Dark House (2014)

Genre : Horror
Country : USA

Cast :
Luke Kleintank : Nick Di Santo
Alex McKenna : Eve
Anthony Rey Perez : Ryan

Director :
Victor Salva

Alternative title : Haunted

Summary
When Nick Di Santo learns that his father is not only alive but can possibly reveal the origin of his son's dark gift, he sets out on a trip that takes him to an abandoned mansion he thought only existed in his childhood imagination.

My opinion
I think "Dark House" aka "Haunted" is a questionable case. Both movie titles certainly won't get a price for originality. They could have called the movie "Dark Forest" since almost the entire movie is situated in a forest. Victor Salva, the director of the acclaimed "Jeepers Creepers" saga, lost all orientation in the creation of this film, because it's become a hodgepodge of different horror genres. A lot of clichés of the horror genre are also thrown together here. Ultimately it's a variant of "Rosemary's baby" mixed with "End of Days" and on top of that some elements of the slasher genre and a bit of supernatural phenomena. A cocktail of horror genres. Not always successful, but overall it was still enjoyable to watch and dosed correctly.

Nick Santo (Luke Klein Tank) just turned 23 years old and visits his mother in an institution who's been there since he was young. Nick has a special gift. He can look in the future and see how someone is killed, just by touching that person. He never knew his father but hopes to find the truth after his visit and finally get some answers to the question of whether his father is possibly responsible for this gift. Eventually, the visit didn't progress as he expected. His mother loses her life in a mysterious fire and Nick inherits a house. Not just a house, but the house he has been drawing since his childhood. Together with his good friend Ryan (Anthony Rey Perez) and his pregnant girlfriend Eve (Alex McKenna), he goes on a search for the house, hoping for some answers.

You actually expect anyone with a little common sense to recommend the pregnant girlfriend to stay at home. But no, she merrily goes with them on an adventure. The search leads them to a secluded area where they are told that the house was washed away during a massive flood. Mind you , a full house , including the basement. Who would have thought ? Along the way they almost hit some land surveyors who obviously offer their help to locate the floating house. "Dark House" isn't really exciting or terrifying at any time. Even if they throw in Tobin Bell, the crazy Jigsaw from the "Saw" movies , as the creepy caretaker . That ridiculous wig he's wearing doesn't contribute to creating some suspense . Finally we have a cursed house, in a dark and menacing forest and a bunch of chimpanzees with dangerous looking axes. The group is urged to leave and never return. But despite all the efforts they always end up back at the cursed house .

Ultimately, it all becomes clear a bit and the whole setup unfolds itself and it degenerates into a fight between good and evil. Despite the total lack of scares and a thrilling intense atmosphere, the movie keeps you in its grip and you can feel the oppressive and threatening atmosphere. We have again an obvious situation with a group of young people in a dark wood and an old ominous building that contains the key to unravel the mystery. But the chases, the swirling hard hitting axes and the different twists make this still an enjoyable film.

The acting was nothing to write home about, but afterwards proved not to be terribly annoying. Luke Kleintank was perfect for the role of Nick. A future young father who is looking for his roots. The moments that he had flashbacks about the eventual death of some people, I found fairly successful. McKenna and Perez did what you could expect. And Bell did what he does best : playing an old eerie mysterious person. The portions gore were portrayed in a quite entertaining way. However, it wasn't very original. Another "split by an ax" head. The only thing that really annoyed me and made me shake my head out of disbelief was the fact that there's always someone who's so ultra-horny, he can't even resist to start humping around with a female member of the group , even while they are surrounded by bloodthirsty cavemen with axes . Even a box of Viagra wouldn't help me then.

So you can't really call this movie ingenious. Everything has been used before somewhere in another movie. They have stuffed it all into one movie. A shortage of ideas was not really a problem. The oversupply was a problem. But the real horror fans will probably appreciate this. I would even say that this is a horror that is suitable for those who are not really a fan of the genre. Because it's not really a horror anyway. As I read somewhere: "Talking heating vents are not scary - nor is anything else in the Dark House".

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

The Machine (2013)

Genre : SF
Country : UK

Cast :

Caity Lotz : Ava
Toby Stephens : Vincent
Denis Lawson : Thomson

Director :
Caradog W. James

Summary
Two artificial intelligence engineers come together as they work to create the first ever self-aware artificial intelligence. A veteran AI engineer secretly hopes to develop technology to help his diseased daughter, even if it means funding comes from the powerful Ministry of Defense (MoD). His new partner, a young woman gifted in the field of AI, is brought on after her breakthroughs are recognized by the MoD. Things go wrong when the MoD takes over and advances the researchers' work to the next level, teaching the AI to kill and follow MoD instructions with its new and nearly indestructible body.

My opinion

Don't kill anyone else. Do You understand?”

This movie got "The Welsh BAFTA Award" for Best Picture, Costume design and music, and the "British Independent Film Award" for "Filmmaking Within a Limited Budget". Knowing that, and after watching the trailer, my expectations were pretty high regarding "The Machine". And these expectations were largely redeemed.

"The Machine" is a dark SF where the main focus is the development of an artificial consciousness and not the use of flashy futuristic action with dazzling laser battles. Although it's a low-budget film, the sober SE's were convincing . Not overdone but still influential. It gave me the same feeling as when I saw "Blade Runner", "Terminator" or "Star Wars" for the first time. It's not a film that will have a big influence on future SF movies, but overall it was acceptable. The trailer looked more overwhelming then the end result. It looks rather flashy and impressive. An adrenaline boost is felt noticeably after you've watched it. The content however matched the trailer, but that adrenaline boost failed to materialize. It had been a while since I had seen the trailer. At one point I even thought I was watching the original movie and the trailer was from the remake .

Vincent, an expert in the field of artificial intelligence, is working for the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) in a heavily guarded bunker complex and provides soldiers with brain damage of an implant such that they are functioning back normally. Working for the MoD is against his principles, but is a way to have the right resources to possibly help his own daughter, who has a congenital brain damage. As a kind of Frankenstein you see him admire the result in the opening scene with a "repaired" ex-military that ultimately ends in a fiasco. Eventually, the rising star in the field of AI programming, Ava, is recruited to strengthen his team to help design a super-computer with a self-evolving consciousness . The combination of a autodidactic software developed by Ava and the ability to design limbs with superhuman powers, can lead to a sort of Robocop-like creatures. Before you know it, Ava dies because of fatal injuries and Vincent sees an opportunity to create an android based on her image and brain scans. Ultimately, the MoD is only interested in making a controllable and manipulable super-soldier.

"The Machine" questions the principle of artificial intelligence and the human intervention on soldiers with brain damage who are then separated as soulless outcasts into a hermetically sealed part of the military complex. Is it possible to design an independent thinking artificial machine ? How can you keep this under control without it transcending humanity and ultimately being a threat to the excistance of the human race ?
You obviously will associate the content with "Robocop" and "Terminator". The soundtrack creates an atmosphere like in the SF classic "Blade Runner". Witty and sober. A minimalist decor of the area and the cold metallic backgrounds. All this makes for a cold and sterile atmosphere. With therethrough extremely realistic high-tech appliances. The effects that were used were actually extremely clever applied, despite being a low-budget SF. The creation process of "The Machine". The flashing of it's nervous system. The piercing luminous eyes of the ex-soldiers who function thanks to the implant.Everything is subtly incorporated into the film and gives the illusion that you're watching a SF with a significant budget. An admirable achievement. It surely is a UK product. You notice this immediately because of the un-American ending. No heroic victory at the end with a patriotic cheering crowd. Rather a dark and depressing doomsday scenario that hangs as a curse over the further computerizing humanity.
Caity Lotz is the revelation of this movie in her dual role as a scientist and created robot. Beautiful expressions and breathtaking interpretations. The gradual transformation of a fairly infantile acting android to a cold-blooded and responsive artificial intelligent person, is played by her in a wonderful way. The eagerness with which "The Machine" wants to understand human nature and the urging to be respected as a member of the human race, is fluently and accurately mapped. "Apart from their flesh, what makes them any different than me?" she asks in a harmless and disarming way at a given time. Her outward change of a smooth, sleek-haired, smiley girl into a expressionless face with a gel-slicked hairstyle is fairly successful. A personality change by means of a tiny detail.

Toby Stephens portrays the somewhat tormented scientist Vincent. The relationship that develops between him and the android is that of creator vs. creation. An educational task that gradually turns into a more deeper trust, of which you could wonder if it would turn into a romantic relationship at some point . Stephens role tends sometimes to become pathetic but personally I liked the moments when he subjects a software designs to a "Turing test". It was entertaining and he shows the analytical skills he has as a designer of AI computers.

Denis Lawson plays the indomitable superior Thomson who has only one goal in his mind, namely creating an invincible fighting machine. "The most technologically advanced society always wins" as he notes sober and businesslike. Besides the sullen and dogged look there's not much to tell about this character.

The only less successful part of this film are the sometimes amateurish action/fight scenes. Especially when Ava comes into action. Then it looks rather improvised and hesitant. The movements aren't really smooth and there's a "wait and see" attitude before the next opponent is attacked. And that's sometimes a bit to much.There's however one perfect moment when she floors a reasonable big guy with an upward straddle against a wall. Respect!

"The Machine" is a really enjoyable film for the hardcore SF fanatic who wasn't really waiting for some (sometimes) overly cyber-action, but with the known issue about creating an electronic device that grows an awareness. The question you can ask yourself if this consciousness could be a threat to the human well-being, is the final piece of this film. Sober, to the point and stunningly realistic despite the small budget. And they should immediately park such an Ava android in front of my door ... Cyber-yummy ...

My rating 7,5/10
Links : IMDB

Enemy (2013)

Genre : Thriller/Mystery
Country : Canada/Spain

Cast :
Jake Gyllenhaal : Adam and/or Anthony
Mélanie Laurent : Mary
Sarah Gadon : Helen

Director :
Denis Villeneuve

Summary

A university professor, Adam Bell , is lecturing on chaos and dictators, their want for control and the repetitious nature of history itself. He goes home where he finds his girlfriend, Mary , waiting for him. One day at lunch a co-worker recommends a movie, something "cheerful". He goes home, sends Mary to bed alone and stays up to watch.
A scene from the movie he'd just seen replayed in his dreams features the man he'll soon come to know as Anthony Clair, his exact look-a-like, and he can't get it out of his head.

My opinion

The last thing you need is meeting strange men in hotel rooms.

"Enemy" : directed by Denis Villeneuve and Jake Gyllenhaal in a leading role (or roles). Hell yeah ! The director and one of the protagonists of "Prisoners" . This can only be an excellent movie. I've put "Prisoners" in my personal top 10 of reasonable brilliant movies in 2013. That was a slightly incorrect assumption

A few tips before you watch this bizarre and very strange movie.
Don't call the electronics store where you recently purchased your ultramodern 55" LED TV in a panic and start screaming at the helpdesk employee that the RGB color settings are severely screwed up and they need to replace the unit immediatly. Trust me, the color palette that you get to see on your TV the entire movie, is fine. You fancy yourself all the time in a coffee-colored land full of yellow , beige and (probably spider excrement) brownish hues . At times I thought I had my Boss sunglasses with slightly tinted glasses still on.

Are you having a period of persistent sleeping disorder and you need benzodiazepines with annoying side effect that you feel sleepy during the day, then I don't recommend this movie , for it's painfully (pronounce it stretched now) slow.

You don't like movies where you say "Huh!" at the end and you frantically start googling forums and wikipedia-pages to find any explanation about the movie ? Don't watch it !

But are you a big fan of Gyllenhaal ? Then you'll surely don't want to miss this one, because he plays even two personages in it. Or one ? And you're not into a movie with a straightforward , predigested and terribly simplistic storyline, but rather a complicated story with a jumble of possible train of thoughts and plausible explanations , this is really a must see for you.

Brief summary : a slightly neurotic teacher who gives lessons on how a dictatorial regime maintains control over people, by applying certain strategies . And very important (probably an exam question) , it's a pattern that repeats itself throughout history. After a suggestion of a colleague , he rents a movie one evening and sees to his surprise his exact image acting in this film. What follows is a tangled discovery where you find yourself wondering all the time whether there are indeed two persons or that these two individuals are fused into a schizophrenic person with apparently an identity disorder .

It wasn't a totally confusing story for me. I took into account that Adam might possibly have some psychological problems. The behavior and phenomena that were shown like regular headaches (frequently depicted), mood swings, sexual dysfunction (Yes after the third time his girlfriend kicks off it was obvious) and lose sight of the time, were an indication. The metaphors that were used at the end were also evident. That in the end it was nothing else than leaving the past behind in a psychological way and start fresh in the present, was clear to me onto the end.

Gyllenhaal gets the most out here and plays an excellent character role. The portrayal of Sarah Gadon was at times simply breathtaking brilliant. The look on her face as she glances at Adam and you clearly can see the suspicion and confusion on her face appearing, is simply masterful. The film editing was sometimes really ingenious worked out. Stopping and restarting images at the rhythm of the music. The delusions were sometimes quite hallucinatory. The beginning with the perverted show gave you immediately a tightness. Applying the teaching material (about the pattern and the repeating) on reality, so that recurrent sequences were used in the beginning, was ingenious. The end which is a compound with the beginning. If you think about it more deeply you'll notice it's highly elaborated.

And yet it it left me indifferent. For me it's just a movie to spawn "the experts" of the better movie and give them something to entertain (as the Romans did with the common people) so they can  analyze the different layers of this film and discuss it in detail. For me, it was a slow and boring movie with a straightforward story in which eventually someone wants to leave his "cheating days" behind him. I love a well-prepared mind fuck, but in this movie I was like, "Yeah guys tell me the denouement so I finally know how it fits together." And this already fairly early in the movie. Too bad, if you look at the acting performance of Gyllenhaal.

My rating 4/10
Links : IMDB

All Hallows' Eve (2013)

Genre : Horror
Country : USA

Cast :
Katie Maguire : Sarah
Mike Giannelli : Art

Director :
Damien Leone

Summary
While watching two children on Halloween night, a babysitter finds an old VHS tape in the kids' trick or treat bag. The tape features three tales of terror, all linked together by a murderous clown. As the night goes on strange things begin to occur in the house. It isn't long before the babysitter learns the horrifying truth... the maniacal clown is slowly working his way into her reality.

My opinion 
"All Hallows' eve" is not exactly an easy film and will surely enchant few. It is clearly a low-budget film with a somewhat sinister and absurd atmosphere, mixed with some gore scenes and an atmosphere that reminded me of 80s horror movies. That is the strongest and most positive point why I could actually appreciate this movie. That nostalgic feeling and mood in this "Halloween"-like film. It seemed indeed a rented VHS with a dated movie. Complete with a bad image caused by age and noise on the videotape. You only needed the monotonous music of an old synthesizer and it is complete.
It all starts on a Halloween night. Sarah (Katie Maguire) has to babysit that night and the two teenagers, Timmy and Tia, are back from a round of "Trick or Treat". Just before they go to sleep, Timmy discovers a VHS tape between his candy. They convince Sarah to look what´s actually on it , assuming that it is probably a scary Halloween movie. Eventually there appear to be three short horror films with "Art the Clown" as a central figure.

"All Hallows' eve" is a so called anthology film : a collection of different stories. The different stories are actually the downside of this movie. They are not very original and the first two are downright bad. The first story is pretty absurd and confusing. Besides a claustrophobic feeling and the intention to make a kind of demonic torture story out of it, it didn't make a big resounding impression on me. A content-free and completely insignificant whole. The exhibit of gross pictures didn't make it any better. And then it seemed as if they cut and chopped some marzipan. Not exactly a successful part of the movie. The clown came here briefly in the picture, but more as a prop (and also the cause). So this was just a warming up.

The second story took a completely different turn, but it was completely ruined by the design of the creature. It looked like the figure portrayed in "The Scream", but with all kinds of attributes. Total nonsense, no suspense or fear moments. "Art" was not even there in person.

The third story was the highlight. A gross and extravagant final story with Art as a conductor in a bloody tragedy. A collage of bloodstained knives, a hacksaw with remnants of human flesh, and a still life of the girl fully carved with obscene words. Clearly the better story of the trilogy ...

Ultimately the story then progresses as expected. The film has similarities with "V / H / S" and "Playback". The whole movie revolves around Art and I must admit that this is a truly deranged clown with a bloodthirsty, spooky and creepy look. A successful representation of a humorous nightmare, innocent but deadly at the same time. A devil in a box that always plays on his horn, and who makes a transition from the imaginary world to reality. A real collection of curiosities with many incomprehensible creatures, interspersed with some ghoulish images and gory moments. The other characters were not exactly bad. Most looked really just frightened out of their eyes throughout the whole film. Katie Maguire played a persuasive role in which she has to put the two teenagers at ease and overcome her own fears at the same time.

Many will think this is a very bad movie. Others will judge it as a sublime work. I'm right there in the middle. With the first two stories better developed, this wouldn't have been a clownish display.

Make sure you watch this movie completely, because the sting is in the tail.

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

Big Ass Spider (2013)

Genre : SF
Country : USA

Cast :
Greg Grunberg : Alex
Lombardo Boyar : Jose
Ray Wise : Major Braxton Tanner

Director :
Mike Mendez

Summary
A giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampage the city of Los Angeles. When a massive military strike fails, it is up to a team of scientists and one clever exterminator to kill the creature before the city is destroyed.

My opinion

"I could be the Robin to your Batman, the Tonto to your Lone Ranger…"

I 'm actually a little biased because I have a weak spot for B-movies in the category of horror and SF. The "Big Ass Spider" belongs in that list of low-budget B-movies. There have been several films in which the content is covered by the title itself . In "Snakes on a plane" you know that it´s not going to be about chickens on a train. And "Dinoshark" obvious was about a dinosaur-like shark. The quality of "Big Ass Spider" was a lot higher than the latter . Even for me as a fan of such movies, I thought "Dinoshark" was a bit too much and I found it a terribly bad movie. The intro of "Big ass Spider" is simply brilliant. A slow-motion shot where Alex Mathis (Greg Grunman) regains consciousness and continues strolling down the street while bystanders flee and soldiers fire their automatic rifles and debris is hurtling down. And all that while "Where is my mind" from the Pixies is playing. A superb cover in a serene manner. In one word : stunning. And then the image of the oversized insect : a kind of black widow clinging to a skyscraper and hitting helicopters out of the air with its pointed legs that also drill into the building. A tribute to the famous "King Kong" movie .

Of course this is not a movie like "Pacific Rim" or "Godzilla" where huge budgets are used so you start drooling while seeing the CGI and the acting sometimes makes you cry. If you expect a well developed story with flawless special effects and convincing and believable acting, then it is best to leave this one aside. Eventually, you can compare it with the famous monster movies from the years 50-70 like "Them", "The Swarm", "The Deadly Mantis" or "Empire of the Ants" and later "Tremors", "Starship Troopers" and "Killer Bees ". All of which the protagonist is a bug and it is greater than the movie itself. The actors are secondary. Here the bugs are the stars.

The story is indeed not breathtaking. A huge spider that afflicts a metropolis and makes enormous casualties in a short time. That just about covers the entire movie. There are moments the SE just looks abominable. Especially when the spider moves quickly around and chases future victims. Terribly bad was the chase with the jeep . The jeep was even shown in an accelerated pace. Something I have not seen since Benny Hill. The smaller spiders looked convincing and the huge specimen at the end was also enjoyable. The rare images of corpses mutilated and melting faces because of acid, was pretty realistic. The performances were sometimes distressing bad except the roguish duo Alex, the cheerful fat man and a benign bug exterminator, and Jose, a security guard from the hospital with a Mexican accent who doesn´t know what it´s all about half the time and walks around with a surprised look on his face. These two figures provide the humor, and I must admit there were some chuckle moments anyway. Personally, I found the elevator scene a hilarious moment. " Twin Peaks" figure Ray Wise was asked to interpret the role of Major Braxton Tanner. A not so impressive role eventually . Of course there were the obligatory busty female figurants parading around in tiny bikinis.

Normally, the emphasis in this genre of movies is on the disastrous development and the overall panic hereafter. "Big Ass Spider" however aims at the comic part. The only thing I could describe as less successful is the use of the well-known cliché of the unknown and ordinary guy who shows up to prevent a catastrophe that arose through the fault of a higher authority. All the high tech that the military had for use, could not solve the problem. Alex and Jose solve it again with a little bit of courage and a sprayer filled with a homemade chemical liquid. There have been several movies with this premise, so ultimately it didn´t bother me that much.

Conclusion: a highly enjoyable monster movie with a lot of humor. A must-see for those who fancy this kind of movies and watch it on a Saturday night with a big bowl of popcorn.

My rating 7/10
Links : IMDB