Tag Archives: Matilda Lutz

Red Sonja

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I did not know that this one also had Marvel origins.

Vampire Bat: You know that there are so many of them even in Avengers world.

Vampire Owl: Well, this one is surely better than Captain Marvel.

Vampire Bat: We all love the underdogs as they defeat the powerful.

Vampire Owl: Yes, Captain Marvel is too strong a character to be loved.

Vampire Bat: At least they should give her a Kryptonite to balance things.

Vampire Owl: Yes, they could even charge for the same.

Vampire Bat: You think that Kryptonite is available in markets?

Vampire Owl: I have seen a few in the goblin markets.

Vampire Bat: It is a showpiece meant for display, and is not an original one.

[Gets a chicken biryani and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Sonja (Matilda Lutz) had some terrible times in her homeland of Hyrkania as a child as she was forced to escape her lands after being attacked by barbarians who massacred most people. This leads to her wandering in the woods while searching for her people while keeping close ties to nature. As she chases a group of poachers who were seen killing wild animals, she comes across their camp which she successfully infiltrates without making any noise. But the emperor who controls the whole area outside forest, Dragan (Robert Sheeshan) arrives at the camp as he looks for a way into the forest and its hidden mysteries. Sonja is found by Dragan’s partner Annisia (Wallis Day), a fierce warrior, and both engage in a sword fight, which ends in Sonja getting knocked out and put in chains. As Dragan finds a map with her, he feels that he can find the other half of a book hidden in the forest among refugees that would grant him ancient scientific knowledge, enabling him to hold unlimited power.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Dragan brings a tied-up Sonja to the open space and tries torturing her to gain information about the forest and what is hidden in there. Sonja, though restrained and helpless, would not give him any useful information, which leads to her being taken to the capital city in a cage. There, she tries to escape, only to have her fully restrained in chains. She is held in a pit meant for warriors who have to fight and win in an arena to gain their freedom. Sonja is set against another warrior Petra (Rhona Mitra) whom she refuses to fight. Annisia asks for her to be killed for disobedience. But Dragan kills Petra as only person is supposed to survive the arena and Sonja has information for him, while the crowd cheered loudly much to Sonja’s dismay. She is locked up in the pit again, but Dragan has planned something bigger. Can she escape the captivity and become free again, while finding her people as she always wanted? Will Annisia get Sonja’s head as she has wished for since their first fight? Will there be peace in the land after a long time?

The defence of Red Sonja :: This movie happens to be a surprise strong entry into a genre which felt like having not future. They have also managed to bring an actress who can act this part so well and perform by blending in – she definitely carried the movie on her soldiers really well with a certain amount of confidence and the ability to handle both action and humour effectively. The movie would remain a fun ride throughout its run as the adventure never cease and so does the entertainment factor. There is nothing like a fantasy adventure with sword fights, saving the world from an evil emperor, magic in the forest, gladiator battles in an arena etc. The visuals that they have managed with the lower budget is very much grand, and seeing the castles, palaces, forests, ruins etc with a touch of magic keeps us interested. Even with the presence of mythical monsters like cyclops and other unnamed creatures, the magical elements are mostly present in a silent manner, keeping it a classic battle with swords while also having a touch of emotions.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have used a better budget considering the scope and epic level of the whole thing set in a world which is different, huge and created for quite a long-running franchise considering the comics base. The first gladiator battle also ends too soon, even though the grandeur was visible and there to be taken. The emotional ending is beautiful, and there are some fine twists about origin stories, and thankfully, it does not go the Mad Max route without that much of hope. The final moments provide scope for the titular character fighting bigger and more classic battles, and adventures with the possibility of more magic – what better than those stories of saving the world with swords and magic rather than guns and machines? Well, this is also about an underdog coming to the top rather than having an all-powerful hero, even though the final moments of battle were a little bit too predictable. But you know that you are immersed in this world and there is no stopping the same.

The performers of the soul :: Matilda Lutz who plays the titular character leads the way very well, and after we had seen her in horror movies like Rings and A Classic Horror Story, the Italian actress blends into action and adventure very well too. She runs through the action sequences really well and there is a touch of humour around as light-hearted action seems to make an impact too. She seems to have owned the role and is ready for that possible sequel in the form of such action queen that we have all deserved since movies like Underworld and Resident Evil had gone the extra mile with the lady protagonists. Wallis Day whom we know for Infinite has a very strong presence, and scores even with that stone cold look as much as the brutal battles where she excels. Robert Sheehan’s work is something that we will remember for the different portrayal of an emperor. Rhona Mitra’s lady warrior stays strong enough when she is there, but becomes expendable very soon. Michael Bisping and Martyn Ford have strong presences physically around there too.

How it finishes :: As the movie is on Lionsgate Play app, the best option to watch it might be to take a good unlimited Airtel offer and watch it among the collection of OTTs which come with the offer. The Sword and Sorcery genre does have a better stronghold here at a time when fantasy itself was losing steam. This is also pure nostalgia for most of us, also reminding one of Conan the Barbarian in its original mode. There is that imagery of fighting against evil empires as there have always been, and also the proven idea that power corrupts more than anything else. With Matilda Lutz as the next action star, and having a whole world to build a story, let us see how well they can try to make a sequel, for it is a necessity to keep the character alive. Both Marvel and DC seem to have a weak second level of characters for Avengers and Justice with a new age and the only exception is Thunderbolts that remain interesting; it calls for characters like this one.

Release date: 13th August 2025
Running time: 110 minutes
Directed by: M J Bassett
Starring: Matilda Lutz, Wallis Day, Robert Sheehan, Michael Bisping, Martyn Ford, Eliza Matengu, Veronica Ferres, Luke Pasqualino, Katrina Durden, Rhona Mitra, Trevor Eve, Philip Winchester, Ben Radcliffe, Manal El-Feitury, Danica Davis, Kate Nichols, Tony Way

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

A Classic Horror Story

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: We, vampires can make the classic horror story.

Vampire Bat: Don’t you know that most of the good vampire films were actually made by the elder vampires?

Vampire Owl: Isn’t that actually a myth which became part of normal lives later?

Vampire Bat: Their names were supposed to be in the the end credits.

Vampire Owl: Nobody got to see the end credits. They were removed.

Vampire Bat: Well, someone wanted to take all the credits, you know.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that those were some humans who played a small part in all of these.

Vampire Bat: Humans should have never been allowed to be part of vampire works, but at some point of time, there was not much of a difference between species.

Vampire Owl: Well, at least we know the human nature now.

Vampire Bat: The only true, classic inherent evil nature in the whole world.

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

What is the movie about? :: Elisa (Matilda Lutz), an intern at a consulting firm, try a rideshare app to get to her parents’ home in Calabria in Southern Italy to get an abortion, even though she is not sure if it is the right thing to do. The recreational vehicle that she gets is driven by a travel blogger and a student of film, Fabrizio (Francesco Russo) – he is only happy to have some interesting people in his vehicle, so that his Youtube channel can get more visitors. A couple from the United States, Sofia (Yuliia Sobol) and Mark (Will Merrick) are also traveling in the vehicle to reach a wedding destination and have some good time. A doctor named Riccardo (Peppino Mazzotta) who joins them is also trying to get home as early as possible. When Elisa’s nausea causes the group to stop on the side of the road, Mark forcibly takes over driving for Fabrizio, only to hit a tree while trying to avoid hitting the corpse of a goat. Elisa wakes up in the morning and sees that the group is doing first aid on Mark’s broken leg, as the doctor takes over the procedure. They are not able to get any signal on their mobile phones, and even the emergency numbers don’t work.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: They soon realize that they are no longer on the road, but are lost in an open space surrounded by a forest. They are sure that they hit the tree on the side of the road, but now, no paths leading to anywhere can be discovered. It is like having an endless line of trees in all directions. They do find a house there though, but it is empty. It seems like a strange building, with some weird signs and heads of animals. The photos in the house has people wearing masks looking like heads of goats. There is also fresh blood and heads of animals in the woods nearby. At the same time, They see some paintings and writings in house about three brothers who came from another world, a long time ago. There is also the story of a strange ritual which was performed for the brothers, which involved a naked woman’s tongue, ears and eyes being cut out. Fabrizio had heard this story from his grandfather, and all of them decide to stay in the vehicle at night rather than the house.

And what more of horror is to follow here in the middle of nowhere? :: They feel that there is something going on in the house, and Sofia goes inside house with Elisa to explore further, only to find something in the attic. There is a cocoon, and inside that, there was a child named Chiara (Alida Baldari Calabria), who has her tongue cut out, and kept separately, making them remember the tale of three brothers. She is supposed to be the only survivor in the family, and writes down that there are not in a forest. They hide in the attic while Mark was dragged out of the vehicle by three masked figures, who torture and kill Mark by pulling out his eyes and also breaking his feet with a wooden hammer. After Mark’s body is dragged to the forest, they run to the woods. After finding a large number of abandoned cars, they understand that they are not the first victims of these people, and might not be the last either. When they walk through the forest, they end up at the same place, and also see that the vehicle missing. Is there any hope left now?

The defence of A Classic Horror Story :: The best thing about this movie might be its use of sound effects and also the music that relates to the situations so well, and works even better for the horror. One has to wonder how they find all the strength with the sound when we are less expecting it, and manage to have such an amazing effect. There is something for the Hollywood movies to learn here, and our films are not even close, as far as horror is considered. The visuals are amazingly good, and the beautiful scenes of nature combines with the terrifying ones really well. This strange, scary, beautiful world, is something that we can cherish, and be glad to see on the screen, wishing that this was actually there in any of those theatres. Yuliia Sobol and Matilda Lutz make pretty good screen queens, as we look at them wandering through the situations of horror – even though the latter is the female lead, the former is the stronger of the two. The male actors basically pales in comparison to these two who make have the better moments.

Positives and negatives :: The ending of the movie is a little bit of a struggle though, as it was not having some of the best twists around there either. There were so many routes which it could have taken, but it has chosen one which was so less interesting. There could have been so many terrifying truths about what is happening on the screen, and how this is like a world from where there could be no escape, but the film chooses to go through the path which is rather too easy to take, to create a twist. It might have been trying to become another one of The Cabin in the Woods, but that much of a satiric fun isn’t present in this one. There is a lot of blood and gore around here though, even as it doesn’t really go with the fully slasher horror model. The only other two Italian movies on Movies of the Soul are Pinocchio and Piranhas – this one is the first Italian horror film and the first full-thriller movie from Italy to be part of the reviews here. One has to say that as a horror fan, different people would enjoy this is different manner, depending on how much they like the ending.

How it finishes :: A Classic Horror Story surely lives up to its title, and this Italian movie has enough to keep it stronger than a good number of Hollywood horror movies. There are not many English movies which have used the available resources so well in comparison to this one. One has to question some other horror films about their use of the visuals and sound effects, as well as the urban legends which were available in a better way. If you forget the ending of this film, the rest of the whole thing makes one really care about the main characters and tensed and afraid of the terrifying world within what seems to be a forest. That particular hunt and torture are enough to wonder about the smartness behind this particular movie. Among the horror movies which have released in the last few years, this might be the one which can have the right to use this particular title. Enjoy this world, and hope that it can be inspiring for many horror movies which have lost their way completely in the beginning stages itself.

Release date: 14th July 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 96 minutes
Directed by: Roberto De Feo, Paolo Strippoli
Starring: Matilda Lutz, Yuliia Sobol, Will Merrick, Justin Korovkin, Peppino Mazzotta, Cristina Donadio, Francesco Russo, Alida Baldari Calabria

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Rings

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: This sounds a lot cooler. Does the “s” in the end mean that there are many rings?

Vampire Bat: Why does this feel cooler when the critical appreciation has been so low with this one?

Vampire Owl: Because there seems to be more than one ring. So, there could be more than one spirit in play.

Vampire Bat: Are you going towards talking about the wedding ring that is planned to be given to Lady Death?

Vampire Owl: Yes, something like that too.

Vampire Bat: Dude, don’t you know that being married to Lady Death means that you have to die?

Vampire Owl: Yes, but I am already dead and risen. I am undead, we all are.

Vampire Bat: But the undead can also die in some ways, and you know that too.

Vampire Owl: But death by Lady Death has its special advantages.

Vampire Bat: Well, it is your undead call in the end.

[Gets three cups of masala tea with aloo paratha].

What is the movie about? :: On an airplane, two passengers Carter (Zach Roerig) and Kelly (Lizzie Brochere) discover that it has been seven days since they both had watched the infamous Samara Morgan’s (Zoe Pessin) cursed videotape which has been circulating well to take enough lives all around. The two realise that they are going to die soon, but at some point, it feels that being on airplane provides them some protection as the cursed entity from the video tape can’t reach there as they are so much above the ground and in the presence of many people, but it turns out that they are wrong. There seems to be some problem with all the screens of the airplane whether it is of the pilots or the passengers, as the evil entity arrives on the video, and the plane crashes killing them all, with no evidence of what caused the disaster.

So, what happens next? :: Julia (Matilda Lutz) sends off her boyfriend Holt (Alex Roe) to the college, and after being in contact for months, suddenly has no information about him. One day, she finds Skye (Aimee Teegarden), a beautiful girl on the other side of the video chat, and there is no sign of Holt. So, she decides to search for him all by herself. She reaches the college, and find the professor whom Holt said was an interesting person with whom he was working with projects – Gabriel Brown (Johnny Galecki). But the professor denies having known this particular person, and tells her that she should move on, as people of his age finds something more interesting, or maybe it is about him finding someone better. But she doesn’t give up as she follows Gabriel to a secret area of the college, which is more than what meets the eye.

So, how does the big mystery reveal with its twists? :: There she meets the beautiful girl whom she had seen in the video chat, Skye, who takes her to her apartment, and asks her to watch a video. But Holt who contacts them asks her not to, and then there is the evil entity, Samara arriving, and she takes Skye’s life while Julia locks her inside the bathroom. Holt arrives soon to confirm everything, and she comes to know that he is in trouble. Gabriel, who had bought a VCR with the tape inside, had watched the mysterious video, and was keeping on transferring the curse to another person before the seven days end, a process that has been going on and on, so that nobody died. Gabriel was so much interested in learning about this tape which is the gateway to the other world, so that the process continues. Unable to watch Holt die, Julia watches his copy and carries over the curse to him, but this time, the video is more than the usual one.

The defence of Rings :: This is the tale that becomes more of an origin story than anything else. This could have easily been a reboot, or the tale of another girl who is not the popular horror character who has been there for so long. The mystery factor gets the advantage over the horror side. Also, among the cast, it is Aimee Teegarden who seems to be able to become the best scream queen, and they could have used her throughout the movie, while Matilda Lutz brings enough of the same. There is something that we can always be sure about though; it is that a movie from The Ring franchise will always be that, and no matter how much people try to degrade a movie from the series, there will always be something in it, as the continuation of one of the most loved horror movies of all-time, and what might be the best horror adaptation from the Japanese.

The Claws of flaw :: You would expect that a movie like this which has a powerful foundation can do very well to make this franchise even better, but that is not the case, as there is no symbol of improvement everyone, and at times, one has to wonder if this has deviated so much that Rings is a movie which has not much to do with the franchise except for the antagonist proclaiming the same. The movie also has a certain shortage of scares, which is surprising, because the antagonist here is someone who has attained an iconic status, not just with the movies of this franchise, but also with the Scary Movie franchise, most notably Scary Movie 3 which had used the scary moments to evoke laughter brilliantly. The expectations were so high, but what was delivered was just a movie just manages to do enough because we had forgotten most of that movie which released fifteen years ago, and the gap here is so much to bring a comparison without watching the original again.

How it finishes :: A lot of things have changed since the first movie had released, and there is no doubt that we have a different world for the entity to enter right now. It was like fifteen years ago when the horror genre hadn’t become this huge as far as the common audience are concerned. These are the days when even Malayalam movie industry which focuses so less in horror, thought that bringing a superstar horror movie with high quality special effects was required, and Ezra came into being. Rings might not be anywhere close to bringing justice to the series of novels wriiten by Koji Suzuki, the Japanese versions of the movies, or the first movie which made the big impact and brought alive the other remakes from the Japanese including The Grudge, Dark Water and Pulse. But Rings still remain a movie which can keep the franchise moving forward, and it surely has those moments which will keep you wish for a sequel that could do even better. Just don’t look for a Don’t Breathe, Lights Out or It Follows, as this is the sequel to a big horror movie, and it will be fine enough.

Release date: 3rd February 2017
Running time: 102 minutes
Directed by: F. Javier Gutiérrez
Starring: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Vincent D’Onofrio, Aimee Teegarden, Bonnie Morgan, Chuck David Willis, Patrick R. Walker, Zach Roerig, Laura Wiggins, Lizzie Brocheré, Karen Ceesay, Dave Blamy, Michael E. Sanders, Randall Taylor, Drew Grey, Kayli Carter, Jill Jane Clements, Adam Fristoe, Zoe Pessin

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.