Tag Archives: destruction

Beast Race

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Vampire Owl: I think that they are talking about the races held by werewolves.

Vampire Bat: Werewolves are not the only official beasts in the world.

Vampire Owl: Humans call us beasts, but they are mistaken.

Vampire Bat: For some humans, beast is a positive thing.

Vampire Owl: I heard that demons and witches unleash beasts.

Vampire Bat: Those are just rumours spread to scare people around.

Vampire Owl: You think that even shadow demons don’t have beasts?

Vampire Bat: The shadow demons are beasts themselves.

Vampire Owl: They are also immortal, aren’t they?

Vampire Bat: We know that demons are forever, towards infinity.

[Gets an onion uthappam and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: Many years have passed, and Rio de Janeiro tries to survive with some grand transformation occurring in the area after the disappearance of the sea around it. With the whole world feeling the effect of strange natural phenomenon, the city becomes an entity separate from any kind of universal brotherhood or globalization. The climate change and disasters have changed the division between the rich and the poor, making it even worse for the latter, with no resources and no way of living. The wealthy elites who control everything and go on with their days in luxury, while the poor struggle to survive in the slums and their known world which have turned into wasteland areas. To control the people from rioting, the rich and the influential bring back Brazil’s traditional illegal animal lottery which was present in one way or the other in different formats, and transforms it into a deadly, high-stakes sport called the Beast Race. This game replaces animals with humans wearing animal tattoos and masks, and are called by the names of the creatures whom they choose to represent.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In the game, the runners who take on animal alter-egos like Pig, Horse, Lion, Bull, Eagle, Cat etc have to race through lethal obstacle courses across four elimination stages set in urban or rural areas and maybe even forests. The ultimate winner earns a grand fortune along with the fame and respect. But every runner must offer a loved one as human collateral to enter the, and if the runner loses or dies, their collateral is condemned to the mysterious, dreaded place called Coast of Hell where they are experimented on, unless being bought by one of the elite wealthy people to be one of their slaves, but that comes at a very high price. The game is managed by Abu (Rodrigo Santoro), a former champion runner who won the race so many times and with relative ease that he went on to become the game’s mastermind, and holds a high status among the elite class who treat the runners as their disposable playable characters in the running game. He gets to make many decisions which are even frowned upon by the rich and the influential.

And what more to follow here in a world of races with lives at stake and a revolution in waiting? :: Mano (Matheus Abreu) is the biggest opponent of the idea of this game, as he leads a rebel enclave in a zone. He keeps fighting against the games by taking out racers who attempt to take the easy path through his territory as the race usually takes place around the perimeter area. Mano’s plans for revolution against elite class and the game is shattered when the boyfriend of his younger sister, Dalva (Thainá Duarte), secretly enters the race and is forced to offer her up as his human collateral. This means that Mano needs to replace the weak boyfriend who seems like someone who could lose in the initial rounds – he does the same, and takes the alter-ego of the Cat. Nadine (Isis Valverde) takes over as his player, guiding him as his eyes, as she joins in for the first time. She is also determined to take control from the usual winners and emerge as the new leading player by making her runner win, as she herself was a slave who was bought by an elite class man and used for his pleasure until reaching this level. As Nadine and Mano work hard to prove a point, will there be a change in a world of hopelessness?

The defence of Beast Race :: The apocalyptic world here has been built with a difference, and the dystopian touch also has our attention. The parkour moves through what seems to be more or less dangerous obstacle courses across apocalyptic environments makes this creative and highly entertaining. The world has been nicely built and we see the environment undergoing the needed variations for the world after the apocalyptic situation. There is a lot of action around, and we do enjoy the same, especially with some nail-biting finishes during the game. Matheus Abreu as Mano makes an impressive journey as the runner despite the beginning stages not seeming to do that much. The most notable character is Isis Valverde as Nadine, one of the most solid performances in a movie of this genre; the kind of character that we should see in Hollywood movies too – she might be the best thing about this movie, as we see her coming out of nowhere. Rodrigo Santoro as Abu becomes one of the smartest villains you might ever see. Thainá Duarte also has her moments around here.

Positives and negatives :: There are many classic moments which this movie could have had, but it often hesitates to take the extra risk and does not fully work on the rebellion against the rich and the influential – maybe the same is kept for a possible sequel in the future. A number of characters feel side-lined, and the final big rebellion never really arrives. The romantic side arrives late, but works when it makes an impact related to the need for revolution from a shared post. That earlier setting for the rebellion goes unanswered, leaving the climax feeling more like an unfinished pilot for a developing franchise rather than one movie which starts and ends with itself. Some of the ideas of the movie feels only partially unexplored as there is no further development of a few elements which decides the seriousness and danger of the movie. The true nature of the Coast of Hell is never really revealed and the much broader politics controlling the game are left unresolved, as we keep wondering about how slaves come up in the ranks in a world which deprives even the common citizens of their rights.

How it finishes :: Those who watched The Running Man are sure to be interested in this one, and there is a certain amount of divergence related to this one too. This also serves as the Latin American version of The Hunger Games, even though that much of a huge fight and talk about rebellion is not around. This is also one movie which makes us feel why we cannot have such a movie in regional film industries of India too, as the end of the world could exist with divergence in all parts of the world, and could develop divergent dystopias. The movie here does the best during its high-octane parkour sequences and survival races, anchored by strong environment and surprising performances which rise in level later. The movie’s success in creating an entertaining, dystopian and post-apocalyptic spectacle that pushes the boundaries makes us interested. This was actually discovered surprisingly on Amazon Prime Video, and it is available in multiple languages including English and Hindi. You should give this one a try if you have loved this kind of worlds and survival games.

Release date: 17 March 2026
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Fernando Meirelles, Rodrigo Pesavento, Ernesto Solis
Starring: Matheus Abreu, Rodrigo Santoro, Isis Valverde, Bruno Gagliasso, Seu Jorge, Grazi Massafera, Leandro Firmino, Silvero Pereira, João Guilherme, Anitta

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Supergirl

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Vampire Owl: I have heard some strange things about this movie.

Vampire Bat: The trailer itself was rather strange for a superhero movie.

Vampire Owl: I was wondering if this was really a superhero or a girl calling herself super.

Vampire Bat: There is nothing super about humans or their alien friends.

Vampire Owl: Yes, you are talking about chaos and destruction caused by them.

Vampire Bat: Devastation, explosion, annihilation, end of the world, everything awaits.

Vampire Owl: It is great that they have remained without their immortality.

Vampire Bat: Still, there is no shortage of infinite hopelessness in them.

Vampire Owl: I see no point in any alien trying save the humans.

Vampire Bat: You should know that vampire elders voted for human extinction three million nine thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven times in history.

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

What is the movie about? :: Zor-El (David Krumholtz) who was a leading scientist in the planet of Krypton along with his wife Alura In-Ze (Emily Beecham) and a number of people who had chosen to follow him, had moved to Argo City in the centre of the planet, during an event which destabilized the core of the planet leading to its destruction. A forcefield around city and its surroundings, going some distance down, had saved it from the explosion of the core. But it is discovered that the separation of Argo City from the planet had exposed a mineral known as Kryptonite which is slowly killing the citizens through a certain kind of radiation which affected their cells. After Alura dies due toto Kryptonite poisoning, Zor-El decides to send their daughter Kara (Milly Alcock) to Earth with their pet dog. As she reaches Earth, she meets her cousin Kal-El (David Corenswet) who was sent to the planet before the explosion of their planet’s core. After a series of events, Kara decides to go on with her life partying on planets with red suns where she can get drunk unlike Earth with yellow sun which heals her and takes her dog Krypto with her.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As she parties in celebration of her twenty third birthday, she stops at the planet Holzherr. There she finds Ruthye (Eve Ridley) who is the last survivor of her family who were murdered by Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), the leader of a merciless bandit group known as the Brigands who haunts the galaxy as space pirates and human traffickers. Ruthye who is assisted by Kara to retrieve her family sword follows her and requests her assistance so that she can kill the man responsible and have her vengeance, but the Kryptonian is not interested at all. Krem who follows them takes Kara’s ship to escape from the planet as his spacecraft was destroyed by Ruthye’s parents. He shoots Krypto with a poisonous dart when he tries to stop them and the dog is left with only three days to live. Kara decides to go after Krem to get the antidote which only their race possesses, and is forced to keep Ruthye as her companion in the journey. They find an alien mercenary and bounty hunter named Lobo (Jason Momoa) who is also chasing the bandits – can they complete their mission in time?

The defence of Supergirl :: There is always something about a superhero movie which has a vulnerable superhero, whether it is with the psychological side and physical side as the person tries to get through different kinds of trouble in life. The idea of having the superhuman go on a journey of self-discovery surely works, and the funny side also comes effective at times. The action is surely interesting, even though not on that huge a scale – the fight in the flight and the final battle do have the power to keep things interesting though. But the interplanetary journeys work well, like it did in Thor: Ragnarok, and does not make her feel like the miserable Captain Marvel who gets more irritating and is more alien than anyone from another planet could be. The fact that there is not that much of the irritating dog in this movie keeps things better. The movie moving from Metropolis cityscapes to an intergalactic revenge quest across alien worlds has the divergence that we have been looking for, but has been missing in this particular universe. The world-building surely has taken some skill, and we see that the same has been given a lot of attention. Then we feel that a new movie with both the super people is going to be grand.

The claws of flaw :: The movie struggles to keep the superhero model alive on a lot of occasions as there might be an identity crisis coming in here and there. One keep wondering if the main character had that much of a trauma to be irritating to the people around her, and the dog even becomes another name for irritation. If it had any more screen-time in a superhero movie about humans, aliens and different plants, that would be seriously disturbing, but this one escapes the same by a few minutes. The struggle related to balancing the dark themes of vengeance, trauma and heavy drinking) which comes against the silliness and the comic book action can be seen around. Some of the settings of the movie also shows some weaker designs of not much of an interest. A number of characters are not seen like having much of a development to think about. Then there are the first few minutes of the movie which does seem to make it interesting at all; this was another one of those films which we wonder if we can finish or have a positive opinion about, after we watch the beginning with the girl and the dog.

The performers of the soul :: Milly Alcock, seems to handle a different kind of Supergirl really well, even though never the kind we wanted or expected in this universe – we had a feeling what to expect from the Superman movie for sure. She is surely fun, even when the character does not walk the path needed for such a character as we would think about. But it is still a lot better than having a too-powerful and no physical or psychological weakness psycho-hero in the form of Captain Marvel. There is surely some fine development of her character despite that dumb beginning to the flick. She surely fits in as this version of Supergirl, and we see her doing so well in the middle part of the movie. The world’s most super irritating dog is also there, and as it is not there for the full run after that character being paralyzed, we can safely go with the humans now. Jason Momoa also makes a fine impact here even though we would have always loved him more as the Aquaman ruling the oceans with Amber Heard by his side as Mera. Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll also brings some additional fun around here. Matthias Schoenaerts as the villain remains effective too.

How it finishes :: Despite the movie not becoming a success, and going rather too low with the box-office collections, one has to feel that it is not of such low level. It might not have that superheroic quality as one would expect and there is no doubt about it. But it is still better than Superman which released earlier, and seems to have more work done around here. This one is indeed ambitious, non-traditional comic book adaptation that gets into a darker sci-fi territory, and the feeling of danger is surely more and realistic than in Marvel, which used too much of the funny side as it made its superheroes, especially Thor, feel like a buffoon. This movie here might not be a universal crowd-pleaser and has surely fallen a long way from the status of a commercial blockbuster, But Milly Alcock’s performance in the second half of the movie and the central dynamic with the new-found partner traveler offer a fresh look here. Yet, one would think that if the earlier universe had continued with its existing strength, the world would have survived better, or at least if a parallel universe was unlocked before this one.

Release date: 26 June 2026
Running time: 108 minutes
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet, Jason Momoa

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

A Working Man

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Vampire Owl: We are all working all the time, you know.

Vampire Bat: Everybody including Uncle Dracula knows that you do no work at all.

Vampire Owl: I work at my own office within my room.

Vampire Bat: You know that there is no business firms allowed in the Dracula Castle.

Vampire Owl: This is just me showing my skills making blood milk shake and blood cake.

Vampire Bat: Do you even know the sugar levels of vampires of the castle?

Vampire Owl: It is approved by Dr. Frankenstein and his medical company.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein has never been a real doctor who can do that.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein has presented and published a research paper on vampire blood sugar and was appreciated for the same by different universities.

Vampire Bat: I have heard that they were promised infinite amount of money just to accept the abstract and let him present it.

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

What is the movie about? :: Levon Cade (Jason Statham) is a retired Royal Marines Officer, now working as a construction foreman in Chicago, leaving the United Kingdom after his service and settling down in the United States as his American wife had committed suicide, and his father-in-law Jordan Roth (Richard Heap) who had settled down in the same city does not allow him to see his only daughter Merry Cade (Isla Gie) as he is known to suffer from PTSD and has been struggling to gain custody of his daughter. Levon maintains a close friendship with the family who employs him at the construction site – Joe Garcia (Michael Pena), his wife, Carla Garcia (Noemi Gonzalez) and their daughter, Jenny Garcia (Arianna Rivas), as they consider him as one of their own. One night, while Jenny is out at a bar, enjoying with her friends, she is kidnapped by two Russian traffickers who randomly choose their victims from the night club, the ruthless mercenaries known by the names Viper (Emmett J Scanlan) and Artemis (Eve Mauro).

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Joe and Carla report the case of their missing daughter to the police, but they are unable to find any leads, and do not seem to keep this anywhere close to priority. Desperate to find their daughter, the parents who know about Levon’s military past, offer him money to find Jenny, but he refuses to do anything about it, as he feels that his past was responsible for the death of his wife and hostility of his father-in-law who has always been a pacifist. But after consulting his former friend and comrade in arms in the military Gunny Lefferty (David Harbour), decides to what he does his best and follow his heart, as he had once promised Jenny to watch and protect her, making sure that no harm would come upon her. As he decides to use his best skills for the purpose, follows the bartender who was there at the time when Jenny went missing, and finds connection to Russian mafia which has been involved in human trafficking in the past. He finds out that the situation is more complicated than he thought. Can he find more clues and reach Jenny before time runs out?

The defence of A Working Man :: Watching this movie, one feels that this is a movie well set for Jason Statham to come up with all the action, and the same is asserted again and again as the movie progresses and gets close to the end. The action sequences are excellent and staying within the willing suspension of disbelief limits. It was best seen with that beginning fight scene and it just gets bigger in the final scenes as there is a lot to be done. We see something to root for the protagonist every moment as the film progresses – there is also an emotional touch to the main character, and we connect to the same with the feelings rightly felt. There is also that feeling of nostalgia that runs through in the movie reminding us those other earlier movies that we have seen before. The stylish and immensely evil Russian mobsters to a biker gang leader sitting on a literal throne in a basement with his black-wearing people, the variety of villains that make quite some impact. The visuals are quite nice, with different settings nicely used for the situation.

The claws of flaw :: The movie feels like a Taken-inspired weaker version with search for one woman who has taken by drug traffickers often forced into prostitution, as even the less appreciated Malayalam movie Karam doing better than this particular one. Yet, one feels that the danger is not that much felt here with the kidnapped woman, as she seems to be too comfortable with the same even when in so much of a terrifying situation as part of her captivity. For some reason, we do not see facing that much of a terror, and she seems to be more military-trained than even the main protagonist – this is where the other movies dealing with the same premise dealt with the situations much better. Even the search for the woman seems to be lagging, as the pace comes down. Then those fast cuts and shaky camera work during the quick action makes things feel rather strange, and leaves a lot to be desired. The title of the movie is also never really justified as the construction work never really gets the attention again.

The performers of the soul :: Jason Statham once again does what he does best as he has a strong physical presence, charm, as well as nice fight scenes including hand-to-hand combat and some shooting to go with it. Starting with a construction site fight and finishing after a full set of climax battle sequences keep us satisfied. It is once again asserted that he is the man for this kind of a job, after Liam Neeson did the same multiple times with his one series of movies starting with saving his daughter from human traffickers. Being a part of The Mechanic and one among of Hobbs and Shaw battling in Fast and Furious series had made us hope for him even in Hitman: Agent 47 which would have been perfect for him. After John Wick and friends in a chaotic murder spree universe, he remains seemingly best choice for this kind of worlds. Arianna Rivas as Jenny Garcia does not get much except for those last moments when there seems to be a fight forced on her – in a movie focused on her kidnapping, she is just not shown enough. Then the antagonists seem balanced, rightly there to be menacing enough.

How it finishes :: This remains an interesting movie, even though nothing much new in its content, and reminds us of many other movies in the past. The movie gains the advantage from Jason Statham as the main character, and even when there is not much to raise the level in the narrative, the man takes the movie straight up to another level. But we cannot help feeling that he could have done more if the search was better arranged and if the danger was really felt except for the kidnapped not shown much after being kidnapped except for the end, and due to the hero quickly going through the villains without that much of a difficulty as one should be having when facing a mafia, The emotional side with daughter works, but not with the kidnapped one as we rarely feel that she is in trouble, and yet we feel that the poor mafia members are really in bigger trouble – this is something which should not have happened in a movie like this which does not go over the line with its action. Well, the fight scenes work really well, and keeps us interested, and we are thrilled to see the happenings on the screen; often that much is enough for the genre, but not for a second watch on any day.

Release date: 28 March 2025
Running time: 116 minutes
Directed by: David Ayer
Starring: Jason Statham, David Harbour, Michael Peña, Jason Flemyng, Arianna Rivas

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Masters of the Universe

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

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

Vampire Owl: Every universe requires its own masters.

Vampire Bat: We already have Uncle Dracula here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Yakuza League

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Eenie Meanie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ice Road: Vengeance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

A Woman Called Mother

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Vampire Owl: Why is this particular woman only called a mother?

Vampire Bat: Maybe it is a name in another language which means mother in another.

Vampire Owl: Or calling a mother not a mother is usual among some humans.

Vampire Bat: And yet it is a horror movie with a mother.

Vampire Owl: There was that movie called Mama with such a theme, right?

Vampire Bat: Yes, but I would not find any relation between the two.

Vampire Owl: The human worlds are never really related to one another.

Vampire Bat: It is a good reason to hate one another for the humans.

Vampire Owl: Is hate another word for humanity?

Vampire Bat: Human hatred is infinite and eternal, like Uncle Dracula’s curse and Frankenstein’s madness.

[Gets a Munnar white chocolate and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Yanti (Artika Sari Devi) goes through a severe psychological breakdown after her husband leaves her and their children and files a divorce. She becomes desperate to claim her independence and provide for her family which is now financially broken. She moves to a new area with her two children, her teenage daughter Vira (Aurora Ribero) and her younger son Dino (Ali Fikry) to a rural town where she plans to open a stylish and advanced new hair salon. Her two children are not confident about the same, as this shop is opened right beside their home which is far away from the roads and town area, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It is indeed a peaceful place for a home, but not the right place for a salon as Vira keeps asserting. Yanti invites different people of the town to the salon, and her children do notice a certain amount of seductive nature in that invitation. Then all of a sudden, the move seems like a blessing, as people seem to come in big numbers to her new venture.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The success of the salon brings them a lot of wealth, which interests them, but Vira has not been feeling well at the place which feels as strange as what has been happening with her mother’s business adventure. She sees some shift in the mother’s behaviour and she seems to be doing something strange in the bathroom, lying in the bathtub. Then, she also sees someone else, a shadowy figure with her mother, mostly reflected in the mirror. Yanti is also seen drinking a lot of milk for no reason, while a certain cruelty and brutality when preparing meat can also be seen from her side. Dino had also felt something while trying to explore an abandoned house nearby with overgrown vegetation as part of her attempt to take a video for the social media. Unlike Vira, he feels that it is safe inside the house until he sees his mother both inside the house and outside on the streets at night. But as their room is not bathroom-attached, they might need to walk around at night. Now, what might be the problem with the mother and how can this terrifying situation be solved?

The defence of A Woman Called Mother a.k.a. Dia Bukan Ibu :: The movie places the characters nicely inside the house and the salon making them ready for all the horror which is to come, with the rest of the world only adding less to the scares in comparison. As the mother’s evil presence grows to be more menacing, the danger is even more felt in a world of terror. The focus here is not only on the fear of the supernatural which is ready to unleash itself on the family, the real-world tragedy of a broken home, financial devastation and the immense burden placed on single parents. With the trauma already there much earlier, we see the horror as the extra addition to what is already there. The final moments nicely show the unleashing of pure evil, but we already see the signs of the same in a bathtub and the actions of the mother with shadows and darkness nicely complementing all of these without hesitation. The imagery of horror that we have here catches our attention, and being a fine atmospheric horror is the movie’s advantage.

The claws of flaw :: The movie drags quite a lot as we look at it – there is the time taken to get into horror action, and even after that there is some drag. The middle part drags significantly as the story takes so much time revealing what is actually going on – this would test the patience of viewers looking for clues early itself. The idea in the movie is also not new, and it is not extended that much to provide a new divergent feeling. The movie’s best moments also fall apart after starting very strong. A number of characters of the movie that fails to go relevant also goes through a struggle. The blood and gore might upset some people as it is rather evenly distributed around here, and focused on animals, which can also be found not good for a number of viewers. The supernatural is also not that much explained here. We keep feeling that there is more to this, and enough has not provided around here related to the world of terror. Then we remember that there were many repetitions, and still there was not enough provided here to make the narrative’s movement through the inner evil smoother.

The performers of the soul :: Artika Sari Devi’s performance as Yanti remains something to be appreciated. There is more than one side of the character that she displays around here. She shows the shift from a broken, grieving mother to a feral, unpredictable and possessed monster of pure evil incredibly well. Her work brings the scares and makes the whole thing deeply terrifying to watch with the help of some mysterious gestures and expressions. The bathtub scene and the last moments with her coming in a bloody dress would be two moments which would be remembered as classic additions to an otherwise dark movie which depends on quick scares. Aurora Ribero comes up with a performance to remember as the young woman who does a fine job in understanding that there is something wrong with her mother, and she plays a character with confidence and determination which has us rooting for her. We would feel that she would make a great scream queen in horror movies someday. Ali Fikry has his moments, and the brother-sister moments add well to the side of drama.

How it finishes :: If you are looking for a a highly unsettling piece of psychological domestic horror, this might be the one, even though it is never near perfection in any way. There are so many moments which could have been better, and it is only safe to say that there were so many occasions which could have been dealt in a better way. There are indeed those moments when it falters under its own weight with the repetitions. Furthermore, it treads incredibly familiar territory for anyone already well-versed in Indonesian occult cinema. The movie had made some good impact in the Indonesian Film Festival too, and deserves a watch for its divergence from the usual. Indonesian movies have had some fine horror added here and there which have kept us wondering why more industries could not follow this particular path. It is the one reason why this movie came to the movies to be watched list early. Its availability in JioHotstar was another reason, and this one does not disappoint the audience who loves to have some variety in horror.

Release date: September 25, 2025
Running time: 119 minutes
Directed by: Randolph Zaini
Starring: Artika Sari Devi, Aurora Ribero, Ali Fikry, Fara Shakila, Khiva Iskak, Sita Nursanti, Dian Sidik, Husein Al Athas

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Psycho Killer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pumpkinhead

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

Vampire Bat: There can never be a pumpkinhead vampire.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Eesha

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Vampire Owl: Looking for recent horror movies, we have to go into another industry.

Vampire Bat: Well, not all industries have all movies exactly as they project for outside world.

Vampire Owl: I think that the best movies are those which are not known to many people.

Vampire Bat: True. They do not release the best movies in the theatres.

Vampire Owl: Yes, the theatres are for heroes who fly and beat up thousands of people.

Vampire Bat: They do even worse things, and it is strange for our world, not for theirs.

Vampire Owl: Can’t one of these movies become highest grossers instead of that mass masala?

Vampire Bat: Well, mass has the advantage because theatres are for the masses.

Vampire Owl: Yes, strange humans and their love for the mass thing.

Vampire Bat: This is the exact reason why humans are not allowed inside the Dracula Castle. Even the worst of the witches or fully drained zombies would not let them in.

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

What is the movie about? :: Kalyan (Thrigun), Naina (Hebah Patel), Vinay (Akhil Raj Uddemari) and Aparna (Siri Hanmanth) are four youngsters who try to find the truth behind supernatural situations and expose fraudulent spiritual leaders who try to extort money out of unsuspecting believers – they find out that the easy targets for spiritual practitioners are those who feel that evil has possessed their own people or homes or maybe even believes that some curse has been unleashed, and death or hell awaits them. As they were childhood best friends, and Vinay and Aparna had managed to get married some time ago, and is expecting a child. But this has not stopped their plans to expose more people who are involved in spiritual practices and they become well-known for the same in the city. But they extend their plans to go for something much bigger, far away from their city, but Aparna is hesitant about it. But with the support of the rest, who are firm believers in rationalism, they set out to investigate the case of Aadidev (Babloo Prithiveeraj), a former neurosurgeon who has turned into a spiritual healer.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Aadidev has been treating individuals who claims to be afflicted by supernatural forces at an ashram which he found in a remote village in the border between Andhra Pradesh and Odissa. He had left his job as a reputed neurosurgeon who conducted so many surgeries which saved many lives after the death of his wife. The friends find a video of the woman before his death and feels that she was just mentally disturbed and the attempt at exorcism killed her. As they travel to the remote area on the border of two states through a twisted road on the hills, they almost meet with an accident when coming against a motor-bike carrying a family, but the woman who was sitting on the back of the vehicle dies as she falls down the cliff. But the friends remain unaware of the same as they reach their destination. When they reach the ashram, they are attacked by a strange man, but Aadidev saves them. But the friends call all of these to be staged with paid actors and Aadidev faces such strong lack of belief for the first time.

And what more can happen in this world of faith against another one which lacks the same? :: This makes him take the friends to an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. He tells them that the place is haunted with spirits and after three days of living there, the friends will start believing in life after death. The friends accept it as a challenge, but he tells them that it is no usual place, as there have been so many deaths including murders and suicides right in the building. He also has his disciples write some incantations for protection along with leaving a few religious and spiritual items there. He also asks them not to cross a certain area which would take them out of his protection and the same would be extremely dangerous. They do not really care about the same as they find the spiritual man to be a fraud who uses the faith and belief of the locals to his best advantage – they feel that he had chosen this particular way of life as it seemed as the easier and influential job through which he could earn the most with the least efforts while taking no real risk. Can the friends stay there for three days and come back alive or will they lose all their rationalism and might even be killed by the evil spirits who roam in the area?

The defence of Eesha :: The movie has some very impressive visuals which serves the purpose or horror very well. The darkness, shadows, and the shades give the film an eerie, high-quality visual beauty of horror. The atmosphere is nicely created and some fine settings serve like a special boon here. The background score nicely supports the same. The beginning itself had nicely set the mood here. Babloo Prithviraj’s work is a big bonus here, and we see that even though not on the side of the protagonists, he scores so well that we like him from the beginning even when the heroes talk about him. Hebah Patel as Naina plays the biggest sceptic of the movie really well, and she reminds us of the actions and talks of Gayathrie Shankar playing Meena in the Tamil horror movie called Pechi, but there is no similar twist for this one. Siri Hanmanth as Aparna has her moments, while the male cast seems to be more in support with the two women seemingly deviating into their thoughts well. The dramatic twist which comes in the end remains a strong one, and it is something which make on think, and is not limited to one world.

The claws of flaw :: The movie leaves too many gaps in the tale as it seems to have some trouble about understanding what it really wishes to achieve. There is a certain amount of confusion about the dead person’s spirit coming back as revenge instead of anything else, but then the situation of the four friends explained in the end does not seem to match with the same leading to multiple confusions in the thread that binds all of them. Then the rationalist friends also act a little too strange even when they see things that could make even the most sceptic people believe in all of these, and after exploring so many fraud cases, they cannot seem to feel a difference here, as the act of being brain dead makes it appearance at times, but we knew that this was coming, but they surely manage to solve some of those problems in between, not aggravating the whole situation in any manner. Adding more cases and their comparison with this, as well as revealing the modus operandi of the friends to such situations, would have made the whole thing more interesting; yet we just have them just going through the whole thing with no real plan.

How it finishes :: The movie manages its horror with a difference, and the deviation from the usual can also be seen around. It can be considered a visually striking, technically superior horror film that feels like being pulled down by its own ambitions to make it more twisted than it should have been, especially considering the overall mood going on another path. When the standard paranormal terror strikes with that divergent twist, the narrative struggles to get them together. The concept of a rationalist group facing the consequences of their arrogance is still interesting, but the overlapping of reality, hallucinations and spiritual possession often asks for more, but we are happy with what we get here. One can thank the mood, background scores, and high-quality visuals which brings that creepy experience, as we horror fans get the horror we have always wanted. After all, for a horror movie, it is more about what is one the screen, and what experience we are going to have, with hope for fear more than anything else.

Release date: 25th December 2025
Running time: 127 minutes
Directed by: Srinivas Manne
Starring: Thrigun, Hebah Patel, Akhil Raj Uddemari, Siri Hanmanth, Mime Madhu, Babloo Prithveeraj

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Wrecking Crew

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Running Man

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pongala

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Vampire Owl: I did not know about this movie being released then.

Vampire Bat: Well, just some movies take all the hype in this world.

Vampire Owl: Most of those hyped movies are like good for nothing too.

Vampire Bat: Unless those collections come down, there will always be such movies.

Vampire Owl: Such movies will never be hits in the vampire world.

Vampire Bat: You know that vampires will never create such big movies, but will have content.

Vampire Owl: Only in our world, there is quality about everything.

Vampire Bat: You know that even the smallest stone of Dracula Castle is shaped in quality.

Vampire Owl: Uncle Dracula is never known to make mistakes, you know.

Vampire Bat: The Vampire Elders have given assurances to him towards infinity.

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

What is the movie about? :: Aby (Sreenath Bhasi) is a man who had to go through a lot of crisis and trauma during his early life, as his father Joseph (Alencier Ley Lopez) had owed a lot of money to man named Lawrence (Sudheer Karamana). This man had come into their home to sexually assault his mother, he had to fight as the elder child, and the situation led to the intruding man getting killed, for which he had to go to correctional home life followed. From that day, his father had gone missing, and he had to take care of his family including his mother and younger sister from the moment he returned from the correctional home. It was not an easy task for him, and he joins the gang of Sabu (Baburaj) a local fish monger and gang lord who has his own violent ways of dealing things and maintaining his business over everyone else. Aby quickly proves his worth in street fights, as he rises through the ranks of Sabu’s goons to become his most trusted henchman. At the side of Sabu’s brothers Biju (Kichu Tellus) and Baiju (Indrajith Jagajith), he remains a force to reckon for. They maintain a iron-fisted monopoly over the harbour of Vypin.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Despite things seemingly in a violent, but profitable manner, Aby remains a stoic young man who does not care about many things, and seems like a man without feelings for the people of the village. During this period of random fights, a woman from the neighbourhood named Linta (Yami Sona) keeps following him, and tells him that she is in deeply in love with him. Though Abhi remains to be stoic and focused on his responsibilities, Linta who does not stop following him becomes a part of his life, as she is the best friend of his sister and also keeps visiting their home. At the same time, one of Aby’s close friends, Martin (Surya Krish), has a hidden crush on Linta, which she never reveals to his friends or her. Things then take a further twist when Sabu attempts to sexually exploit the vulnerability of his former classmate, a woman who used to be his classmate. Sabu, Biju and Baiju also begin expanding their criminal enterprise into illegal drug trafficking which leads to further rift being formed with Aby, despite his effort to keep peace between him and his childhood friend Biju. Will there be peace or will everyone turn against Aby without mercy?

The defence of Pongala :: The movie’s natural backdrop of the Vypin fishing harbour within Cochin provides an authentic and atmospheric feel – the visuals support the same really well. The initial scenes which go longer with a few flashbacks could nicely bring the situation to the picture without much of a difficulty. In this world, the action also happens well, but in simple manner, despite the leading character’s heroics. There is no attempt to follow that absurd nonsense flying and slow-motion of the so-called superstars who look like balloons and rockets while getting claps from the dumb and brainless fans who celebrate their famous stars destroying SUVs, cars by trying to throw villains on them or out of them and enjoy broken vehicles. The songs are fine and the music remains effective, as the mood of the movie in that setting has been maintained well. The actors nicely get into situation and keep the movie going without any trouble. It is always good to see the less explored areas in the industry getting attention too. Even though it was not much known during its release, the OTT should do well for the movie.

The claws of flaw :: The plot seems to have been somewhat inspired from the predictable, pre-2000 revenge tropes with gang wars even though it is shown as happening much later at the same area. The dialogues also feel somewhat dated and uninspired for these times. There are also so many fights which the hero wins with unparalleled ease, and it is not something we would expect from a man fighting so many people at once and when battling terrifying antagonist who comes with such a build-up. The one-man army mode feels outdated even though the fights and more like a street fight and therefore more realistic than those infinite slow-motion fight scenes create for those superstars in the name of style or rather dumb nonsense created for the brainless fans. The romance also feels like not given the full strength and the focus there seems to be not on love, but a past and sympathy. The predictability in the movie can also be seen at times, with the movie going through what we expect on more than one occasion.

The performers of the soul :: Sreenath Bhasi leads the way in a convincing way here as he moves away from his earlier roles by a long way and delivers a committed, physically agile and intense performance as a stoic action hero who doesn’t show fear in his actions. He has surely come a long way, and the signs of the same were already visible in a few other movies which released earlier, and this one reiterates the same. There is something about Baburaj in this kind of movies and with similar roles which pose no challenge to him – this one is also a more controlled performance from him rather than the usual antagonists. Kichu Tellus also has a role which is familiar to him and leaves him any difficulty. Yami Sona is a lovely addition to the movie, and this feels like the first time I am seeing her in a movie, and she does her job really well, even though we do not see her that much as we wanted in the movie, and the romance should have had a better focus than just her forcing it upon the situation. Sampath Ram has a fine screen presence, but does not get that much to do in the movie other than talk, following by contact on mobile phone. Alencier Ley Lopez only has a limited role here too. But Sadiq Mohammed has a notable presence and it is a role in which we have seen him multiple times, as he shows no struggle with it.

How it finishes :: It is clearly seen that the movie does not try too hard, as it follows an idea which has been tried so many times. The action works well, and we enjoy this as another old model movie which never really tries too hard. The predictability will hold it back and repetitions will do the same, but it keeps us interested from the beginning to the end. The atmosphere of the Vypin coastal belt and harbour brings a breathing character of its own. Sreenath Bhasi as a stoic becomes a fine action hero too. This adds to his versatility and carries the movie’s action sequences almost entirely on his shoulders. The attempt at the revolutionary side would not work, but taking the movie back to the working class who are actually hardworking itself has been a tough thing, and the movie has made that happen without any character who is lost in the internet – such movies are rare when taken in a big city, and that much is achieved. But with a little bit more focus and a shorter length, this one could have done wonders as there were nice opportunities for a fine twist and one villain who could unleash himself in a grand manner.

Release date: 5th December 2025
Running time: 138 minutes
Directed by: A B Binil
Starring: Sreenath Bhasi, Baburaj, Kichu Tellus, Sampath Ram, Sadiq Mohammed, Alencier Ley Lopez, Yami Sona

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Fear Below

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Vampire Owl: Things that we should fear would not come from below.

Vampire Bat: So, you are looking for the flying fears from above.

Vampire Owl: I feel that the dead below are less scary.

Vampire Bat: There can always be the shadow demons from the underworld.

Vampire Owl: The underworld does not qualify as from below.

Vampire Bat: They are surely located deep underneath us, and you can even see them as a warning.

Vampire Owl: Shadow World of underworld is technically another realm.

Vampire Bat: Well, they are here now, in a series of underworld tunnels, beyond the red door of chaos.

Vampire Owl: The tunnels only serve as portal to another world.

Vampire Bat: Well, vampires do not shadow walk, but we are able to go through their world – connects them to ours as one, doesn’t it?

[Gets a packet of pineapple cream biscuits and three cups of Peerumade tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the late 1940s Australia, a team consisting of Ernie Morgan (Arthur Angel), Clara Bennett (Hermione Corfield) and Jimmy Barriakada (Jacob Junior Nayinggul) are part of the Sea Dog Diving Company, which is going through a terrible financial crisis. They have had training in the military during the Second World War or had won medals for their diving performances, but are not able to run the business due to tough competition in the field, and with a lot of people ready to invest money, they struggle, and hope that they can buy a boat to further support their cause, while competing better. It is then that they are approached by a mafia leader named Dylan Maddock (Jake Ryan) to retrieve a sunken car from the bottom of the river which has some very valuable items which he recently lost due to some careless driving. He provides them with a deal which would involve a lot of money and gives them an advance, but warns them that this much of cash is given for no questions being asked.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is revealed that he cannot go to the authorities and get a crane service to lift the car due to smuggled gold biscuits being present inside – he would be just happy with the crates holding the gold biscuits being taken to the land, and nothing more. They had not reported the accident too, as any forced help from people would lead to the gold biscuits being discovered. The plan is to make the divers go in and get the crates, and after that, to just murder them. Ernie is overjoyed with the proposal of so much money without knowing the danger behind the same, and so are his crew members. They make detailed preparations for the big job which has come to them after such a long time. They reach the place, only to find Clara being attacked by a bull shark underwater, but manages to come out without that much of a problem. But now, the shark remains a major problem, and the mafia is also getting restless. Can they find a way to get out of this crisis? And who will get to keep all the gold under the river?

The defence of Fear Below :: The film nicely adds a gangster story with what seems to be a shark horror from the posters, as the attempt to recover stolen gold from a river where a bull shark is ready to attack anyone who sets foot in there. The combination would itself feel innovative enough, as the blending works well here. The 1940s feeling with post-war effect remains a fine addition to the overall movie which uses the style to the best effect. The movie never really moves out of that feeling, even when we look closer. The whole thing does have a realistic rather than exaggerated feeling, with nothing impossible being given a push. The effects also seem to have not much computer-generated imagery, which means more of a feeling close to life. The shark does not have too much extra around here, as the situation looks like a usual crisis, never going too much beyond. The urgency is never really found in the movie either, as the simple world and simpler people will also stay around.

The claws of flaw :: Even with a shorter run-time, the movie does seem to have too much of wasted time, where there is nothing much of interest. The pace of the movie is not much as we keep looking closely, and all these things could have happened within a few minutes without using one and half hours. The predictability factor is always present, pulling the whole movie downwards. The action is also low in quantity, with the shark being present only for a few minutes of time. This had felt more like a shark movie from all its posters, but we see it just for some time, and the shark attack is also not that strong enough to leave an impact. The scenes underwater seem to be more or less without clarity with the water itself being not clear – comparing this to movies like Deep Blue Sea and Underwater or even Under Paris which have clear water visibility of waterbodies will feel like a crime. The budget might have been a problem here, not just with water, but also with showing more of the shark which needed to go beyond what seemed to be a guest role of a different kind. There are some supporting characters who feel rather weak too.

The performers of the soul :: Hermione Corfield here is coming up more with the cuteness factor than anything else, and she surely nails that side, but does not get that much of an action as one would expect from the lady lead who plays an expert diver. Despite being only one of the main characters, she maintains a certain amount of charm throughout the movie, making sure that she is the one character whom we all wish to see having survived in the end, no matter what shark or even whale or dinosaur comes through for the prey. She plays a determined and confident young lady, who is also looking at an uncertain future, but never losses hope in the way. Arthur Angel adds further emotional weight as the older man who is determined to make things happen and help his younger colleagues survive too – this is also a character we love to see around. Jake Ryan plays the gangster who remains a threatening presence through the crime drama setup of the movie. The support that includes Maximillian Johnson, does just enough here.

How it finishes :: Fear Below, despite blending different sides, manages both, but is often confused in the process, as if someone who is trying to find oneself in a world which has chaos on one side and opportunities on the other. From the posters, it is a shark movie, but as one reads about it, the focus is more on a few gangsters seeking their gold – the balance is not exactly there, but both sides do the job well enough. For a low budget crime thriller having a shark around, the whole thing might feel enough, but we have seen bigger movies made out of smaller budgets in our part of the world; guess not with where the movie comes from. It would feel fine if you are not really looking for that grand shark with computer-generated imagery to support the same. Well, some of us are never really satisfied by this much, especially with Amazon Prime Video being the platform, and the other films recommended with this one are quite bigger and having a higher budget. In the end, it all depends on the viewer to go for it.

Release date: 15th May 2025
Running time: 85 minutes
Directed by: Matthew Holmes
Starring: Hermione Corfield, Jake Ryan, Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Arthur Angel, Josh McConville, Clayton Watson, Maximillian Johnson, Will Fletcher, Kevin Dee

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.