Movie Review - Girls Against Boys

Girls Against Boys

(2012)

Floren Shieh Productions : Anchor Bay Films / Anchor Bay Entertainment

6.75 / 10

This little independent movie has a lot going for it.  A believable story line with realistic characters and situations, a strong and truthful story that is directed with care.

Danielle Panabaker does a spectacular job of creating a very believable victim of rape, Shae, who, with her new friend and work colleague Lulu, subtly portrayed by Nicole LaLiberte, take fatal action on her attackers.

Yes, this has been done numerous times, the last big budget version being The Brave One, starring Jodie Foster.  Though what this story gives you is the more nitty-gritty feel of real life.  Shae is an ordinary woman trying to make her way through life, she attends college and works a bar part-time.  There's a wonderful scene where she asks a colleague to take over for her and she walks away to catch five minutes as she's having a bad day.  Panabaker's walk behind the bar and in front of the bar speaks volumes of Shae's tiredness, dejectedness, and all over weariness of her life at this point.  Nicely acted and well directed.

While in the stairway she meets Lulu and they strike up a conversation.  When Lulu hears about Shae's day she decides to take her to a nightclub to take her mind off things.  At the end of the night, they go back to an apartment shared by a couple of men they met at the club.  Shae, worn out, chooses to go home.  Tyler, who paired off with Shea offers to be a gentleman and escort her home.  However, he doesn't take being rejected at the door to her apartment building and resolves to get what he think he deserves.

What I like about this film is the lack of graphic violence, most of the time the director Austin Chick, who also wrote the story, chooses to cut away.  This allows the viewer imagination to take over because we're not stupid we know what's going on, there's no need to depict it.

From here on Lulu takes over and becomes the dominant character in the newly formed duo.  She takes Shae to the police to report the crime, though they find them indifferent and unconcerned about the crime or the victim.  It's Lulu who decides on the course of action to take and she's the one to start the ball rolling.  Shae, still traumatised by the incident wonders around in a fugue most of the time.  It's Shae's state of shock which makes this a more plausible tale of revenge.

The resulting conclusion is pretty inevitable.

This is a slow, well thought out psychological thriller, which gives a breath of fresh air to a much-used storyline.

This isn't a pleasant film to watch.  You don't really root for the victim to have her revenge, as the story isn't just about Shae's rape and her resolution, but of her relationship with Lulu, who is broken in her own way.  This is a film that is made to make you think.

Well worth a watch once, though I don't think I'll ever go back to it, as it will stay with me for quite a while.

Movie Review - Fear Inc.

Fear Inc.

(2016)

Lone Suspect / Amasia Entertainment / Title Media : Eagle Entertainment / Electric Entertainment / FilmBuff

2 / 10

Not all independent films are good or worthy of cult status.  This movie falls solidly into that category.  It tries so hard, too hard, to be worthy of cult status, it's so evident it's trying; though, it just turns out to be very trying.

What you have is a sound premise a horror fan who has become desensitised to horror.  He's such a fan he takes his girlfriend to haunted houses on Date Night and predicts when and where the scares are going to come while laughing continuously.  The character is very annoying and rather humourless, if he was to resemble snot-girl from The Blair Witch Project then Lucas Neff does a fantastic job of creating a lead character you're just praying and hoping to be killed.  If not, then his acting skills are lacking or the Director, Vincent Mascaile, had a warped vision for this movie.

So the writer Luke Barnett adds the element of Fear Inc. a company who, when hired, come to scare the proverbial crap out of you.  This now lands in the "The Game"'s field of expertise, which actually gets a mention in the movie.  If you're going to carry out a movie in the same magnitude of that film it should be just as good and as convoluted, however, it isn't

There are a lot of missed opportunities in this movie, which could have elevated it to at least watchable, if not enjoyable, and possibly to cult status, though a lot of work needed to be done to get to that destination.

Once you realise what Fear Inc. do, which is given away at the start and in a monologue before the scares even begin then the surprise and possibility of the situations being real plummet into the farcical.  You can see the twists coming as the director and writer call their punches before they throw them.  The film would have been stronger had the viewer not known Fear Inc.'s agenda.  This would have led them to continually wonder if our hero's the victims were in any danger.  It's pretty much impossible to create tension when you know nothing is at stake as it's all playacting.

Apart from Lucas Neff's character, all the other cast have believable and relatable characters, with the exception of Caitlin Stacey, who portrays Joe's girlfriend, Lindsey.  Even though Stacey is one of the strongest actors in the line-up, I couldn't help but wonder why this strong woman was still attached to the waste-of-space Joe.  There was no chemistry between them and this causes an imbalance in the plausibility of the movie; even more so when you learn it's her and his friends who have hired Fear Inc.

This movie is labelled as a Horror - it's not - a Comedy - it's not - a Thriller - it's not that thrilling, but this is as close to a decent description as any.

Should you watch this movie?  No go and watch The Game, The Scream box set, The Saw box set, Deliverance, and Southern Comfort, which seems to be the movies this is roughly based on.  All of which are better than this film... even the SAW series from III upwards.

Movie Review - No One Lives

No One Lives

(2012)

W.W.E. Studios / Pathe : Pathe / Anchor Bay Entertainment / 20th Century Fox

7.5 / 10

 

A nice "Leave your brain at the door" psychological action thriller.  However, if you think too much about it, you'll see the many flaws.

This is a story we've seen before, a man loses his girl to a gang of criminal thugs and takes it upon himself to wreak vengeance on the gang, in the most graphically violent way possible.  In view of this, the film is still fresh, this due to the twist in the story... and it's a good one,  though I had figured it out by the second scene.

Ryuhei Kitamura does an excellent job of creating tension and suspense at the right times as well as keeping the story tight and moving at a rapid pace.

All the actors give good performances, especially Luke Evans as The Driver, Adelaide Clemens as Emma Ward, and Lee Tergeson gives his usual "Bad Boy" as Hoag.

It's also nice to NOT see a wrestler anywhere in sight saying WWE had a hand in production.

Unfortunately, not to give spoilers I cannot say much more, though I would recommend this to all revenge lovers, out there, to watch at least once... 

... but don't think too much about it - just enjoy.

BEWARE - The Trailer Below Contains Sence That Reveals The Twist In The Story.

Watch At Your Own Risk.

Movie Review - The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

2014

The Cast

I must be having a Reboot Session, what with watching this title as well as the 2010 version of A Nightmare On Elm Street and the 2013 The Lone Ranger.

This was another of my favourite television programs of my childhood with the suave spy Napoleon Solo (I mean what a great name - and a spy to boot) and Illya Kuryakin (try saying that when you're only six - English was hard enough...)

So I put off watching this film as I hated Guy Ritchie's take on Sherlock Holmes... and I'm not a great Mark Strong fan.  Well, I couldn't believe my luck, a Guy Ritchie film minus Mark Strong...

... and ...

A brilliant adaptation of the original series.  Right from the beginning, I was hooked.  Guy Ritchie does a brilliant job of recreating the sixties... the cars... the buildings... the clothes... the feel... It is awesome to behold.  And the fact that, on the whole, the special effects are real, only using CGI to mask wires, cranes, etc, is superb and makes the movie more believable, sometimes CGI can distance an audience if not used correctly.

The opening sequence, a car chase between a Trabant and a Wartburg is one of the best I've had the privilege to watch.  Truthfully, all the action sequences are marvellous and great to watch.

The directors of "Man of Steel - Batman vs Superman" and "The Lone Ranger" should take note that their leading men were exceedingly better in this movie than theirs.  In fact, Henry Cavill gives a performance as Napoleon Solo, that would also have made a great Superman, not the womanising and arrogant parts of his character, but the surety of the character and his vocals.  Armie Hammer is a brilliant Illya Kuryakin, who, in this movie, is more of a powerhouse and doggedly determined.  This difference from the original's character makes for a better dynamic between the two spies and a stronger film.

I also liked the idea that this is the story of the creation of U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement), and that we get to see a little bit of Waverly's background, again this makes for a stronger film, as well as stronger sequels.

This movie is all about style, right from the beautiful opening credits to the closing credits, and the soundtrack is no different.  It works so perfectly with the feel of the movie, adding to the action sequences, the romance, and even the comedy.

The only reason this didn't rate a 10 was the bloody annoying subtitle's - Guy, you chose the wrong font.

If you like stylised spy thrillers with great story telling, action sequences, and brilliant acting, that leave you feeling happy and invigorated then this is a "buy me" film.  Had I known it was so good I would've purchased at full price and not waited for the price drop.  Everybody deserves their money for this endeavour.

I give this Retro Remake a Spytastic 9 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Code Of Honor

Code Of Honor

2016

The Cast

To be clear, I am a Steven Seagal, fan - I even liked the albums he did with Thunderbolt and even caught him live (one of the best gigs I've been to) - controversial, HUH!!!

So you would think I like all his films... well I don't - there have been quite a few stinkers in his career.  Code of Honor though doesn't give off too much of a stench.  Though I do believe that Steven Seagal's name shouldn't be top billing as it's Craig Sheffer (who I've liked since Nightbreed) who is the star of the show and has more screen time.

The story revolves around a serial killer, Colonel Robert Sikes (portrayed by Seagal) who is intent on killing gang members, being judge and executioner all-in-one, and the FBI Agent sent to help out the police in apprehending him, William Porter (played by Sheffer).

Seagal gives his usual moody, dark, and brooding acting stereotype (you always know what you get in a Steven Seagal Movie) as the armed forces trained serial killer.  No stretch there and I do think that he has his character wrote around his cliched style.

Craig Sheffer, however, does a decent job of portraying a helpful agent pursuing his once army buddy come friend.  Though something doesn't seem quite right about Agent Porter.

The story, written and directed by Michael Winnick, keeps a good pace, gives the viewer enough action to keep them entertained and a couple of twists that you don't see coming until they are revealed.  As for the action, there's not a lot of martial arts in the movie and when there is you're not sure if Seagal is doing his own moves.  There's a couple of knife-play scene's, though none come close to the sparks-flying speed spectacle of Under Seige.  Most of the action is based around gunplay which allows for lots of head-shots, blood splatter, and oodles of blood mist.  If you like a good body count film you'll like this.

If you like action films, you should like this as the story is pretty strong with a couple of twists, decent action and good direction.  I recommend to all.

I give this serial killer a 6.5 out of 10.

Movie Review - The Frozen Ground

The Frozen Ground

2013

The Cast

  

This is the story, based on true events, of Alaska State Trooper Jack Halcombe's search and conviction of serial killer Robert Hanson, who killed women in the late 70's and 80's.

There's a lot of crammed into the 105 minutes runtime. Though, on the whole, it's satisfactorily presented and keeps the viewer entertained and entwined.  The direction by Scott Walker, who also wrote the story, is tight and well crafted.  He does a great job of recreating the eras, both in sound and vision.

Nicholas Cage portrays the trooper Jack Halcombe, and though we know he can really act, Adaptation, Matchstick Men, World Trade Center, and Joe, here we have the usual Nicholas Cage being Nicholas Cage (though I have to say I am a fan of his work as his films are enjoyable).

John Cusack gives a subdued performance as the killer Robert Hanson.  Though, this makes the character more believable; on the outside, Hanson is a quiet man with a family who goes to work to provide - an ordinary man,  Though on the inside and in private moments he allows the psychopath to take the reigns.  Cusack does a good job of showing the frustration, anger, and desperation caused when the police net draws in closer.

The best performance is that of Vanessa Hudgens, who plays Cindy Poulson, the only survivor of Robert Hanson.  She expertly shows us Poulson's vulnerability, confusion, anger, distrust, and fear of her life.  There is a lot going on in this character's life as she's a runaway become prostitute.  Hudgens deftly handles the complexities and develops a believable character, giving the viewers someone to relate to.

Brad William Henke does an outstanding portrait of a criminal thug, come, henchman, Carl Galenski.  His formidable size is foreboding.  You would not want to go up against this man.

The rest of the cast also do a great job of keeping the feel of this movie, though I do think that Radha Mitchell, who plays Jack Halcombe's wife Allie, is much underused.  She's a talented actress, but here she only has a few scenes.

The story is a strong one and needed to be told.  The story does not glorify anything at all and in this case, it works well.  Everything is nitty gritty truth and reality.  No character shines above any of the others; this is not a Nicholas Cage film; it's not a John Cusack film.

I really enjoyed this movie and would watch it again.  If you like true tales of crime and justice this is for you.

I give this a truly entertaining 8.75 out of 10.

The Trailer

Book Review - Busy Body

Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body (2010)

Written By M.C. Beaton

Constable Press

6.5 / 10

Opening Sentence and First Paragraph -

Having found that her love for her ex-husband, James Lacey, had more or less disappeared, Agatha Raisin, middle-aged owner of a detective agency in the English Cotswolds, decided to hit another obsession on the head.

I'm a believer in the open sentence being one of the main ingredients of a story.  It's this section that should grab the reader and enthuse them to read on.  In this book, the above opening is pretty decent, it sets the scene, tells you some of Agatha's background and makes you wonder what her other obsession is.  Since I'm a newbie, not only to M C Beaton but also the Agatha Raisin series, this opening sentence set me up nicely for the unfolding story.

The story flows along at a steadily fast pace and the writing is never dull or boring.  For such a short book (only 244 pages), there's plenty going off, which for me slightly handicaps the story, because you have to loose other components to the tale; in this case characterisation.

There are a lot of incidental characters in the book and I know it would've been clogging to the narrative to give them all better characterisations, and some of them the reader would know if they had read the series from the start.  It would've been better had a few more of the important characters was filled out more.  Such as they were, there was no empathy created between myself and them so I didn't care about their outcome in the story.  Which is a shame as it would have made the story stronger.

This isn't really a whodunnit novel either as there are no clues for the reader to try and ascertain who the killer is; it's a step by step progress of Agatha Raisin and her detective team in their search.  That said, I did figure out who the killer was.  I accredit this to M C Beaton's writing style.  When you get to the scene where you meet the killer you just know they did it.

That said, these negatives are only small things, as there are a couple of twists that aren't deducible or guessable. There's also a murder which may be solved in later series books.

In conclusion, this is a well-written book, though it could have been a little more in depth to bring the reader more into the story.  At times, it seems a little over-stuffed, but it just stays on the right side of "too-much".  I did enjoy this book and read it through in just three sittings, though I'm not sure if I would read any of the other books in the series.