more good. More horrors and thrilling moments could have been added to make its central idea about life and death more appealing; for now, they have done well to do that with the dialogues – maybe they could have done so without speaking that much about the same.

How it finishes :: Victor Frankenstein is another interesting movie based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 Gothic horror novel. The different versions of the same story or newly written extensions always bring something that can catch our attention, just like I, Frankenstein which extended the tale very nicely. In another case, there was Dracula Untold which brought another angle to the popular 1897 Gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker. If you are going to judge this one based on the many years old story, this is not the movie for you; but if you are ready to think from another angle, and understand the imagination behind making such a different attempt, you can surely go for this one, as despite not being that big Frankenstein movie, this is a fun movie which also leaves the viewers with some interesting messages to take home.

Release date: 27th November 2015 (India); 25th November 2015 (USA)
Running time: 110 minutes
Directed by: Paul McGuigan
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott, Charles Dance, Freddie Fox, Mark Gatiss, Callum Turner, Daniel Mays, Spencer Wilding

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Inside Out

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Tennyson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Gets three cups of tea with jackfruit chips].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Boy

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Tennyson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Gets three cups of tea with tapioca chips].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Witch

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Tennyson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vampire Bat :: You mean the itch sound.

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

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

[Gets three cups of tea with potato chips].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Sinister II

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Tennyson

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

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

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

Vampire Bat :: And why do you think so?

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Gets three cups of tea with tapioca chips].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Batman v Superman

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Tennyson

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

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

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

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

[Gets the tickets with some cheese popcorn].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Knock Knock

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Tennyson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vampire Bat :: Not at all.

[Gets three cups of tea with tapioca chips].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Jessabelle

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Tennyson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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