PURGE: ELECTION YEAR
Universal Color 103 Mins. Horror/Action Frank Grillo and Elizabeth Mitchell star.
Written and Directed by James DeMonaco
Rated R for Graphic violence and strong language
What it's about: The third installment in the highly successful Purge franchise continues with Sergeant leo Barnes at it's center played by the bad ass and ruggedly handsome Frank Grillo. This time around he's protecting a presendential candidate that's being targeted on purge night because she wants to stop it from happening.
Buzz: Surprisingly the buzz has been mostly positive with this entry holding a 71% positive rating out of 41 reviews the Purge movies seem to be getting better as they go along. The first scored and 37% and the second a 58% respectively.
Positive:
Owen Gleiberman of Variety says It's a scurrilously effective pop rabble-rouser. A movie that's been built to get you riled and it does.
Greg Wakeman of CinemaBlend.com says Because of the prescence and weight of it's plot. It has more legs than it's earlier installments.
Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly says James DeMonaco's third chapter in the thrill-kill vigilante franchise is the best and pulpiest Purge yet!
Rafer Guzman of Newsday says Movie No. 3 in the franchise again tackles hot button topics in an entertaining way!
David Fear of Rolling Stone says The film's only real stance besides be sure to vote in November is that American is violence. God bless the U.S.A. God save us all.
Negative:
Henry Stewart of Brooklyn Magazine says A long vulgar ad for Hilary...DeMonaco may have something to say, but his movies remain to stupid to say them.
Edward Douglas of New York Daily news says After three disturbingly violent films, this may be the concept that deserves to be purged.
Harvey S. Karten of Compuserve says Political discussions take a back seat, way way back, to a combination of clownish villains in Halloween-style costumes and seen-it-done that shooting gallery.
Overall prediction: I'm 85% sure this will be a solid flick. I enjoyed the first two even though there were some hammy spots. I appreciate the intensity as well as DeMonaco's insight into polictics that I'm sure will continue to keep this franchise fresh and relevant.
Box office prediction: Although I don't think the film looks as strong as the last. The higher reviews should bring questioning parties into theaters. I'm guessing 27 million for the 3 day and 31 for the four day!
CASE 39
Paramount Vantage
2009 Color
109 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Renee Zellwegger, Bradley Cooper, Jodelle Ferland and Ian McShane star.
Written by Ray Wright
Directed by Christian Alvart
Rated R for language, violence and adult themes.
Unjustly dumped to a limited release. Case 39 had a troubled journey to theaters. Christian Alvart the director of Antibodies was making his American cinema debut and would go on to direct better more cohesive films like Pandorum. The latest foray into the scary kid subgenre at the time is a mixed bag at best. It centers on an overworked social worker played by Renee Zellwegger who comes upon a case she can't turn down. It seems that a young girl thinks her parents want to murder her.
Of course as the story evolves we begin to see the reason why. Throw in some supernatural hub bub here and there you have the makings of this film. The positives are of course the performances, solid turns from Zellwegger even though her character is underwritten, Sexy Bradley Cooper as a pining child psychologist and Ian McShane as her detective friend. Some nice cinematography and a lot of imagination and the willingness to tackle some dark material. The bad, the movie feels confused and only half committed at times. when it should be delving deeper it seems to draw back in favor of generic thrills, silly chase scenes and clichéd one liners. It all culminates in a surprisingly lame fashion. Still there's enough here to merit a light recommendation. It's not a great film by any means but it's entertaining and far better than the likes of Sinister and so many other insipid genre travesties.
***/5
THE SHALLOWS
Columbia 2016 Color 87 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Blake Lively stars.
Written by Anthony Jaswinski
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Rated PG-13 for language and violence.
Blake Lively portrays Nancy a young woman in nursing school who finds herself stranded on a rock after a brutal shark attack. The movie is simplistic in it's motivations but Lively's character is well outlined as a smart, resourceful heroine unafraid to fight back against her grisly predator. Beautifully shot and expertly directed by Jaume Collet-Serra I went into The Shallows with very high expectations which were mostly met. You see I'm a huge fan of killer shark flicks two of my favorites being Jaws and Deep Blue sea two films at entirely different ends of the cinematic spectrum. I'm also a fan of Lively after her stunning, tortured turn in Age of Adaline. She takes nancy from a young woman trying to process her grief to a kick ass heroine. the journey is an impressive one to watch.
I'm also a fan of Collet-Serra I found his House of Wax remake to be a near perfect slasher film and his disturbing "Orphan" to be near perfection. As always in Collet-Serras works the film has a beautiful physique the cinematography feels grand and colorful. All in all everything works damn well in this film I just wish there would have been a little more to it. Don't get me wrong I love the simplicity of it and that alone lends itself to some explosive encounters and edge of your seat suspense but I wish we could have known Nancy a bit more, Lively does extremely well with her character pulling depth out of an underwritten role. But I just wish there was a bit more struggle and a bit more of a payoff. Still there's more than enough here to wet your bloody cinematic appetites the film features tons of gorgeous visuals and some finely timed gut wrenching surprises .It all culminates to a slightly silly but overly entertaining action packed finale. The Shallows may not be on par with the terror of Jaws or the extreme fun of Deep Blue Sea but it's a smart, efficient, horror thriller. ****.25/5
With the Weekend fast approaching and it's gonna be an exciting one for us horror fans here's a look at what it has to offer!
THE SHALLOWS
Columbia 87 Mins, Horror/Action/Thriller
Blake Lively stars. Written by Anthony Jaswinski Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Rated PG-13 for language, violence and gore.
SYNOPSIS: Only 200 ft. away from the shore a Young woman is stranded alone on a buoy with a great white shark circling the waters between her and the shore.
BUZZ: Buzz is strong for The Shallows reviews are sitting pretty at 95% positive out of 20 reviews with critics complimenting Lively's performance and saying it's a worthy successor to Jaws.
Positive:
Peter Debruge of Variety says " Lively is a compelling heroine."
Brian Roan of Film Stage says " A film that is patient, atmospheric, and that delights in delivering escalating thrills!"
Matt Singer of Screen Crush says " Surrounded by so many bloated unsatisfying summer movies. The Shallows is as refreshing as a quick dip on a hot day!"
Scott Mendelson of Forbes says " Blake Lively gives a terrific solitary performance in this effective little horror drama."
Roger Moore of Movie Nation says " Straight simple and primal."
Negatives:
Tim Grierson of Screen International says " The Shallows sports plenty of B Movie Gusto but this thriller never really rises above it's predictable survival story line. That said there are pleasures to be had in watching Collet-Serra and Lively try to wring every scare out of this simple scenario."
PROS: The trailers are incredible. The film looks to be an edge of your seat thriller that makes sharks scary again. Jaume Collet-Serra is directing and he's responsible for some of the most suspenseful films of the last decade Orphan and House of Wax. Writer Anthony Jaswinski is coming off the kick ass horror thriller Kristy. The film sports gorgeous cinematography and actress Blake Lively proved herself thoroughly with last summers Age of Adaline.
CONS: The last great serious shark movie to come out was Jaws. Sure there have have been some nightmarish blips here and there with Open water and The Reef and some entertaining ones like Deep Blue Sea but the sub-genre hasn't been effective in a very long time. Also Jaume Collett-Serra has been known for some less effective films outside of the genre such as Unknown and Non Stop.
BOX OFFICE PREDICTION: Although the film is pretty buzzy Columbia hasn't put any real marketing push behind it. Also the Box office will be hurt by a last minute changed release date. It also doesn't help that it's opening against Independence Day 2 and is only one week away from the release of The Purge plus Conjuring will still be going strong in it's third week. Still with 95% percent positive reviews (unheard of for the genre), strong word of mouth and an excellent release day I'm guessing it's gonna open with around 17 Million and close out with around 50.
Conclusion: The Shallows looks to be a lot of fun and the film will deliver some big genre summer movie thrills that are sorely lacking.
Alternative Suggestions: If you're not feeling venturing out to the cinema or it just doesn't seem like you're cup of salty water. 2003's low budget Open water will deliver some serious shark thrills and if you're in the mood to be purely entertained you can check out the super-fun Deep Blue Sea from 1999.
NEON DEMON
Amazon 117 Mins. Horror/Thriller
Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Keanu Reeves Christina Hendricks and Desmond Harrington star.
Written and Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn
Rated R
SYNOPSIS: When an aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.
BUZZ: Critics are spit with this one. It's at 50% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Positive:
Anthony Lane of The New Yorker says "Prettiness and Brutality seep from the pores of the movie."
Stephaine Zacharek of Time Magazine says " This is purely an exercise in style, and what style!"
Chris Alexander of Shocktilyoudrop.com says "It's a singular masterpiece!"
Nick Scaeger of Film Journal International says " A scathing, highly stylized thriller of fashion world monstrousness!"
Negative:
Owen Gilberman of Variety says " it's not boring but there's less to it than meets the eyeball."
Allison Willmoore of Buzzfeed news says " The movie is a bloody-mawed catfight on hallucinogens, but the visual splendor doesn't change the fact that the film barely has characters."
Allan Hunter of The list says " It's supremely stylish but exceedingly slim. A bright shiny, eye catching bauble with a vapid center."
PROS: The film's Trailers are absolutely breathtaking. Refn did Well with films like Drive and Bronson. Elle Fanning is a talented young actress breaking more out of her shell with each film. Plus Critics are split and some people seem to really like it.
CONS: Refn is also responsible for Only God Forgives.Also Critics are split and half of them don't seem to like it.
BOX OFFICE PREDICTION: This is a specialty release so there is very little chance of it breaking out. Still the film does seem to be making small waves which should lead to a small but ultimately successful box office run. Look for a 2-3 Million opening weekend with a final tally of 5-7.
Conclusion: Neon Demon is sure to be a surreal, hallucinogenic cinematic experience. And although I'm dying to see it, I'm not sure the film will deliver the goods I'm hoping it will. Still it should make for an interesting venture.
Alternative Suggestions: For artsy horror look no further than David Lynch's masterpiece Mulholland Drive and if you're feeling more high fashion check out Dressed to Kill by Brian DePalma and if it's the trashiness that's luring you in there's always the timeless classic Showgirls.
With the Highly anticipated film The Shallows hitting theaters this Friday. I have put together a small list of marine terrors to get your blood pumping!
5. 12 DAYS OF TERROR
Discovery 2004 Color 86 Mins. Horror/Drama Colling Egglesfield, Mark Dexter, Jenna Harrison, Colin Stinton and John Rhys Davies star.
Written by Jeffrey Rainer
Directed by Jack Sholder
Rated PG-13 for violence and gore.
This based on a true story TV movie has more umph than you might expect. In addition to having some very attractive guys 12 days of Terror is always engaging and at times pretty darn suspenseful. The movie focuses on the 12 days of terror in July 1916 when a great white shark went on a killing spree on the shores of NJ. Being from Nj myself and having heard the stories and seen the places I was impressed at how accurate the depiction was. Although limited by it's ultra low budget, it's a discovery channel movie of the week for gods sakes. 12 Days of Terror still packs enough punch to rise above most of the subgenre's goofy elements. But ultimately that big plastic shark is only scary sometimes. And best of all it's streaming on Netflix.***.25/5
4. THE REEF
Lightning 2010 Color 94 Mins. Horror/Thriller Adrienne Pickering and Damian Walshe-Howling star.
Written and Directed by Andrew Traucki
Rated R for language, violence and gore.
A Great white sharks takes aim on a group of friends when their boat capsizes. The Reef has some serious chills throughout. Tautly directed and with strong performances the movie manages to rise above it's clichéd concept to give us something unique and refreshing. A serious shark movie that doesn't stop. ***.5/5
3. DEEP B;LUE SEA
Warner Bros. 1999 Color 105 Mins. Horror/Sci-Fi/Action Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J, Michael Rappaport and Stellan Skarsgard star.
Written by Duncan Kennedy
Directed by Renny Harlin
Rated R for language, violence and gore.
Renny Harlin burst onto the scene in the 80's with the "MTV Nightmare" Nightmare on Elm st. 4. And I've been a fan of him ever since, Even the worst of his movies are always entertaining and possess this kinetic, creative energy oozing through every gorgeous frame. Deep Blue Sea is no different. When it arrived in the summer of 1999 I remember seeing it opening night and despite some truly goofy stuff I found myself on the edge of my seat with my feet up on the chair. The movie centers on a group of scientists trying to cure Alzheimer's who genetically enhance the brains of sharks. Well the results are expectedly bad for them. Loaded with non stop action, a very sexy Thomas Jane and one crazy thing after another Deep Blue Sea is one hell of a thrill ride. ****.5/5
2. OPEN WATER
Lionsgate 2003 Color 79 Minutes Horror/Thriller Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis star. Written and Directed by Chris Kentis.
Rated R for language, violence, nudity and gore.
In the summer of 2003 this taut little indie made you scared to go into the water. At a short but almost unbearable tense 79 Minutes a couple find themselves in open water when their boat accidentally leaves them there while they are scuba diving. They face one element after another until finally being targeted by sharks with no hope in sight. Chris Kentis's memorable aquatic nightmare still send shivers up your bones today when you think about that scene when the camera peers just a little under the water and they are surrounded by real sharks which they also filmed with. Taut direction, strong performances and a willingness to bring audiences something new make this film one hell of an experience plus Daniel Travis ain't too bad to look at. .***..5/5
1. JAWS
Universal 1975 color 124 Mins. Horror/Thriller Roy Scheider, Rober Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and Lorrianne Gray star.
Written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Rated PG but contains, language, violence, gore and nudity.
Was there any doubt that the first summer blockbuster would be #1 on the list. Steven Speilberg's nightmarish masterpiece is the film that set the bar for every that followed it and still hasn't been surpassed. Featuring strong performances and inspired direction Jaws centers on a Great White as it targets the small beach community of Amity with only a police chief, a marine biologist as a grizzled fisherman to stop it. There are so many moments to cherish but my favorite one that still haunts me to this day is when you can see tha large white body of a shark underneath a fishing boat. A true classic! *****/5
CABIN FEVER
IFC Midnight
2016 Color
99 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Gage Golightly, Matthew Daddario, Samuel Davis, Nadine Crocker, Dustin Ingram, Randy Schulman, George Griffith, Aaron Trainor and Louise Linton star.
Written by Randy Pearlstein and Eli Roth
Directed by Travis Zariwny
N/R contains language, violence, gore, sexuality, nudity and drug use.
I know many of you believe that remakes are sacrilegious. And In most cases they are not merited or wanted by any means. In this case however although I'm a big fan of the original you won't find anyone calling it a perfect film. It's an odd smorgasbord at best with a winking eye and a biting sense of mean humor throughout. So being that we are living in a time filled with remakes, reboots and a whole bunch of unnecessary sequels this film wasn't really a surprise. The only real surprise here is how friggin entertaining the results are.Using the exact same script with a different cast and a different film maker. It's interesting to see how the material is reinterpreted and how the characters and dialogue are played from different angles. The setup is the same, a group of friends find themselves in a rut when they find themselves infected with a gory flesh eating virus that's highly contagious. The results although similar feel completely different, fresh and fun. One of my favorite changes, gender switches the role of the wacky deputy with even more hilarious results.
It's especially great if you're a fan of the original to see how things unfold. There's plenty of sexy eye candy in the film Matthew Daddario and Samuel Davis are especially impressive.
And the gore is even more impressive this time around taking all of those crazy scenes just a step further check out some fantastically gooey examples below.
What's lacking is Roth's signature sublime sense of wicked cinephile hysteria. But some impressive cinematography and acute directorial touches make the proceedings feel surprising and immersive. It's no doubt that the original is just more original and made it's unforgettable imprint on the genre but the remake works as a kick ass companion piece that makes everything just a little better. ****.25/5
HIDE AND GO SHRIEK
New Star
1988 Color
90 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Bonnie Williams, Randy Flint, Kim Downs, George Thomas , Sean Kanan and Scott Fults star.
Written by Michael Kelly
Directed by Skip Schoolnik
Rated R for language, violence, gore, sexuality and nudity.
From the opening moments of Hide and Go Shriek you can tell that the proceedings are going to have a queer edge to them. As a mysterious man puts on lipstick and mascara to ominous foreboding music before dressing in a trench coat, picking up a prostitute and murdering her. After that we are introduced to a group of one dimensional friends as they talk about sex and graduating. Eventually they make their way to Johns Fathers furniture store to sneak in an all nighter to celebrate graduation. To their dismay our target madman seems to have made his way in and is looking to dispatch them in increasingly grisly ways one by one. Now what makes this one such an undeniable gem for homoerotic humpday really lies in the films unexpected finale. But there are still moments scattered throughout to make it worthwhile. Most of the guys on display are way more attractive than the girls. They also wear much tighter clothes. And when you first meet the group there seems to be a secret unrequited love between two of the boys as they wrestle themselves out of the car.
And as for that finale which I simply won't ruin but I will say that it's definitely worth the wait. The villain is unintentionally funny and couldn't be less intimidating. Most impressive is the root of the film's plotting which is intriguing and maybe slightly offensive by todays standards. The stand out bad performance of the film goes to the young lady with the extraordinary large mane of tassled hair. Her sassy attitude and constant over acting needs to be seen to be believed.
None of them of course are believable as high school seniors on the cusp of their graduate in true 80's horror movie fashion. But like every homoerotic humpday movie there are quite a collection of hunky hotties on display. George Thomas and Sean Kanan are especially impressive and still working those smoldering good looks into their 50s.
***.5/5
THE CONJURING 2
Warner Bros.
2016 Color
134 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Vera Farminga, Patrick Wilson, Franka Potente, Frances O' Connor, Madison Wolfe and Lauren Esposito star.
Written and Directed by James Wan
Rated PG-13 for violence and terror.
The Conjuring first arrived in the summer of 2013 with a ton of buzz and some kick ass trailers. I remember walking out of the the theater after seeing that film and saying to myself that it was one of the best horror movies I have ever seen and the most terrifying! It's an impossible bar that Wan had set for himself with that masterpiece. The film was a perfect storm of wonderful performances, brilliantly executed atmosphere, simplistic nightmarish scares and an engaging immersive story line. Now almost 3 years later he's returned and all the trailers and buzz leading up to this film are intriguing and mostly positive but don't seem to have the same pizzazz that the original had. Well I'm happy to say The Conjuring 2 is a great film, it's just not as great as the original. This time around they center on the famous Enfield haunting in London. One in which a young girl and her family was seemingly attacked by a vengeful spirit. All the haunted house tropes are there and Wan has definitely fine tuned his successful approach from the corridors with thick atmosphere, to the slight fog that covers the ground outside and most effective the use of lighting and wide lensed cinematography to exploit the audiences fears.
The minor problems the film has have to do with it just being a bit too overdone in places.There is definitely an air of more is more which almost always end up with equaling less. The film is so thick in places with a multitude of creative but unnecessary scare sequences it can become a bit much. The least effective being a "babbadookesque" creature, The scares that work the best in my opinion include a picture out of focus that begins to take on a life of it's own, a sliding chair that's horrifying in it's timing, a scene involving a young boy and his truck and there are of course a multitude of others. Also terrifying is the Nun character, that thing has scarred my psyche indefinitely. The performances are all strong Wilson and especially Faminga deliver powerful turns and have a moving chemistry. Although everyone delivers, the family seems to be less effective even though they are given more screen time. That is due in part to the film's execution. It's no doubt that the story is about the Warren's this time around and the family and haunting seem to take a slight bit of a back seat. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it seems that Wan is creating a Marvelesque universe of characters and story lines. Take for instance the scary beginning that highlights the Amityville haunting this time around. Ultimately less effective than the Annabelle turn in the first film this is no doubt scarier than all of the remake, all of the sequels and most of the original. Wan is no doubt immensely talented knowing not just how to execute his scares and his atmosphere but make them memorable and emotionally effective. He does this by really making you care about the characters and by giving these films a real sense of genuine reality. He also has a real sense of what the audience wants and delivers it in spades. The film culminates to an effective, special effects ridden finale which doesn't hold the simplistic thrills of the original but is nail bitingly suspenseful because the stakes feel higher. In conclusion Conjuring 2 is no doubt a great effective horror film with frightening set pieces and emotional resonance. It's not as effective as the original but a less is more approach in the anticipated sequel could be more on the par with the instant classic original. And hopefully they move forward with a more classic approach to the inevitable Amityville spinoff unlike what they did with the silly Annabelle movie. ****.5/5
DARKNESS
Blumhouse Tilt
2016 Color
92 Mins.
Horror/thriller
Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, Jennifer Morrison, Lucy Fry, Ming Na wen and Paul Reiser star.
Written and Directed by Greg McLean
Rated PG-13 for language violence and adult themes
I've never been a big fan of Greg McLean, not to say that he's not talented. His Wolf Creek films are well made but his execution is just way to mean and sadistic. So I was surprised to see him at the helm of a supernatural PG-13 family in peril movie. the film centers on a troubled family with a young autistic son. They are bbqing in the dessert when he finds himself in a mysterious underground chamber. He soon discovers a few ancient relics and of course takes them home. Skip forward to just a bit later and the family is going through a lot of negativity and just some plain spooky stuff. Ultimately they get a witchy doctor to try and exorcise the problem before it's too late. The film chooses jump scares and family drama over anything gruesome. A pleasant surprise especially considering the director but it's quite obvious that McLean has a problem navigating this area. The film sets up alot of intriguing angles but never follows any of them through. Ultimately it leaves much to be desired.
That being said there are more than a handful of mildly amusing bits and McLean especially in the beginning sets up an palatable atmosphere of mounting dread even though there is never any real payoff. Radha Mitchell is dependable as usual and it's good to see Reiser and Na Wen. Most of the other actors feel like they are just droning on through the material especially Bacon and an unintentionally funny and overly rambunctious Lucy Fry. All in all it's a decent watch, the less you try and think about it the better. It's not really a solid theatrical experience and works more as a lifetime creeper of the week. Still it's admirable to see that the new blumhouse tilt label is trying to do something new. Conceptually the film is really quite intriguing it just never gets anywhere it really needs to be. **.75/5
