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  • Skull: The Mask – Review

    Skull: The Mask – Review

    An ancient ritual has been passed down through generations in which a sacred skull is said to possess the devil himself. A product of black magic, the skull can be worn as a mask and the owner of the mask is said to unleash a killing spree into the world once it has awoken.

    Detective Beatriz Obdias (Natallia Rodrigues) is a cop with a troubled past where she was the first to arrive at the scene of a grisly murder. Then one day she’s called to the scene of a double homicide which is said to have occurred after a black magic ritual had taken place in the house.

    The bodies had been found with their hearts ripped out of their chests and the skull artefact has gone missing. Fearing the worst and that there may be more murders of this type, detective Obdias starts to research the mask and its shady past. However, she’s met with opposition as a rich businessman named Tack Waelder (Ivo Müller) wants to retrieve the skull for himself.

    Skull: The Mask is a visceral Brazilian horror movie exclusive to Shudder. Steeped in a rich, mystical lore it seems that the skull is the perfect McGuffin to lead a new series of horror movies. The simple premise and quick set up give its audience an old school horror feel while simultaneously being a particularly Brazilian tale.

    Horror movies from the 80’s such as Candyman and A Nightmare on Elm Street gave a new and yet familiar twist on the typical slasher movie, however Skull: The Mask’s unique take on the genre may gives its audience a reason to want more.

    Alongside a simple idea are the scenes of horror which also harken back to a simpler time of practical and elaborate special effects. Every kill is tailormade for an audience who love the blood and gore of a violent and needlessly bloody kill.

    The skull itself is also a rather dramatic look which has the potential to become an iconic look all in itself. However, although the detective subplot may not interest audiences as much, they should know that whatever setting it’s in, Skull: The Mask is satisfying enough to want a sequel or maybe even a franchise.

  • Red Carpet: Review

    Red Carpet: Review

    Red Carpet: Review. By Will Steele.

    Films like Sean Baker’s Tangerine have demonstrated how artistry shines through even on a shoestring budget. Here Scott Altman embarks on a similar small-budget affair on the streets of LA proving the true necessity of artistry when it comes to independent filmmaking by the sheer lack of it. We begin with beautiful landscape shots of LA which are sharply and swiftly juxtaposed by intrusive close-ups of our lead – Mandy played by Wittie Hughes – having her fortune read. Immediately we are treated to promising professional cinematography only for our hopes to be dashed by plain and uninspired photography which feels overwhelmingly amateur.

    Refreshingly, the citizens of Los Angeles are initially portrayed as friendly albeit washed up and eccentric. The walk of fame emanating from Grauman’s Chinese theatre attracts a cavalcade of wannabes and has-beens: A setting rife for a tale of those seeking fame in Hollywood burdened with a tragic lack of talent. Mandy is awkwardly invited to a pool party in an exchange so clunky and poorly acted that it sets the tone for the rest of the film. The dialogue is abysmal – neither realistic nor punchy – delivered by performers ill-equipped to act to the level the film demands. By mere comparison Wittie Hughes stands out as a relatively capable performer who convincingly communicates the vulnerability of a young woman in search of fame and fortune. 

    Soon the alluring prospect of excess tempts Mandy. She soon finds herself drinking copiously and dabbling in designer drugs. The intoxicating montage plays out like a fearsomely outdated anti-drugs commercial from the early 2000s presented with all the nuance of a direct punch to the face. Mandy awakes from the bleary night of clichéd debauchery to find herself a prisoner of a violent stranger intent on keeping her captive and forcing her into prostitution. The remainder of the film explores the bleak trials and tribulations of our protagonist.

    You might sense this is a tragic narrative intent on revelling in the grim underworld of Los Angeles. However this is a path well-trodden leaving little for any audience to glean from these rote scenarios. Despite the gravity of the situation, any threat is undercut by tediously stereotypical characters, gruelling dialogue and seemingly no real direction at all. Any emotions Scott Altman demands through his direction and screenplay proves futile due to the constraints of an unoriginal and fruitless premise played out by unconvincing performers. 

    Struggling to find praise, there is at least salvation in the merciful 79 minute runtime which excuses us from enduring any more of this dower affair. The struggles shown are real and have resonance with reality but any genuine engagement is squandered by an altogether uninspiring production. One cannot help but notice the irony of this film being produced by a company called Defunct Pictures. 

    https://vimeo.com/539836353
  • The 100 Candles Game: Review

    The 100 Candles Game: Review

    The 100 Candles Game: Review – A group of friends come to an old house to play a game. They light one hundred candles and put them in a circle and step inside. From that moment onwards they must tell a horror story for each of the candles so that they can all go out.

    During their time in the house, they tell their tales, however as they explore the house further, they find that the house is holding even more sinister secrets than they could have possibly imagined.

    The 100 Candles Game is a horror anthology movie within the framing of a premise for a horror movie all of its own. The problem is that although the premise for the movie does set the scene quite suitably, most of the horror stories that they tell feel unfinished and like they should be part of separate horror movies by themselves.

    The first tale is rather short but witty, however by the time of the exorcism story it feels like the production value has increased greatly. Although even in that tale the story does feel rather predictable, even if the audience may want more.

    Another problem is that all of the stories as well as feeling unfinished also aren’t all that original. This mean they may be riffing off of other horror movies as a loving homage, but ultimately most of the stories come across as lazy and a little originality in the stories and the monsters may have done it some good.

    The cast are all well suited, from the group of young people forced to tell these stories in supernatural circumstances to the many different cast members within these stories. However, aside from the exorcism story that manages to have a beginning, a middle and the end, the rest all feel like they’re examples of a director’s work to show they can create an atmosphere.

    A bit of variety would have been good and although most of the stories stem from urban legends and folklore, it’s nothing the audience wouldn’t have seen before. 100 Candles will probably spawn some good stories if fleshed out further, but as it is now the audience may have preferred something more unique.

  • The Woman In The Window: Another Review

    The Woman In The Window: Another Review

    The Woman In The Window: Another Review – Initially slated for a 2019 release, it was destiny that Joe Wrights adaption of The Woman in The Window would be Fox 2000’s last ever film, and what could possibly live up to something like that? Fox 2000 was responsible for numerous classics that have and will endure the test of time, from Fight Club to Life of Pi and whilst it never hit the heights of Searchlight, it didn’t need to, thanks to a consistent flow of hits. So all this is to say, the studio deserved one last success story and, unfortunately, despite reshoots, the complexity of A. J. Finn’s novel proves all too much to tame for the silver screen, or more aptly, for your Netflix screen, because they bought it for some reason. Leaving a once-beloved studio to go out with a fizzle.

    Events start on well enough, and for those unfamiliar with the wildly successful novel, I’ll briefly touch on the premise. Anna (Amy Addams) is severely agoraphobic, so much so that she’s trapped inside her New York home, unable to leave without falling unconscious. Cooped up inside all day and boasting some fantastic vantage points from her windows, she watches. She watches everything worth watching, and for her, that is mainly the comings and goings of her neighbours. 

    It’s all very Rear Window. However, where Wright’s film differs from the 1954 classic is all in the mind. Anna’s condition hampers her reliability, and there’s a delirious coming and going of characters which makes it impossible to tell what’s real or delusion. Ultimately, when she witnesses a brutal murder through the window of her new neighbours, she is thrown into a pit of uncertainty and doubt as she looks for the truth. 

    This alone feels like too much but believe me when I say there’s even more to it. Therein lies where this adaption loses its way. So much happens leading us in one direction, only for the film to come to a dead halt and tell us, no actually, this other completely irrelevant thing is what you should be thinking about. It makes for a film with a very deliberate and jarring pace and a very non-Joe Wright experience.

    Wright is a filmmaker oozing with talent, capable of both wondrous set pieces and pitch-perfect restraint. The Woman in the Window showcases neither and instead is a very frustrating concoction, frustrating because there are good elements to be found here. Addams was more than up to the task, and Gary Oldman and Julianne Moore both put in some strong work. Regrettably, it’s in vain. Despite their efforts, there’s not a single moment in the entire endeavour where my interest, in what is supposed to be a thriller, rose above mere curiosity, and that isn’t enough. One twist in particular, involving a dark realisation for Anna, completely brings a sequence to a stop, and you can almost hear the sound of the film dropping the ball as it happens. 

    I don’t think cinema needs to completely avoid the Rear Window concept, but I think filmmakers should approach it with a little more reverence than occurred here. Inherently it remains exciting and still holds a lot of potential thrills; only The Woman in the Window doesn’t pick up on any of that and instead haphazardly stumbles in the dark. I feel for all involved because I believe this book, like The Goldfinch, is a tough one to translate to another medium. And while the essence of the text is there, it only appears splattered on the screen in a cacophony of themes and twists. 

    The Woman in The Window plays host to some solid elements but ultimately succumbs to its complexity and becomes a misfire.

  • Demi Lovato Edition: Bits & Pieces

    Demi Lovato Edition: Bits & Pieces

    Demi Lovato Edition: Bits & Pieces – Apple TV+ unveiled the official trailer for “The Me You Can’t See,” from co-creators and executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, offering a glimpse into the diverse stories of mental health and emotional well-being in the new documentary series, premiering this Friday, May 21 on Apple TV+.

    Drac and the pack are back, like you’ve never seen them before in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. Reunite with your favourite monsters for an all-new adventure that presents Drac with his most terrifying task yet. When Van Helsing’s mysterious invention, the ‘Monsterfication Ray,” goes haywire, Drac and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster! In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it’s too late, and before they drive each other crazy. With help from Mavis and the hilariously human Drac Pack, the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent.

    Ellie & Abbie is a heartfelt and hilarious queer teen rom-com from Sydney-based writer-director Monica Zanetti, who is known for her first feature film Skin Deep.

    Mae & George’s complicated love story continues as Mae struggles to come to terms with the ghosts from her past and George tries to reinvent her present. Can they grow together or will they grow apart?

    Like Hansel and Gretel rewritten for grown-ups and given an existential twist, European thriller SAFE INSIDE is the directorial debut of Polish writer/director Renata Gabryjelska, who infuses her gripping first feature with elements of Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In and the unsettling eeriness of 2015’s nothing-is-what-it seems nailbiter Road Games.

    City of Ali is a feature-length documentary that tells the story of how the death of Muhammad Ali brought the people of his Kentucky hometown – and the world – together for one unforgettable week. Ali’s passing on June 3, 2016, came in the context of a bitter U.S. presidential election, a proposed Muslim ban and the global expansion of the Black Lives Matter movement. Yet on the day of Ali’s funeral procession, more than 100,000 people lined the streets of Louisville to celebrate his life, and an estimated one billion people worldwide watched events like Ali’s memorial, held in the packed KFC YUM! Center as stories of the Louisville Lip’s wit, generosity, swagger and commitment to justice were retold by President Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal, Lonnie Ali, and many others.

    Starring Stephen Dorff, Darren Mann, Elizabeth Reaser and a host of UFC stars, EMBATTLED will be released in the UK and Ireland on digital download from 5 July 2021.