Krampus (2015)

Summary :

When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family's home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.

Genre : Horror/Comedy
Country : USA/New Zealand

Cast :
Emjay Anthony : Max Engel
Adam Scott : Tom Engel
Toni Collette : Sarah Engel

Director : Michael Dougherty

My Opinion 

“Ben kuklinski is always ragging on Christmas.
He even told the first graders that Santa was just a cheap marketing ploy invented to sell Pepsi.”

"Krampus" was a movie I was really looking forward to. Partly because I picked up a radio report about a ban in some Austrian villages to use this folklore figure (I had never heard of it by the way) and his assistants. And partly because I was curious how a horror Christmas movie would look like. It's something different than the annual traditional Christmas junk we see on the tube. I was a little bit disappointed about this film, because the horror level is pitifully low. It was amusing though, on some level. Unfortunately it wasn't really the Krampus who predominated this movie, but rather his vicious little helpers. And those helpers really looked like dressed up villagers who just returned from a  "Krampus" festivity in some tiny Austrian village. I'm just not sure yet whether Krampus has something to do with Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas.

The first part of the movie was matchless. Those slow-motion images during the opening credits where a christmas shopping frenzy is being portrayed. That fighting mass of buyers rolling over each other. The security guards using their stun guns. Salespersons tumbling from ladders. And fighting children during the christmas recital. Brilliant although slightly exaggerated. But believe me, this is how I feel about the others during christmas shopping. The most important person here is Max (Emjay Anthony), who still believes in Christmas. He's surrounded by his caring parents Tom (Adam Scott) and Sarah (Toni "Miss you already" Collette), his older sister Beth (Stefania LaVie Owen) and his Omi (Krista Stadler). The latter is a very cuddly grandmother and the personification of Christmas. Max has just one wish. He wishes that Christmas would be again like yesteryear. A cozy, warm family celebration, full of joy and affection. That wish is pretty much ruined the moment Sarah's sister shows up, with in her wake a moronic, antisocial family. A tactless guy, possessed by weapons. Two ludicrous daughters who look like solid quarterbacks and urinate while standing. A lazy, fat, stupid looking son whose only goal in life is to eat everything he can get his hands on. And as icing on the cake, an alcoholic, pedantic aunt. This colourfull mixed bag of individuals are the cause of some chaotic situations, the moment they arrive there as an unwanted winter storm. The situation escalates completely after Max tears apart his Christmas letter with his wish written on. And that's the signal for Krampus to appear.

This hilarious part was magnificent. Extremely funny, perhaps bland but hugely recognizable. I'm sure every family has a bunch of relatives like those of Max. What's intended to be a period of peacefulness, self-reflection and affection, sometimes ends up here and there in a family quarrel with old feuds being stirred up and feelings of jealousy taking the upper hand once again. The result is that there's hardly anything left of the traditional Christmas feeling. And that's why Krampus and his helpers show up. Not to reward anybody like Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus do. But to penalize those who don't believe in Christmas anymore.

And that's where the horror starts or should start, because it isn't really creepy or frightening. Don't expect scary, gory scenes. It looks more like a Christmas version of "Goosebumps". The fact they made it in such a way, so young people could watch it too, probably has something to do with it. Although it's sometimes very exciting and thrilling. And the SE-department did a great job. The neighborhood which is turned into an icy landscape looks excellent. And the furious Krampus walking over the rooftops with the additional dismal sounds of rattling chains and ringing bells, looks also impressive. Only those creatures terrorizing the whole family, are just comical instead of terrifying. Krampus his imposing stature is seen repeatedly. Unfortunately we can only admire his phiz at the end. When talking about the comic-part of this movie, you can say it's kind of successful. But the horror is just like the Christmas spirit in this film, totally absent. 

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

Lila & Eve (2015)

Summary
Lila, a grief-stricken mother reeling from her son's murder, attends a support group where she meets Eve, who urges her to take matters into her own hands to track down her son's killers. They soon embark on a journey of revenge, but also recovery.

Genre : Drama/Crime
Country : USA

Cast :
Jennifer Lopez : Eve Rafael
Viola Davis : Lila
Aml Ameen : Stephon

Director : Charles Stone III

My Opinion 

“God, grant me the serenity to accept
the things that I cannot change...
The courage to change
the things that I can...
And the wisdom to know the difference.”

Lila (Viola Davis) and Eve (Jennifer Lopez) are two grief-drawn women after their children have been killed. Unlike others, they won't throw in the towel and want to take revenge. It's time they take matters into their own hands. You guessed it. It's just another revenge movie that's being released on mankind. This time it's about two grieving mothers who are about to face a brutal drug gang and their errand boys who are dealing on every street corner. That's an element that doesn't occur often in a revenge movie. Unfortunately it came across as quite implausible. The police hit a dead end, so the investigation isn't really progressing (but according to the two avenging angels, this is due to their laxness because the victims are colored individuals). However, the two innocent housewives, whose lives only consist of doing household chores, redesigning the interior and attending a support group for parents of murdered children, can get to the kingpin of this drug gang, just by using simple interrogation techniques and some data from a mobile phone.

The acting part was far from bad. At certain moments Davis and even Lopez perform excellent. Davis was a complete stranger for me (that's because I hate television series and haven't seen "How to Get Away with Murder") but she's excellent at the beginning as the mother who collapses and survives on pills. A brilliant piece of acting. During the confrontations with the young rascals, her appearance as the clumsy fury wasn't that successful. I was more surprised about Lopez who, unlike her part in "Parker", showed she really can act decently. She was quite convincing as the self-righteous, rebellious vigilante who thinks that the concept of the support group is a bit too soft. She's the driving force behind Lisa's revenge.

Maybe I wasn't paying attention enough or I was tired while watching "Lila & Eve", because I really didn't see that plot twist coming at the end. The film on its own wasn't so impressive however. It was rather a "ah, that's the direction they are going" feeling I had afterwards. The closure was a bit too sentimental and unreal. Ultimately, it's only an average, ordinary film so to speak. Nothing exciting or captivating. Even the acting couldn't save this film. In short, it's just one to add to your list of movies you should watch when you're retired, because you have plenty of time then.

My rating 4/10
Links : IMDB

The Sisterhood of Night (2014)

Summary :
When Emily Parris exposes a secret society of teenage girls who have slipped out of the world of social media and into another world they've discovered in the woods at night. When she accuses the girls of committing sexually deviant activities, Emily sends the small American town into a atmosphere of hysteria and the national media spotlight. The mystery deepens when each of the accused girls upholds a vow of silence.

Genre : Drama
Country : USA

Cast :
Georgie Henley : Mary Warren
Kara Hayward : Emily Parris
Willa Cuthrell : Catherine Huang
Olivia DeJonge : Lavinia Hall

Director : Caryn Waechter

My Opinion   

“Everything that happens here stays between the three of us.
You have my vow of silence.”

This is just a simple movie. The kind that gets the label "weekend movie" pinned on. Not that it was so bad, but it wasn't impressive stuff either. It's a contemporary sketch of how a seemingly innocuous post on a blog can start an unprecedented smear campaign, in which the allegations take disproportionate forms. Before you know it terms such as occult sect and lesbian sex-goddesses are abundantly being used. In the end it's just a circle of close friends. A bunch of teen girls jumping around in the woods at night, sharing their deepest secrets with each other. Of course the biased and gullible inhabitants of Kingston resolutely interpret this in a whole different way. It looks like a modern version of medieval witch tribunals.

It's all about Mary Warren (Georgie Henley), a charismatic girl who decides to wrap herself in the sound of silence after a collision with fellow student Emily Parris (Kara Hayward). Together with two other girlfriends Catherine (Willa Cuthrell) and Lavinia (Olivia DeJonge) she forms "The sisterhood". A mysterious and secret covenant you can only join through a personal invitation. This little groups obtains over time a renowned reputation, with the result that almost all teens crave to receive an invitation. Likewise, the jealous Parris, a blog writer without any followers (except herself). The day she makes up a shocking story about "The Sisterhood" and posts this on her blog, her virtual reputation increases and gets a multitude of followers, while the reputation of the secret alliance goes in the wrong direction. However, the members abide by their oath they've made, which feels as if they plead guilty.

At first sight you might assume there's indeed something occult going on. The way Mary gazes sometimes, looks kind of demonic. And yet it's no horror. It's a successful portrait of how unfounded allegations take on a life of their own, leading to a hysterical reaction of parents and other residents. Turns out later the end result is tragic. It's creepy to see how much influence social media have nowadays and how teenagers deal with this. Willingly and unwillingly. The moment the members of the secret club distance themselves from these modern media, they are suddenly seen as otherworldly.

No horror, but a film about misunderstandings and misunderstood teenagers with their own individual and family problems, who are looking for a place in society. "The sisterhood of the night" is an average movie that rises barely above average. It's not the acting, because this wasn't so bad. Maybe it was because the acting felt unnatural and far fetched sometimes. Especially the two protagonists Henley and Hayward. I had the impression they really did their best to play the "bitch". The most successful part (but also a limited one) was provided by Kal Penn as the guidance counselor Gordy Gambhir, who tries to persuade the girls to confess everything and ultimately draws the short stick. Personally I thought the gesture of reconciliation at the end of this sluggish film, was a bit exaggerated.

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

Lost in the Sun (2015)

Summary :
The story of John, a small time crook, who finds an unlikely accomplice in Louis, a newly-orphaned teenage boy. As their open-road adventure progresses and John drags the kid on a string of robberies, the pair forge an unexpected and powerful bond.

Genre : Drama
Country : USA

Cast :
Josh Duhamel : John
Josh Wiggins : Louis
Lynn Collins : Rose

Director : Trey Nelson

My Opinion   

“A scorned woman will tear your heart out,  put it between two buns and eat it, just as your life slips away before you. Don´t ever forget that.”

This is a movie you look back to in retrospect and say : what a beautiful story about two loners, with some magisterial played interactions and lastly, magnificently shot. Such a pity there isn't really anything exciting happening in it. The pace is painfully slow. You can only conclude that this muggy road movie is terribly boring. The story itself is simple and also filmed that way. Unpretentious without unnecessary side plots.

 

It's all about this teenager Louis (Josh Wiggins) who just left the funeral of his mother and is taken by the local priest to a bus station, with his meager possessions and an envelope full of money. Just when he wants to get on the bus, that'll take him to his grandparents who are prepared to take care of him, he's approached by a stranger called John (Josh Duhamel). Apparently he knows his grandparents and he's willing to give him a ride all the way to the boy's grandparents. Louis doesn't know that John is a selfish, ex-convict who uses people. He'll experience that soon.

You could compare this film a bit with "Mud". A film that has an almost similar format. In "Mud" there's also a criminal who becomes friends with some young boys and uses them to outrun the authorities. It's also a slow, sluggish film about developing relationships between some individuals and without some exciting, action-packed scenes. Although at the end of "Mud", there is a momentary flare-up, in terms of action. In "Lost in the sun" the occasional robberies can provide some momentary excitement. But you still get the feeling this all happened by accident and looks as if it's just part of the trip. Similarly, the interlude with Mary (Lynn Collins) and her daughter Rose (Emma Fuhrmann). An accidental encounter just to point out that John uses others in an unscrupulous way and dumps them afterwards in an indifferent manner. It's also the introduction for a bit of functionally nudity.

Only the performances remain. No bad remarks in that section. Josh Duhamel demonstrates he clearly has some acting talent. He's way better than in "Fire with Fire". But I guess that was because of a crappy script. He won't win an Oscar for his performance here. But it was extremely interesting to see how this unscrupulous layabout gradually shows he actually has some human feelings. The one who really impressed me was Wiggins. This slender, young lad, who sometimes looked like a very young Matt Damon, ends up in a very bizarre situation and his feelings balances between hatred and affection. Although I actually wondered why he stayed with John. So it's all about character development and the bond created between two individuals. How those two are related to eachother, is quite obvious at a certain moment.

"Lost in the sun" is a road movie with a dash of drama. And what do you do when you're "on the road" just to pass some time? Indeed, you admire the scenery. And that's something you should do, while watching this smooth, calmly proceeding film, because the scenery is pleasing to the eye and skillfully portrayed. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful. But finally, it's not only appearance that matters.

My rating 4/10
Links : IMDB

Child 44 (2015)

Summary :
Based on the first of a trilogy by Tom Rob Smith and set in the Stalin era of the Soviet Union. The plot is about an idealistic pro-Stalin security officer who decides to investigate a series of child murders in a country where supposedly this sort of crime doesn't exist. The state would not hear of the existence of a child murderer let alone a serial killer. He gets demoted and exiled but decides, with just the help of his wife, to continue pursuing the case.

Genre : Thriller
Country : Czech Republic/UK/Romania/Russia

Cast :
Tom Hardy : Leo Demidov
Noomi Rapace : Raisa Demidov
Joel Kinnaman : Vasili

Director : Daniel Espinosa

My Opinion  

“I would rather spend a lifetime in a shithole like this with you,
than spend one minute in Moscow without you.”

First let me clarify something. I'm not an anti-communist or supporter of anti-Russian propaganda. Neither am I an anti-capitalist or against the other superpower on the other side of the planet. I'm a tiny little person who leads a modest life in probably one of the smallest countries in the world. To label this film as propaganda against the USSR, sounds to me in the present world situation quite exaggerated. Who the hell would benefit from that? Isn't this movie trying to visualize the circumstances in which ordinary people had to live and survive in the post-war period? I can't tell if the shown images are truthful or not. But I'm glad I'm not living in such harsh conditions these days.

What a depressing and frightening regime this must have been with repression and blind obedience as main values. Turning in others as a resort. Those who are your blood brothers today, could become your worst enemies the next day. Regardless of your status or rank. Before you know it, you're deported to the farthest corner of Mother Russia to do some filthy work in deplorable conditions. Downgraded to a meaningless and insignificant person. And that's the strong point of this film. The portrait of a society under control of a police institution, in this case the Russian State Security (MGB, forerunner of the KGB) in a post-war, post-Stalin regime. The MGB was the security apparatus of the USSR that made sure that loyalty to the communist regime, remained intact. Dissidents, anti-communist and political opponents (and annoying individuals) were carefully chased down and removed. The MGB wasn't perhaps as violent as the NKVD, but they weren't choirboys either, I guess.

"Child 44" is grayish, dirty and confrontational. The misery, the poverty, the paranoia, the hopelessness and the ruthless repression are portrayed in an impressive way. It's certainly not a film that makes you happy. Unfortunately the main topic (a topic the whole movie actually revolves around) was pushed a bit into the background. The serial killer theme is rather poorly developed. The only interesting thing was the way they dealt with these crimes. The existence of a serial killer was unthinkable ("There's no murder in paradise"). Only a capitalist regime can produce a killer. That's what the Soviet doctrine claims. The actual murders are scanty visualized. The final denouement and unmasking was a bit too simple. So don't expect a "Silence of the Lambs Made in Russia", but a kind of docu-drama about this chilly Russia.

In terms of acting, there's really nothing to wrong, though most characters were stereotypical portrayed. Many will criticize the use of a fake Russian accent. Perhaps it's for some very annoying, but personally I thought this contributed to the overall atmosphere of the film. A Russian speaking perfect English would be unnatural to me. And it would make me really nervous if all conversations would be held purely in Russian. Tom Hardy plays an outstanding role as the war hero Leo Demidov who slowly but surely sees his status breaking down. Noomi Rapace (I thought she was magnificent as Lisbeth Salander in "Män som hatar kvinnor") stands her ground as the embittered wife of Leo. And Joel "Run all night" Kinnaman wasn't so bad as the vengeful Vasili (a coward who becomes threatening due to his acquired dominant position). Maybe it's because I haven't read the book this film is based on, since I thought this was an excellent film. But there's this golden rule when it's about book adaptations. In most cases they disappoint. Da?

My rating 6/10
Links : IMDB

The Pack (2015)

Summary :
A farmer and his family must fight for survival after a ferocious pack of wild dogs infiltrates their isolated farmhouse. Through a series of frightening and bloody encounters they are forced into survival mode to make it through the night.

Genre : Thriller
Country : Australia

Cast :
Anna Lise Phillips : Carla Wilson
Jack Campbell : Adam Wilson
Katie Moore : Sophie
Hamish Phillips : Henry

Director : Nick Robertson

My Opinion  

“Predators usually hunt in packs”

Films made with incredible big budgets, full of stunning special effects and well-known, famous actors, understandably attract the most attention. Sometimes one forgets that it's not only these qualities that'll entertain a movie lover. A fascinating story and the build up of a certain atmosphere is also needed. Something that's grossly overlooked sometimes. "The Pack" is an Australian low-budget thriller (I wouldn't call it horror) made with a budget you certainly can't compare with some films made in Hollywood and with not so famous actors. And also, there aren't any dazzling special effects. You can also say that the story on his own isn't that big of a deal and it's not impressive when it comes to originality (ever heard of "Cujo" or "Burning bright"?). But damn that vibe, the threatening tension and that survival instinct. You can smell the sweat in your living room. Yes, when it comes to atmosphere, you can say they've crammed it in this short but powerful (90 minutes only) film, filled with animal terror.

The makers of this movie didn't waste much time, because before you know it a poor sheep farmer is killed with his guts scattered around a sheepstable. The responsible ones are a pack of wild dogs or wolves, moving in a militaristic manner. Guess they were sick of hunting defenseless, stupid sheep. Not much of a challenge for them anymore, so they developed the taste for a new prey, as indicated at the beginning. The end result is a kind of "home invasion" film like "You're next" but with animal predators. Whatever the ultimate reason is for their aggressive behavior, isn't explicitly explained. Are they just fierce, wild wolves? Or are they a mutated breed of dogs and the result of an intersection that went wrong? Or are they demonic creatures? The latter came to my mind when watching a scene in the movie. It seemed as if a prowling carnivore went up in smoke. Or was this due to the flickering lights and shadows?

And that's the only flaw in this film. The fact that it all takes place in the evening, makes this film pretty dark. Pitch-dark conditions with deep black wolves running around, isn't an ideal situation. So you really had to guess sometimes what was going on in the darkness. There were also some improbabilities. I doubt it that a predator with such instincts and a sense of smell won't notice a human scent when walking past him or her. But at the same crawling around with a shining flashlight apparently can be done unnoticed.

Further, nothing but praise for this Australian film. I start to appreciate horrors from Down Under more and more. Especially after watching "The Babadook" and "Wyrmwood". Everything feels like "back to basics" and priorities are set differently. There's much more focusing on suspense and tension without many bells and whistles. A straightforward movie experience without annoying intros and explications. The actors performed as expected. A typical family consisting of a stubborn family man Adam (Jack Campbell) who wants to keep his farm at all costs, his wife Carla (Anna Lise Philips) who tries to make ends meet with a veterinarian practice, daughter Sophie (Katie Moore) who's fed up with living on the countryside and Henry (Hamish Philips), the teenage son, future veterinarian and notorious kleptomaniac. The cast is fairly limited. The only people you'll also get to see are the farmer and his wife at the beginning, a banker who came over to talk about their payment problems and a cop on patrol. A short but intense contribution. It wasn't really horror, because the horrific massacres weren't visualized explicitely. Only some bloody close-ups are shown. For the most part you'll only see the bared teeth of the predators. This combined with the intense threat and the exciting cat-and-mouse game between man and predators, made sure it became an exhilarating and exciting thriller. And that's more than enough, mate!

PS. Don't watch the trailer if you're planning to give this film a try. It's spoiler infested !

My rating 6/10
Links : IMDB

The 5th Wave (2016)

Summary :
Four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth in ruin. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal fifth wave, Cassie teams up with a young man who may become her final hope - if she can only trust him.

Genre : SF/Romance
Country : USA

Cast :
Chloë Grace Moretz : Cassie
Alex Roe : Evan Walker
Nick Robinson : Ben Parish

Director : J. Blakeson

My Opinion 

“There were no messages from our galactic party crashers during the first 10 days.
But pretty soon, they had a name.
We called them The Others."

I'm not a believer of those New Year's resolutions which are traditionally made during a drunk moment. Usually they are long forgotten after a few months. However, I have a new resolution after watching "The 5th Wave". I'm never ever going to watch another post-apocalyptic, teen film based on a youth book, where there's also the intention to use it in several, successive films. Content wise it's obvious this movie is intended for teenage girls. The initial genres linked to this movies are completely useless. It all started great and it seemed to me it was going into an interesting direction. But the moment the romantic, pubertal storyline started in the middle of the film, the labels of action-packed, adventurous scifi for this twaddle, claptrap movie were replaced by lame and romance. Probably it'll grow a fanbase among pubescent teenage girls. 

Clearly there was a lot of borrowing from other films. The minute Cassie (Chloe Grace "The Equalizer" Moretz), Miss Popularity at school and in love with hunk number one of that school, saw the alien spaceship dangling above the earth (enjoy it because this is the only brief moment those aliens are shown), it was as if this scene came out of "Independence day". Quickly it becomes clear that these intergalactic visitors aren't as friendly as E.T. Through several attack, which are called "waves", these villains try to decimate the world population systematically. You don't need to be an intellectual to guess how many waves there will be, after looking at the film title. Lets find some more parallels with other films. The first wave reminded me of "Dragon Day". The second wave caused a tsunami that was filmed in a similar manner as in "The Day after Tomorrow". There just wasn't an oil tanker in it. And the training camp where teenagers learn how to fight against "the others", can safely be compared with "Ender's Game". The similarities with other dystopian teen films, with an innocent person emerging as the savior of mankind like "The Hunger Games", "Divergent" and "The Giver", are so obvious that it's unnecessary to rekindle them.

As said earlier, it started quite reasonable and extremely shocking at the same time. The way Cassie's loved ones died, was even for me a lot to swallow. I'm sure Cassie's father Oliver (Ron "The Conjuring" Livingstone) imagined his fate less violent. And the third wave was fatal to Cassie's mother Lisa (Maggie Siff). It seemed as if the plagues that struck Egypt, were given a second life. Except that the fourth wave felt so infantile. A sort of laziness of the writer to make the twist used at the end of the movie a bit easier. It was so obvious to foresee what was going to happen when Cassie met the sturdy, wood chopping Evan Walker (Alex Roe). And from that moment on the film changed from a nail-biting, promising SF into an irritating, goody-goody teen movie that gave me cold shivers. Liev Schreiber still tried his best, but his role stands in sharp contrast to that in "Spotlight".

All my respect for Moretz who tried to play a proper role but probably was inhibited by the ridiculous story. What particularly surprised me was that her cosmetic case, full of make-up and hair products, was nowhere to be seen throughout the film. I have to give the filmmakers credit for that. They had to pay attention to that meticulously, because I'm almost sure she carried that case all the time with her, judging by her appearance. I've encountered a review title somewhere, that sums it up perfectly: "This SF-thriller doesn't want to tell a solid story to young adults – it just wants their money". I hope there won't be any sequels, so youngsters can spend their money on more meaningful things.

My rating 2/10
Links : IMDB