Cruel Will (2013)

 


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Genre : Horror (?),Thriller
Country : USA
 
Cast :
Arron Kinser : Paul
Marissa Pistone : Lily
Spencer Garrett : Frederick

Director :
Arthur Romeo

Summary

Tragedy strikes married couple Paul and Lily, when Lily's father dies. Lily has her father cremated, brings the urn home and now Paul has to come to terms with the death of his father-in-law whom he had despised. The situation gets a bit frayed when the lid to the urn mysteriously disappears, and Paul begins to experience happenings no one else is aware of. 

My opinion

I thought "Apocalypse Earth", "Alien Uprising", "Dino Shark" and "The Uprising" would never be surpassed in the category of "Most horrible bad movie ever", until I saw this monstrosity. "Cruel Will" is a low-budget indie horror. You can notice that surely after a while. Absolutely everything in this film doesn't make sense or is terribly wrong. The content, the storyline, the performances, the thrills and the intense atmosphere ... Really all of this is either bad or totally absent. You can hardly call this creation a horror movie. Even thriller is not applicable. Better you call it a tragedy.

Paul and Lily are a married couple and one day disaster strikes. Lily's father dies suddenly and is cremated. Lily is obviously quite devoted to her father (and afterwards I had to conclude that she really had no reason to) and takes the urn back home. From that moment on, disturbing phenomena start to happen in their house. Paul experiences paranormal visions which the others can't see. He didn't have such a good relationship with his father in law and perhaps that is why the lid of the urn disappeared and his father in law returned to haunt Paul about the past. Or Paul is losing his mind !  That's also possible. Who knows? The film won't point that out.
 

What a terribly original story. As empty as the urn after a while. There's no sign of tension or any scares. A shadow that reflects in a puddle or a mirror and a shape standing in a corner won't scare you silly. The aunt who stays over after the funeral, and retreats in the evening on the coach with a bottle of liquor, looks in the morning more terrifying than any other scene in this film. Even the moments that Lily undergoes a metamorphosis and suddenly looks like a zombie-like bloodthirsty creature couldn't stop me from yawning. So don't be fooled by the movie poster. That poster looks pretty intriguing. That intriguing part is completely lost in this film. 

But mostly it's the acting that gives you the creeps. I've seen roles played by a local theater company even better. This was so terribly bad and amateurish. The stupid look Paul had on his face the whole time. The portraying of feelings is so badly done that you're tempted to think that this is a video montage of a teen club that has amused itself making a hobby-horror movie. The friend of Paul is such an annoying nerd who is constantly babbling gibberish. You would like to hit him so hard with something so he would finally shut up. Most hilarious and ridiculous fragment was the moment that someone comes riding along with his jeep together with his girlfriend, and sees Paul lying unconscious on the ground. The change from being helpful to fairly aggressive defensively, was downright sad to see. The conflict that arises afterwards between Paul, Lily, Paul's boss and the totally crazy friend, is too terrible to put into words. Painfully bad.
At one time it seemed as if the entire cast was trying to outdo each other in a contest for "the most ridiculous acting ever" !
 

There's only one brilliant moment and that's at the final scene. Had the complete movie looked like this excerpt, then it might have been something worth while to watch. Stunning slow-motion images, a hallucinatory scene and a rather surprising end. But the horse had bolted already ...... Good advice. Don't even bother to put on this absurdity.

I would just give it half a star, purely for myself for my stamina!

My rating 0/10
Links : IMDB

Burning Bright (2010)

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Genre : Thriller
Country : USA
 
Cast :
Briana Evigan : Kelly Taylor
Garret Dillahunt : Johnny Gaveneau
Charlie Tahan : Tom Taylor

Director :
Carlos Brooks

Summary
In Montgomery County, Kelly Taylor is ready to go to college and takes her autistic brother, Tom, to a specialized institution. However, the bank informs her that she does not have sufficient funds in her account to honor her check. Her stepfather, Johnny Gaveneau, withdrew the money from her account the day before. When Kelly arrives home, Johnny reveals that he used the money to buy a tiger for his 'safari show' project. In addition he has the house reinforced, in order to protect it from hurricanes, so all the windows and external doors are covered with wood. When Kelly awakes, she finds that the starving tiger is inside the house and Tom and she are trapped with the ravenous animal.

My opinion

“Never touch the cage. “

You're locked in a house together with your autistic brother who is hard to handle and you are attacked by an intruder and a cat-and-mouse game starts. In this film "Burning Bright" they have taken the cat part quite literally, because it's not some kind of escaped psychopathic madman who loves charming good-looking women for breakfast, but a full-grown tiger who hasn't eaten for already two weeks. The only thing Kelly needs to take care of, is to stay away from the tiger's claw's.

An original idea for a movie. I can't remember that it was already used in another film. That's the only thing that's original in this film, the tiger, because the rest is so predictable. It's an exciting Saturday night movie which is pleasant to look at (and not only because of the beautiful Briana Evigan).

Kelly Taylor (Briana Evignan) is about to go to college and wants to place her autistic brother Tom (Charlie Tahan) in a special home. When she can't pay the bill, she is forced to take him back with her again and return to her stepfather Johnny Gaveneau (Garret Dillahunt) to find out where the money went. It appears that the stepfather bought a tiger for his wildlife park that he would like to open shortly. Kelly and Tom's mother apparently committed suicide in the past, after which Kelly was solely responsible for the education of Tom. And then they end up in the home of her stepfather, which is hermetically sealed with wooden boards because of the oncoming storm, along with the hungry tiger.

Revealing more is a bit absurd, otherwise there's nothing left to look forward to. It's evident that a hell of a manhunt between predator and humans is the result. It becomes an unnerving game between the two in which Kelly uses all her talents (she has developed those skills during her membership at the local scouts as they organized far-reaching survival games I guess) while keeping her brother under control. He doesn't want to be touched (otherwise he starts yelling hysterical, which in given the circumstances is not advisable ) and when he's hungry, he starts screaming for food resolutely (and after a while again louder and louder. Again not recommended). The motivation to carry out this plan of them trapped with the tiger, is one that we have already seen in hundreds of movies. The final denouement was not very original. And the corny closing was also one to frame along all the well known corny moments out of the film world.
The acting itself isn't that bad. Meatloaf was introduced as a surprise act at the beginning of the film as the seller of the tiger. I didn't recognize him immediately, because he's quite shrunk in volume. Garret Dillahunt (12 Years a Slave, Looper) has a limited role as a future owner of a park and as cruel stepfather. Briana Evignan is really a picture and a female version of John McClane. For me, the best fragment was the exciting moment when she tries to escape through the "dirty laundry" shaft. Charlie Tahan (Ethan from "I am Legend") began to get on my nerves with his autistic behavior, but for someone of his age I thought it was top acting at times. However, the great stars of the film were Katie, Kismet and Schicka, the three tigers that were used.Beside some silly flaws, it was an enjoyable movie. I found it odd that in one moment an oak door wasn't an obstacle for the tiger, and it broke in two with some hard whacks from the tiger. But some wooden boards of a closet apparently were more resistant to this animal force. And I would have rammed that sharp object right into his eye for sure.A typical cliche story with quite some excitement. Good for a rainy Sunday afternoon!

Het verdict 5/10
Links : IMDB

I'll Follow You Down (2013)

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Genre : SF/Drama
Country : Canada
 
Cast :
Gillian Anderson : Marika
Haley Joel Osment : Erol
Rufus Sewell : Gabe

Director :
Richie Mehta

Summary
After the disappearance of a young scientist on a business trip, his son and wife struggle to cope, only to make a bizarre discovery years later - one that may bring him home.

My opinion

Gabe Whyte (Rufus Sewell) is about to leave for a convention in Princeton by plane. He still plays a game of chess with his son Erol (Haley Joel Osment) and says goodbye to his wife Marika (Gillian Anderson) in a loving (surprising) way at the airport. But Gabe doesn't return and leaves his family lonely and broken behind. A not ended game of chess is a lasting memory of him.
 

About 12 years later after the mysterious disappearance of Gabe, we see Erol back as a mature 21 year old brainiac who excels in science and math. A gifted student who has probably inherited the genes from his family that consists entirely of academics and scientists. A traumatic event brings his grandfather Sal (Victor Garber) as far as to talk about the disappearance of his father and tells Erol his theory. Over the years Erol is more and more convinced that his father died. According to Sal, his son discovered an ability to travel back in time through so-called "wormholes" and wanted to meet Einstein in a parallel universe.
 

So "I'll follow you down" is about time traveling. It's certainly not easy to come up with an original movie about that since there are already unmentionable films about this phenomenon (Back to the Future, Looper, 12 Monkeys, Terminator, About Time, Déja Vu, ....) which are imbued with action to keep the attention of the audience in a grip. "I'll follow you down" focuses on the scientific and emotional part of time traveling. Despite the lack of action or excitement it remains an intriguing SF questioning again the well known complications. What impact does a change in the past have on your present life? Will your personal situation still be identical in both family and professional way? It's certainly not a flashy youthful SF adventure movie like "Back to the Future"!
 

It's still pretty clever of the director Richie Mehta to cast famous faces for this low-budget indie SF . An "X-Files"-like story deserves someone like Gillian Anderson, who indeed didn't loose any of her good looks over the years. Haley Joel Osment who everyone knows as the endearing little boy who could see dead people in "The Sixth Sense" and who went looking for his real personality in "AI". Besides the fact that he has gained some weight and has a goatee, you can still discern that angelic look in that bigger face. He can still look so sad with those puppy eyes. Especially Anderson delivers a brilliant performance as the depressed wife who lost her eternal love and never got over this loss so she got psychiatric assistance over the years and kept going with medication. Osment went on with his life and build a life together with his childhood friend. The disinterested gaze while his mother talked about his father and their first encounter, says enough.
 

Unfortunately a big part of the film focuses on the relationships and what the possible consequences would be if Erol plans to travel to the past. Would it have an influence on his personal life ? The making of the time machine is limited to showing a welding mask, complicated mathematical formulas of quantum physics on a board and a small portion of a kind of diving bell. The display of the ultimate time travel itself is fairly limited and was at the time in the episodes of "Dr. Who "much better portrayed. It also bothered me that after the 12-year period Erol changed a lot, while his mother and grandfather still had the same appearance. Quite unbelievable.
 

It's not an action packed movie but has nicely detailed character studies and a terrible dilemma Erol has to make a decision about. Ultimately, it's nothing more than a family drama in which the husband abandons his family, who are left behind with unanswered questions. In "I'll follow you down" he wasn't off to get cigarettes, after which he didn't return. He just got stuck somewhere in the past. This Canadian film should certainly not be considered as a failure, but still it missed something and there was still a dissatisfaction that bothered me. It was as if I've looked an episode about traveling by train and there wasn't even a fragment where you could see the train they were traveling with....

My rating 6/10
Links : IMDB

Zulu (2013)

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Genre : Crime/Thriller
Country : France/South Africa
 
Cast :
Orlando Bloom : Brian Epkeen
Forest Whitaker : Ali Sokhela
Tanya van Graan : Tara

Director :
Jérome Salle

Alternative title: City of Violence

Summary
As a child, Ali Neuman narrowly escaped being murdered by Inkhata, a militant political party at war with Nelson Mandela's African National Congress. Only he and his mother survived the carnage of those years. But as with many survivors, the psychological scars remain. Today, Ali is chief of the homicide branch of the South African police in Cape Town. One of his staff is Brian Epkeen, a free-wheeling white officer whose family was originally involved in the establishment of apartheid but who works well with Neuman. Together they have to deal with crime that inevitably exists in sprawling areas of un- and under- employed people, crime exacerbated by gangs, both local and from other parts of Africa. Their job gets even more difficult when the corpses of two young women are found.

My opinion
"Death on the Nile" but in the present time and a little further to the south on the African continent namely Cape Town, the jewel of South Africa. A typical detective story in which two very different detectives are searching for the murderer of the daughter of a famous rugby player. Despite the many clichés and typical characteristics of the two detectives, it has become a surprising film. Brooding, menacing, hard and intense. A dark and grim study in which the spirit of the old apartheid regime is still present.

"Zulu" closed the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. It is an adaptation of the novel by Caryl Férey and made by the French director Jerome Salle. The opening scene immediately gives an indication of what you can expect. It's a black and white fragment. A flashback to 1978 at the time of the apartheid in which a small young kid witnesses how his father is burned alive. This little boy is Ali Sokhela (Forest Whitaker), one of the two detectives and head of "Cape Town's Serious Violent Crime Unit" who is in charge of the murder investigation. Later in the movie you get to see the sequel of this flashback. A grim and gruesome sequel which clarifies why Ali deals with his amorous bonding with a particular woman in a very special way.

The second detective Brian Epkeen is played by Orlando Bloom. A surprising rendition by Orlando who normally got well mannered and clean-shaven roles in previous movies. However Epkeen has a rugged image. He looks rather crumpled with a not so fresh and unshaven appearance. A womanizer who's always late for work and an emotional wreck with a failed marriage and a son he doesn't seem to care for. His son hates him like the plague. As a result he has a alcohol problem and he takes every opportunity to seduce a woman who crosses his path. A petulant and pedantic nuisance who does everything in his own way. And yet Ali believes in him and thinks he's a decent detective.

Ultimately "Zulu" is no more than a brutal police film with drugs, gangsters, corruption and again a pharmaceutical company involved. It's something less casual then "Starsky and Hutch", but the unfolding of the story follows a well known pattern. Whether or not there have been experiments to decimate the black population , I don't know, but it sounded pretty far-fetched in my ears. If it's authentic, then the regime was sicker than we can imagine.

The two protagonists were realistic portrayed. Forest Whitaker used again his "Droopy" expression and looked frighteningly thin. The traumatic past that he carries is constantly present and shown. However, Orlando Bloom made ​​the biggest impression on me. A grim role he hasn't played before, but he still manages to shine quite successfully. I found the South African dialogues interesting. This emphasized the authenticity of this film.

South Africa is dark and gloomy in this film, full of poverty and hopelessness, full of hatred and resentment, so many things which can never be forgiven. Despite the sometimes beautiful images of the coast and the wealthier neighborhoods, the overall picture remains a depressing one. The explicit action ensures that it exceeds the average detective movie. And at times it's intensely exciting. The furious pace of the movie makes it a thrilling experience from start to finish.
My rating 7/10
Links : IMDB

13 Sins (2014)

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Genre : Horror/Thriller
Country : USA
 
Cast :
Ron Perlman : Chilcoat
Mark Webber : Elliot
Devon Graye : Michael

Director :
Daniel Stamm

Summary
Elliot Brindle is a bright, meek salesman, drowning in debt - and desperate as he's about to marry the love of his life. Upon receiving a phone call informing him that he's on a hidden camera game show where he must execute 13 tasks to receive a sum total cash prize of $6.2M, Elliot dismissively follows through with his first two instructions: swat the fly that is currently bothering him, then eat the fly. With thousands of dollars suddenly appearing in his bank account, Elliot remains skeptical, though comforted by the knowledge that he can stop playing at anytime if only to lose every penny that he's won. Trapped into the horrors manipulated by unseen spectators, Elliot's need to complete the game escalates as the tasks grow more extreme, to a devastating point of no return.

My opinion

Congratulations.
You have been selected for the opportunity to take part in a one-of-a-kind game show!

What would you do? You're sitting in your car, looking blankly around while waiting at a traffic light. You slowly begin to realize that your world is falling apart with you standing in the epicenter. Your dream to climb to a better position in the company where you work, was nipped in the bud by a sudden resignation because you are not enough ruthless and unfeeling. Your wife is pregnant and you're about to get married. You also have to take care of your mentally handicapped brother, which costs a lot of money. You have outstanding debts from your studies. And as icing on the cake, your aging "racist" father wants to move in with you. You come to the realization that your life is going to be a hell, since your future wife is an Afro-American.

And then suddenly you get a phone call from someone, telling you that you have been selected to participate in a simple game where you have to finish 13 tasks so you'll receive a lousy 6.2 million dollars. The first task for $ 1,000 is to swat a fly that's flying around in your car. I wouldn't think about it for one second and smash that damn fly till it's as flat as a pancake. And so did Elliot (Mark Webber). As a result he sees his bank account filled with the promised sum of money.

"13 Sins" is a horrifying thriller. You can see it coming that the following tasks aren't that obvious, but rather insane and they put Elliot all the time in a dilemma. Because if he doesn't perform the job, or explains the whole thing to someone or deliberately tries to sabotage the game, he's automatically disqualified and he loses the laboriously saved up money.

This movie is based on the popular Thai film made ​​in 2006 by Chookiat Sakweerakul. Granted I haven't seen the original film, and probably there will be a multitude of supporters shouting loudly that this is an abomination of the original superb film. I have no idea if that's true, but I thought this was a decent film full of suspense and entertainment. Elliot is being confronted with the phenomenon of human weakness. He realizes that what he's doing isn't socially acceptable and yet he overcomes his distaste and disgust about his actions, because the goal in the end is so promising . Mark Webber (" Goodbye World") succeeds in showing those mixed feelings perfectly. You see his alter ego evolve from excited and enthusiastic, to disgusted and pronounced outraged. For me this was a great interpretation. He also has a certain charisma that makes you feel directly involved with his sad situation and he immediately arouses sympathy. Devon Graye also convinces as Michael, the mentally handicapped brother. At times it's terrifyingly real. A chatterbox who must take his pill on time and has fixed rituals like driving at a certain speed on a main road. To the annoyance of other road users.

Rutina Wesley is for the most part just an insignificant side character. Until the end. Then there's a defining moment in which the whole process could well restart. Looking at it afterwards, this is actually the key moment in the whole film. Ron Perlman, the chameleon in the film world, better known as "Hellboy", fits perfectly into the role of the dubious detective Chilcoat. His oversized chin alone, makes an overwhelming impression.

The moment Chilcoat starts showing interest in the matter, leads to a rapidly succession  of twists and finally ending up in a totally insane finish. The rapid pace at which the film is set, and the succession of lurid scenes, makes sure you can't think about the sense and nonsense of the whole thing. "13 Sins" isn't really a horror but rather a tight "to the point" thriller involving topics such as materialism and judgments, in an elevated manner, about the fate of others. A successful concept with occasional gore sections which were well appreciated. 

My rating 7/10
Links : IMDB

Non-Stop (2014)

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Genre : Action/Thriller
Country : USA
 
Cast :
Liam Neeson : Bill Marks
Michelle Dockery : Nancy
Julianne Moore : Jen Summers

Director :
Jaume Collet-Serra

Summary
Bill Marks is a former cop who after dealing with his daughter's death by drinking, is now an air marshal. While on a flight from London to New York, Marks gets a text telling him that unless 150 million dollars is deposited to an off shore account within 20 minutes someone will die. He tries to tell the other air marshal, Hammond but Hammond doesn't believe him.

My opinion
“I'm not hijacking this plane. I'm trying to save it!”

Not very original, but unnerving exciting at times. "Captain Philips", "Speed", "Last passenger" and "Under Siege". There isn't a vehicle that drives, sails or flies, and it has already been hijacked in a movie. It seems as if Liam Neeson really likes playing in action movies. And just like in "The Grey" he's a person who struggles with his past.

Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) is an Air Marshal who actually has an aversion to flying. Because of the loss of his little daughter, he's a bit in the doldrums. The beginning of the movie shows a decrepit, not so fresh looking Marks, pouring a bit of whiskey in his coffee. A security guard with an alcohol problem who's about to get on board of a trans-Atlantic flight. That's asking for trouble. Shortly after the takeoff, he receives text messages via the secure network with the requirement to transfer $ 150 million to a bank account. If he doesn't meet the requirement, someone will be killed every 20 minutes. And so the search for the perpetrator among the 150 passengers begins.

All in all it was a highly entertaining film with a constant tension. It's a long time ago that I've watched a movie sitting on the edge of my seat and wondering who would be the one who's doing this. All the time someone else is a suspect what eventually makes it more fun to watch. There have been made ​​several thrillers that take place on a plane. It's the ideal location to make an exciting film. But there are quite a few strange twists in this film. I got the impression that Marks was on his way to London, to be dishonorably discharged. Looking at the conversations it seems like his superiors didn't have much confidence in him as a security guard. If he's so psychotic and unstable, why didn't they ask the second security guard who's onboard to take over ? The news was also a bit exaggerated again. If such a tricky situation would arise on board of an aircraft, the news would surely be more discrete. And i would love to see somebody doing in reality something like Marks did, when he flies around in a freefall and grabs his gun which is hovering around him.

Ultimately, these are only minor futile remarks that won't change the fact that it's a clever story. The claustrophobic feeling and the feeling that you are so vulnerable up in the air, is constantly present. The scene in which text messages are floating around Marks, are wonderful to see. Neeson shows again in a convincing way a resolute and alert agent, despite his personal misfortune and the allegations against him. The general feeling prevails that he completely lost control. He has such a stature that exudes confidence, despite its small imperfections. Julianne Moore is the cold-blooded Jen whom he met on the plane accidentally. A woman who, as we learn later , wants to have a window seat for medical reasons and thus ends up beside Marks. Jen eventually becomes his refuge and the only one Marks trusts. The supporting roles are reserved for some familiar faces like Scoot McNairy (Monsters , Killing them Softly , Argo , 12 Years a Slave) , Michelle Dockery (Hanna) , Nate Parker (Red Tails) and Lupita Nyong'o (Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 12 Years a Slave).

I haven't been bored during this film. It's just a hostage drama, but the pace of this movie makes sure you don't have the time to consider this. The only low point was the uncovering and the revealing of the motivation to start all this. The whole plan is so ingeniously put together, and then they come up with such an uninspired plot again. The compulsory dramatic part where Neeson informs the passengers about his misery and you see the embarrassed and sympathetic glances, was extremely clichéd. It seemed as if the lack of time made them come up with a quickly invented ending. Despite that it's still a nice thriller, but it won't leave a lasting impression.

My rating 6/10
Links : IMDB