The Forever Purge

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: I have always been support of the purge.

Vampire Bat: This is not about the purge unleashed on the werewolves.

Vampire Owl: Well, there is no purge without enough blood.

Vampire Bat: Blood is just a motive, nothing more.

Vampire Owl: You have to spill the blood. Otherwise, there is no purge.

Vampire Bat: Well, I have enjoyed all the movies of this franchise with or without it.

Vampire Owl: It is natural, as the evil human nature is shown there.

Vampire Bat: The never ending love for hatred and violence.

Vampire Owl: My disappointment is that they are still not extinct.

Vampire Bat: The hate helps them to survive at the expense of others of their kind.

[Gets a blueberry cake and three cups of iced tea].

What is the movie about? :: The year is 2048, and after the incidents of the previous movie, the New Founding Fathers of America regained control of the United States government – as some had predicted, the first thing which happened was that they brought back the annual purge. The annual event during which all crime is legal and emergency services remain suspended gets its say again. According to them, this would keep the United States mostly crime-free with less unemployment as well as hatred, and despite the many protests against it, the purge goes strong. With only a few days left for the purge, people are worried that the rising racial feeling would make this purge worse than it has ever been – some feel that it just won’t be over by the end of the day. There are people buying a lot of weapons, and there are special offers on gun stores as the event gets closer. Most of the immigrants are not that worried about the purge as they don’t really know what it is really about. Juan (Tenoch Huerta) and Adela (Ana de la Reguera) are such a couple who have come all the way from Mexico, and have found work in Texas.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Juan and Adela join a group of migrants who have taken refuge within a walled area with security guards. It seems to be pretty much a safe place, but is not perfect. As all crimes including murder becomes legal and the siren is set off, the migrants are somewhat upset, but on another side, there are lots of people who are rather too happy. Soon enough, a nationalist group calling themselves the real patriots of America – the Purge Purification Group passes through the area with intentions to kill people whom they feel as non-American. Adela finds out that there are people being tortured inside the vehicles, and wishes to save them, but is stopped by the mercenaries who know that it would lead these people to attack them instead. Much to the surprise of most of the Americans, the purge seems to get over without many incidents of terror reported. It seems to be one of the most peaceful purges ever despite happening after such a long time.

And what more can a purge bring for us? :: Next day, Adela who returns to her work, doesn’t find anyone there, and it seems rather strange. As she opens a cage, she finds her locked in a precarious position with her neck and arms brutally squeezed within steel bars. As she struggles to break free, purgers attack her, and plays with her helplessness, threatening to kill her. At the same time, the family which had employed Juan at their farmhouse is captured by some of their employees who tells them that the purge will never be over, and that this is a “forever purge”. The helpless family is tied up and gagged, while they declare themselves the owners of the place. They also threaten to murder the pregnant Cassie Tucker (Cassidy Freeman) when Juan decides to interfere. But even if both Juan and Adela escape with this particular family, how far can they go? Two neighbouring countries, Canada and Mexico have temporarily opened the borders for the unarmed civilians of the United States looking for refuge, but with the martial law already declared, can they reach one of those areas at the edge and find a path out of death?

The defence of The Forever Purge :: This is a very well made movie about purge, and they have managed to create something more efficient with its tale and full of more action in comparison to its predecessor. The movie has some fine moments of Mad Max: Fury Road action in the final moments too, but the action here is surely kept more realistic than in any other action movie in such a setting. The movie’s best part is the initial trap scene – it came at a time when everything seemed very normal; that was one fine innovation with the previous movies didn’t have. We might end up asking for more traps after that one. There are other scenes of surprise too, and this struggle for survival keeps us interested at all times. The extension of the brutality here seems to assert that violence is forever, and until extinction, humans will continue to be hostile to their kind, directly or indirectly. The message of unity reminds us that the same might not be possible at all, and despite the movie’s focus country this is spread all over the world in a more terrible manner. Evil is displayed as the reality that exists in the form of humans – the realistic world will approve of the same and give a salute.

Positives and negatives :: The movie possesses a fine cast for an action movie. Ana de la Reguera who played a similar role in Army of the Dead, seems to be owning the roles with action and thrills with great skills, and along with Ana de Armas of Deep Water who shares the first name with her, only seems to be getting younger as we watch more and more of their movies. The two from Mexico and Cuba are among the favourites now. Tenoch Huerta and Josh Lucas make a good action team too. There were many more twisted moments which could have been added here though, as purging is not really the thing which can have any positive elements – people around here do try the same with those harthals and bandhs though, even though the strikes are given some reasons for sure. There could have been the presence of more purgers though, and some fine methods of torture and execution being used by them – after all, they are shown as some of the most brutal people around who enjoy punishing and murdering the others whom they think do not belong with them, and that calls for further violence.

How it finishes :: Among the movies about purge, I would consider this to be the third best, after The Purge and The Purge Anarchy. The First Purge was a forced film. This is also the most action-filled and has a wider level of application with its basic idea. It also leaves scope for a sequel, which can serve as something like a post-apocalyptic movie. One another day, there could have been a post-apocalyptic science fiction dystopia with a similar world. This is the kind of movie which wouldn’t fit into horror directly, but surely generates enough fear about the reality about human mind. The franchise continues to make us realize again and again that the humans are not to be trusted, and in the absence of law and order, they would do worse than the children of Lord of the Flies – it was one thing which William Golding got perfectly correct about humanity and their evil children. Well, you wait for that day when all chaos will break out, and then purge will be a natural thing like the bandh and harthal where people rejoice in attacking others and public property. You think about it, and you realize that the purge is already here.

Release date: 2nd July 2021
Running time: 103 minutes
Directed by: Everardo Valerio Gout
Starring: Ana de la Reguera, Cassidy Freeman, Tenoch Huerta, Josh Lucas, Leven Rambin, Will Patton, Alejandro Edda, Will Patton, Will Brittain, Sammi Rotibi, Zahn McClarnon, Veronica Falcon

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Madres

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: How many horror movies can one watch in a small gap of a few hours?

Vampire Bat: We vampires do not have limitations in horror.

Vampire Owl: During the Corona virus times, there should be restrictions.

Vampire Bat: Not in the case of films, for we are not watching them in theatres.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that vampires should go back to horror.

Vampire Bat: We were always in horror. You didn’t know that?

Vampire Owl: This is not the horror that we were born into.

Vampire Bat: You should remember that all kinds of horror are connected.

Vampire Owl: Not in the watch of owls. Maybe that works for bats.

Vampire Bat: Still doing better than the Vampire Crocodile.

[Gets a choclate cake and three cups of Munnar special tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the 1970s, a Mexican-American couple are expecting their first child, and during this time period, they move from Los Angelos to a migrant farming community in the nineteen seventeens, and he would be working as a manager in a farm. The area chosen for the same is in California, and the place seems to be quite peaceful and quiet enough for the baby when it arrives. Diana (Ariana Guerra), the pregnant lady is American, while Beto (Tenoch Huerta) is Mexican, and had migrated to the United States. The small town where they move to, seems to have more of a Spanish influence too. The first person that they meet in the town is Anita (Elpidia Carrillo), who provides them with a blessing of Holy Mary, and assures them that the town can be a wonderful place to live in, much to the dismay of Diana who wonders why it is not already such a place. Beto doesn’t work much about the same.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Beto goes for work, Diana feels that there is something strange about the place, and that doubt leads her to the outhouse building near the house, and she finds a few things which might have belonged to the previous owners. She also gets locked inside, and after somehow getting out, finds a severed eye being hung on tree outside the house. Beto feels that these were not things to be worried about, as the door might have closed due to the wind and the severed eye might have been there for a very long time, and maybe it meant something for the previous owners or the locals. They also meet the locals who seems to be friendly enough, but don’t get much of information, even though they end up having more acquaintances. Still, they remains more of Beto’s friends, as he is Mexican and good at Spanish. Diana only gets more and more disoriented during her time there. She wonders if there is more than what meets the eye about the place.

The defence of Madres :: The one advantage that this film has over the others is that it really has its creepy world going strong during all times. The environment here is really good, and very much notable. An ancient curse in the background seems through run through here, and adds to the creepy atmosphere really well. Even though there seems to be something supernatural around here, we soon come to know that it is not all, and we soon face the mystery being revealed. Some of us might be able to guess the final twist, but it also has its own small changes related to the same. It also leads to a few things which really happened, and it does remind of a few things which can happen if we are not aware. It leaves the message that with or without the presence of the supernatural, the world and its people are not what we feel they are, for people will always have their hidden agenda and a good dose of hatred inside. The music here is also very much suitable for the same.

The claws of flaw :: Just like the case of The Manor, this film also has the problem of being classified completely into the category of horror, as this one is also no fully something that focuses on the scares. It could have used the horror, as well as the grand atmosphere that it possesses with the house and the town with maximum effectiveness, for these days, many horror films are on a continuous struggle to be what it really should be. It is actually not restricted to one location with scope for here, as there is a lot more in here, for the town itself has something in store at different parts. A faster movie could have dealt with all of these with better strength, but this one hesitates to pick up the pace. The movie also released without much of a hype, and not many people know about its entry into Amazon Prime Video – the title also has people confused about the language. The movie came silently, and it is still there, but not many people know about the same.

Performers of the soul :: Ariana Guera plays the one character who seems to be fully English, and she is also the upcoming mother in trouble, here she is acting as the main protagonist, as well as the centre of attraction. She achieves the same really well, as we look at the scenes here. She is not that much of a believer in the supernatural, and we see her knowing things the hard way. Tenoch Huerta gets into his role really well too. The next important character is played by Elpidia Carrillo, and you will remember her from Predator, fighting the monster with her newly discovered American allies. She has blended into this role, even though one does feel that it should have been better written. The others are just part of the usual process, and they just blend in here too. Most of these characters become relevant at some later stage of the movie, and we are not to avoid them – there is the twist about this particular mystery that awaits us later.

How it finishes :: This one has some similarities with The Manor with how it progresses, how it deviates from its genre, and how it joins different things in a building as well as with an environment that catches our attention. Instead of the old age home and the strange surroundings, this one has one home and a lonely enough world around it. As far as the whole atmosphere is concerned, and related to the progress that happens in each minute, Madres has the advantage. This is also part of the Welcome to the Blumhouse film series, just like The Manor. I would suggest this movie to those who are interested in some slow, atmospheric horror, with a strong base on ancient legends and curses, and this is not your Annabelle, The Conjuring, Insidious, Don’t Breathe and Lights Out. You just need to live through this atmosphere rather than trying to be scared at all times, for there are different things of interest here.

Release date: 8th October 2021 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 83 minutes
Directed by: Ryan Zaragoza
Starring: Elpidia Carrillo, Ariana Guera, Tenoch Huerta, Jennifer Patino, Kerry Cahill, Evelyn Gonzalez, Britton Webb

<— Click here to go to the previous big hype movie released on Amazon.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Breakdown Forest

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: I see that we have another German movie here after Kidnapping Stella.

Vampire Bat: Well, good German movies have been hard to find from here.

Vampire Owl: You have found so many of such movies so far. You can find more.

Vampire Bat: Finding and watching such movies has been a programme of the COVID-19 lock-down, and it has been tiring.

Vampire Owl: We are not supposed to be tired as far as movies are concerned.

Vampire Bat: Well, you just can’t decide when to get tired.

Vampire Owl: Vampires don’t get tired that easily, especially the chosen ones like us.

Vampire Bat: It is fate. People used to believe that vampires don’t get infected with the Corona Virus, but that has been proven wrong.

Vampire Owl: That was just some random bat virus which was not named.

Vampire Bat: Well, you never know that!

[Gets a vanilla cake and three glasses of mango shake].

What is the movie about? :: A police officer Leon Kamarowski (Bartholomaaus Kowalski) wakes up to find himself alone and vulnerable in a dense forest, and despite making different attempts, is unable to find out where he is, and how he landed there. He meets another person very soon, and he is also suffering from the same situation. Soon, they are captured by a group of people, and they are also trying to figure out what has been happening around there, as there are many other people who have been forced to be there like them, with no clue how they got there. It seems that there is a plan to create an almost invincible superman from the genes of these people who have gathered in the forest, and someone is watching them. There is a pure racist ideology behind all of these, as they consider a number of people there to be subhumans with no hope or rights. There is also the presence of some unknown military out there, seemingly trying to make an example out of them.

So, what happens with the events here? :: At the same time, people also pay to be in the forest to hunt down these people for entertainment. Samira Ribbeck (Micaela Schafer) who is part of the powerful Ribbeck family responsible for putting people into this situation, is also waiting for her chance. Sajoscha Petrosevitsch (Patrick Roy Beckert), an assassin also wakes up at another part of the forest, and comes up against different people who have no idea why they are there or where they are. Claude-Germar Wischnewski (Curd Berger) who leads a group of survivors tries to make sure that all of them survives, and finds a way out of the forest. But with so many strong and influential people around, the question remains if there is a chance for them to defeat the forces and find the path that leads outside. The people in control are sure that death is the only way out, and it has been proven before many times. So, is there a real chance for any of these people out there?

The defence of Breakdown Forest :: The idea of Breakdown Forest is established very strongly in the early stages, and it only gets even further strong in the later stages. We have an idea behind all of these, and there is danger prevailing at all times. It makes us wonder about how far a racist ideology based on the Nazi thoughts from the Second World War can go, even though more than seventy five years have passed since the suicide of Hitler and the surrender of the Nazi German Empire. The action also takes over pretty quickly, especially with the shooting and all. The setting helps the case really well too. Some of the one-liners are there to stay, and so is are some of those violent, bloody moments. It also gives us the feeling of a video game at times, as people with guns are left in a forest to be hunted by others. This is why Breakdown Forest can surely have a sequel – something which focuses on its ideology even more and finishes this forest practice of the movie without giving a chance for returning.

The claws of flaw :: Breakdown Forest is not a movie which keeps a high level at all stages. It has an interesting idea behind it, even though not a new one as we look back at many movies including the historical as well as the superhero stuff. The movie could have developed same in a better way. There is so much to talk about regarding the film’s path forward, but it never really focuses on the same, and instead chooses to go on without that innovation which was there to be taken. The characters are also not focused well enough. There are moments when we feel that this is when the movie gets to a higher level, but that doesn’t happen, and it stays where it has always been. This experience in the forest could have surely been terrifying, and we wanted some ideological horror and bloody sequences with heavy action sequences, but the flick chooses to stay usual.

Performers of the soul :: The movie doesn’t focus on its characters enough, especially when we were expecting the same. Most of the characters seemingly played by some actors and actresses who would be able to make a bigger impact on other day, goes away too easily and too quickly. The fire that seemed to be ready for them is just not there. Bartholomaaus Kowalski and Claude-Oliver Rudolph are pretty good in leading the way here, and you see that they are capable of doing the same in so many occasions. Micaela Schafer was the one who was supposed to bring the grand twist, but she doesn’t really get any of the action as she is killed soon enough – the character was supposed to be the difference maker, but is done soon, and that is the biggest disappointment in this film. Maybe, the film needs a sequel to explain some of its actions which works against it. The support from the cast is pretty much okay, and there is just some trouble here and there.

How it finishes :: Breakdown Forest is a movie with an idea which stays behind the gunshots and all the action. With such an interesting setting, we are always expecting a lot. One might end up feeling that it doesn’t deliver up to that expectations, still the film manages to be entertaining enough with everything that comes together. During the time of Corona Virus, watching good movies from other languages has been a fashion, and you can also add this film to that list, as it entertains as much as most of the other movies. I would suggest some of the movies in other languages too, as you reading about this particular flick. There are some interesting Romanian, Serbian, Russian, French, Korean, Dutch, Spanish and Chinese movies on this site too, and you might want to take a look at those COVID-19 special films. As you read about those movies, let us hope that this pandemic will also come to an end, and things will go back to us watching all the cinema at the theatres!

Release date: 20th June 2019
Running time: 131 minutes
Directed by: Patrick Roy Beckert
Starring: Bartholomaaus Kowalski, Claude-Oliver Rudolph, Curd Berger, Patrick Roy Beckert, Micaela Schafer, Ralf Richter, Mathieu Carriere, Martin Semmelrogge, Elena Carriere, Philipp Berka, Heiko Bender, Alessandro Alex Ali, Uwe Choroba, Jannik Duren, Askim Ali Erdogan, Uwe Fellensiek, Sandra Schmidt, Jasmina Rode-Kircher