Halloween movies left for Halloween

1. Ouija (October 24th 2014)

2. Before I Go to Sleep (October 31st 2014)

Demons and thrillers, these last two films are going to be interesting to watch.

Halloween Movie #2 : Dracula Untold

Story: Facing a fearsome old enemy from his past who threatens his family and kingdom, Vlad Tepes makes a deal with dark supernatural forces - while also trying to avoid succumbing to the darkness himself.

Luke Evans is a very interesting actor, having now become part of the Hobbit series and as the villain of the 6th Fast and Furious movie, he's set to take on the role of The Crow in the upcoming reimagining. While here he plays a reimagined version of the classic monster, Dracula. 

 Based on some minor truths and the original classic, as well as taking a few ideas from Francis Ford Coppola's 90s horror masterpiece "Bram Stoker's Dracula" where Dracula falls in love with Mina Harker as she resembles his once lost love. Dracula Untold lets us in to how Dracula came into being. It tells the story of a young Vlad who was taken by the Turks in good faith to be trained into a monster, because men do not fear men, they fear what they don't understand. Vlad eventually leaves his past behind in search of redemption but once again his past comes back to haunt him as now he is in his father's shoes, will he give up his son in order to hold peace with the Turks. 

Gary Shore, the director, does a fantastic job at directing this. It reminded me so of the classic monster movies, it really did. The action scenes are the only thing that are the most updated, with Dracula using a swarm of bats to obliterate his enemies. That was freaking awesome. I would of liked to have seen him take other forms, such as a wolf or fog (as he does so in the original text) The cinematography is also very vast and gives off a very epic feel to this overall horror tale. The visuals are solid and not overdone and the vampire transformations are way cooler than the stuff of Twilight. 

Luke Evans is beyond fabulous in the role of Vlad. He delves into his character's sorrows and dark past and gives off a great heroic intensity. His chemistry with new comer Sarah Gadon is terrific as the two really give off the romantic vibe. Sarah is perfectly cast as his wife, Mirena. She is both elegant and strong willed, she does not flee when she learns the truth. Her british accent isn't bad but it could of been a bit better in parts. Art Parkinson (Game of Thrones) plays their son, Ingeras. He is not a stupid whiny child, in fact he is first to stand up and make his dad proud by sacrificing himself for the betterment of his family. Being his first major film role, Art is really amazing here. He has a strong emotional range and is very likeable. 

 There are actually two villains in this, and they work really well with the development of the character. First we meet the Master Vampire, played by Charles Dance (Also from Game of Thrones). He is a vicious as he was on Game of Thrones, he plays the vampire who gives Vlad the power to become unstoppable. He's menacing and mysterious. Would he have been a better Dracula, no. I really love Luke as Dracula, if Charles played the role it would seem weird. I find he's just not the right actor for that part. But as the unknown vampire who gives Vlad his abilities, he makes for a more interesting villain as we know only that he has some sort of hidden agenda. 

Dominic Copper plays Mehmed. He's plays the part of the human villain. Once a child friend from Vlad's past who trained along side him when they fought together for the Turks. He now rains hellfire down on Vlad's country by telling him what his predecessor told his father, 100,000 boys for his army, including his son. Dominic is great in the role, he does not go over the top and creates a deep utmost jealousy and hatred toward Vlad. Vlad essentially left Mehmed for his country. That I believe is the main drive behind his villain's tyranny. The fight the two of them have at the end is a little less so. Its a great and unique fight but a little cliche as Mehmed basically comes at Vlad like he is a monster, and not a friend he once knew. Look, the whole friendship thing is something I felt was part of the story, its not something that they outright talk about. Dominic plays a way more interesting part in this than he did in Vampire Hunter, his work here is stronger. 

Dracula: Untold is a solid mix of horror and action. It has a terrific lead cast with Luke Evans, Sarah Gordon, Dominic Copper and Charles Dance leading the charge. Gary Shore does a very good job with the story, while a little cliche, it is solid. And as one last piece of advice, this is not twilight, this is true vampires at their best, scary. Untold is great, scary entertainment and my second film that I suggest to watch this Halloween. 

Rating: A-   

Halloween Movie #1 - Gone Girl

Story: With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he might not be so innocent.

Gillian Flynn is a very interesting writer, her tales (Dark Places, Gone Girl) have an interesting intensity about them and reveal the dark and twisted places our minds can lead us. David Fincher gave us one of the best horror films of all time, Se7en. When these two icons are combined, you get one of the best thrillers to hit cinemas in years. If you did not read the book, be prepared to be wowed.

Gone Girl is one of the few films I've seen this year that I have little to complain about. Book adaptations are always difficult in the ways a book is written can sometimes not transfer over well into film. Errors that a film adaptation can make is sticking to closely to the book or veering to off course from the source material. David and Gillian take a page out of the Hunger Games text book on how to do an adaptation right. Gillian changes some aspects of the story in the adaptation in order for it to suit and entertain a filmgoer and David makes sure the main themes and important plots and characters are given their due.

As in the book, the story is told through the points of few of Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy (Rosamund Pike). When a book is told in such a manner it gives the filmmaker the opportunity to craft new scenes that the characters did not witness. In Gone Girl Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) and Officer Jim Gilpin (Patrick Fugit) who made little impact in the story have a bigger role in the film. They have a very bonding and somewhat comical relationship, which gives the movie some of its lighter tones. Margo Dunne (Carrie Coon) is also a light of comic relief within the film. I adore both Kim and Carrie in this, they are superb in their roles and make the characters feel authentic and true to the source material.

As for the films leads, Rosamund Pike steals the show. She redefines herself in this film by playing the at first innocent victim, there is a twist that changes our perception of her and Rosamund is up for the challenge, going full force in the character's drive. Ben Affleck is also solid as Nick Dunne, the man who becomes the prime suspect in the case of his missing wife. As for the rest of the cast, Tyler Perry nails it as Nick's attorney, acting the way I imagined he would. Sela Ward and Missi Pyle are terrific as the head female media tycoons who want to get the big scoop on Nick and Amy. Both actresses are perfectly cast in the roles, I am a huge fan of Sela Ward and was very excited to see her in this. Neil Patrick Harris was a unique choice to play the part of Amy's stalker. I would say out of everyone, besides Rosamund Pike, his role was the toughest and he pulled it off. He was very believable in the part and hid his true motives well.

As for the scoring of the film, Trent Reznor proves yet again that he can craft atmosphere. His score works brilliantly with every scene and captures the tense suspense and shocking twists that occur within the framework of the story.

The script was very top notch, as written by the book's author Gillian Flynn. She and David were able to stay true to the source material while fixing up the framework of the story to make it suitable for film. Its down amazingly well as it hits all the parts you loved in the book.

The ending rings true to the themes of the novel, and I won't reveal how this new ending works but it gets the movie's main theme across about marriage infidelity and the influence of the media.

Gone Girl is another David Fincher classic, and with the help of Gillian Flynn and an all star cast this is a powerhouse thriller thats the perfect halloween treat.

Rating: A+

As Above, So Below

The only way out is down. 

Story: When a team of explorers ventures into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead.

Its a good solid thriller that delivered the chills and thrills. Not since The Descent have I been so pleased with a movie. The film has a terrific start as its starts off as your not so normal shot-footage horror flick, its starts off as more of a tomb raider type found footage film. I love Perdita Weeks as Scarlet. She is a relative unknown but when she first comes on screen I could instantly see her playing the next Lara Croft. She does do a few illegal things and is one not to listen to authority but it gives her an edge, she does things others would not want to. She's a badass who gets shit done. 

The others were good, she had good chemistry with George (played by Ben Feldman of Drop Dead Diva and Mad Men). The story was terrific, first delving into Scarlet's search for the philosopher's stone (not to be confused with Harry Potter) and then when it is found, they also discover something more horrifying, the gate way to hell. 

Maybe my one complaint was that hell should have been unique, a little more terrifying. The way there was scary, but once they got down there, they were constantly being chased by hooded figures. I was scared for the characters but I would have been more so if a man beast came out from a flaming hole and started chasing them. 

With a bigger budget (budget around 5 million) the film could have come out as more of a crazy trip through hell than a less bloodier (and feminine) version of The Descent. 

A solid thriller which has an excellent leading lady with some good twists and surprise character deaths. 

Rating: B+

Godzilla

Has the monster finally returned? Has he come to terrify another generation?

For the most part the new Godzilla flick by Monsters director Gareth Edwards is a win. Godzilla is done to perfection. The film takes a more realistic approach to the creature and recreates him just as he was originally.

The prologue/main titles details back to the beginning of the original movie, released in 1954. The nuclear tests in the pacific were meant to kill the beast known as Godzilla. It did not, however, and that is a good thing as 50 years later MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) start to come forth.  They cause havoc upon the humans until Godzilla comes forth to defeat them. It does end as a kind of monster brawl and it is fun to watch. The way it is all built up is also very interesting. The visual effects in this film are also quiet amazing. Godzilla is terrific looking and the M.U.T.Os are crafted to perfection.

While the movie has some great monster mashing, and some brilliant disaster effects, the humans do tend to get left by the wayside. The main characters in the film focus mainly on the Ford family (consisting of Aaron Taylor Johnson, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Olsen) and the scientists/military (consisting of Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, and David Strathairn). The cast is great but Gareth seems to have an inability to create compelling characters. The film has a great prologue sequence as we see what happens to the Ford family early on. Its after a certain character's death (a shocking one at that) where the human characters get dull and listless. I mean it is as the writer had no clue what to do with the human charters. Every one of them gets underdeveloped and left hanging. And no offence to Taylor but he's no where near as top notch as Bryan Cranston or Elizabeth Olsen are in the acting category. He plays his part with too much brooding. As for the scientists, they say nothing that makes them intelligent. They just keep rambling about how Godzilla must be the one to defeat the MUTOs, and not the U.S military. Now, there is a reason for this as the creatures feed off of the military's nuclear supply. I just wish there was a better explanation as to why Godzilla should be allowed to do as he pleases. Ken goes on saying the lines we heard him say from the trailer but they have no weight in the movie, they carry no meaning besides catching the moment he gives these lines of biblical dialogue.

Thus Godzilla of 2014 won't really terrify as you are at times cheering the big green giant on, it is a much more realized version of the monster than 1999's Godzilla was. The creature is better created here and is truer to the character. He is only surrounded by a so-so movie production.

Godzilla is as entertaining as one would compare to Independence Day. The human characters are not the draw here, but Godzilla is and they got him right. It just would have been nice to have some compelling human characters to cheer along the sidelines with as well.

Rating - B

The Quiet Ones Poster

Coming soon, I love the poster design for this! 

Oculus Review

From what I can recall this may be my first horror film I have seen this year in theatres. Others I wanted to see were Devil's Due and The Marked Ones (Paranormal Activity Spanish Spin-off) but the reviews kind of scared me off, still, I plan on watching The Marked Ones (after I see Paranormal Activity 4). 

As far as Oculus goes (a film with a similar entity to the movie ironically named Mirrors) it takes the idea of a mirror that kills people and really works with the manipulation of mind side of things. I have never seen a movie that really worked its way into my head like this one did. It's a real, trippy kind of ride. 

The film stars Karen Gillan (Dr. Who and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy) and Brenton Thwaites (The Giver and The Signal) star as brother and sister Kaylie and Tim Russell. The story starts off after an adult TIm finally comes to terms with what he had done, he had killed his father. This he had done in self defence as his father had killed his mother and was about to kill his sister. Kaylie, however, remembers that night, and she believes that the mirror manipulated the family into killing one another. 

From there the siblings eventually come together and start to discuss what really happened that night. We're flashed back and forth from the present to 11 years prior before the murders. Katee Sackhoff plays the mother and she is brilliant, she gives a heart wrenching and believable performance. James Lafferty is just as menacing in the role of the tormented/manipulated father, who eventually kills the mother and then the two siblings. 

Brent and Karen hit it off instantly, they are great together. Karen has a ferocity like a tiger, same with Brent and they work off each other in such a real manner that for a moment you feel they could be brother and sister. Brent I loved, due to his interesting portrayal as it reminded me of Sam Winchester (Supernatural) Now I took it has a plus that he played the part similar to that character, it made me really enjoy him develop on screen. Karen is a beauty and was excellent as well in the role of the confidant sister who knew the truth. 

Events do spiral out of the siblings grasp as they both begin to loose sight of whats real and what's not. Oculus is such a fascinating movie in how it digs into the mind and makes you believe things and then turn the tables. I would actually go as far as saying that this is close to being in Alfred Hitchcock territory. I know I am saying a lot when I say that guy's name but hear me out. The film does not play out like a normal movie, it manipulates the viewer, turns the table back and forth, and what is really happening might not be. 

The whole idea about how fragile the mind can be and how easily people can be played into believing something that isn't true is a truly tantalizing idea. The mirror fights for its survival by messing with the minds of its distrusters until it kills them. I believe the mirror was building a sort of spiritual cult. It drains the plants of life and does take animal sacrifices but uses past victims to manipulate future victims. I would love to see an origins movie on this mirror. 

Oculus is directed by Mike Flanagan and is actually based off his short "Oculus: Chapter 3 - The Man with the Plan about some guy who sets out to prove a mirror is haunted. That sounds like a good idea for a sequel. I'd call it Oculus: Rift. Yes, that name is also of the new gaming platform but the subtitle would stand for the rift that is formed between the mirror and its ability to manipulate its currant owners. The idea for a sequel for me would be that of a specialist into unknown artifacts would hear through word of mouth or a friend about it and he would try to solve it. Who would I cast as the lead, Hugh Dancy (who's by far given the best portrayal ever of Will Graham on the show Hannibal). 

Oculus is a mind-bending horror show with some great acting and a terrific third act. You may be shocked at how it ends, it all builds up to a surprising twist. What the film may have benefited from, possibly is a better build on the family dynamic, some slightly better character development and a few more scares. The movie was dark but it didn't really have me screaming with fear. 

Horror has its rare treats "Your Next, The Innkeepers" and this is another one. 

Rating: A- 

Horror movies I have but not watched

The new Riddick movie has been out for a while and I have yet to see it. I also have to watch The Purge.

So, as far as reviews for horror movies go:

Oculus
The Marked Ones
The Purge
Riddick

The Marked Ones

And also this was a movie I had planned on seeing but never got the chance, its out on dvd and Blueray now so maybe I'll give it a watch! 

Movie Reviews to come

Hello all, I know this blog has been low of late but I am planning on doing more on this blog. I will hopefully get the chance tonight to see the new horror movie, Oculus. And possibly to do more on this site I may even review horror shows and comic books / books as well.