Katie (Katie Groshong) has escaped a demonic cult and is more than ready to put her past behind her. Then one day she finds a position work at a care home for disabled people and settles in. She gets to know the staff and the residents and strikes up a friendship with a woman with Down Syndrome called Stephanie (Stephanie Kinkle).
However, Katie is still troubled by her past and starts hearing voices and seeing the bloody symbol of the cult everywhere. Stephanie also starts feeling ill, she’s taken to the doctor’s but her condition keeps getting worse so Katie decides to use the little knowledge of black magic rituals that she learnt from the cult to make her better.
Unfortunately, Stephanie just keeps getting worse and Katie’s hallucinations are getting stronger.
Dementer is a horror movie written and directed by Chad Crawford Kinkle and involves his sister, Stephanie in a pivotal role. However, the problem with Dementer is that there’s so much going on, but little is said about what it all means.
Katie very quickly escapes the cult at the start of the film and very soon finds a job, but the obvious trauma that she’s experiencing could have been dealt with differently. The mere fact that Katie escaped at all should tell the audience that Katie knows that what was happening was wrong.
Also, her use of black magic not only tells the audience that she may still be indoctrinated, but that she has learned nothing. There’s a lot left open to interpretation in Dementer and unfortunately a lot of the problems seem to be the lack of logical thought by the main character.
Chad Crawford Kinkle also says that he built the movie around his sister, wanting to involve her in his work. However, Stephanie is just a plot device with no agency and it seems as if she could have been given a character of her own. There are some great visuals towards the end as Katie’s hallucinations become more prominent, but Dementer is a confusing movie with little solutions to a half baked plot.
For as long as there’s been social media, there’s also been cyberbullying. This is the negative side of having billions of people, each with their own thoughts and opinions, all placed onto one, or more, platforms. It’s also an aspect that has, unfortunately, been socially accepted which it should never be. However, writer Femke Boot takes the resolution to her cyberbullying a little too far!
‘The Columnist’ (UK title) is a Dutch horror film starring Katja Herbers as Femke Boot, a writer who hosts weekly opinion columns in a local newspaper. She is also constantly plagued by trolls, nasty comments and even death threats and, after the police do nothing, she decides to take things into her own murderous hands.
This is one of the best horror films of this year. The film is not only a fun slasher but also a social commentary on cyberbullying and Cancel Culture (where a group of people will stop following/harass someone over something they said/did a very long time ago). Unfortunately, this is something that is extremely common on social media, especially Twitter, and a side of the platform that makes the website toxic and unwelcoming to be on. A scene where Femke goes to the police highlights why people don’t tend to report cyberbullying to the authorities: it’s not taken seriously when it should be. As a writer who’s experienced awful comments on social media due to their early articles, I could understand Femke’s frustration towards the police and towards the people who hide behind their devices and say disgusting things about her, even though I would not take the same actions as her!
Katja Herbers is wonderful as Femke Boot, the writer who can’t help but look at all the comments targeted at her despite her partner telling her not to. Despite her wicked actions, she’s sympathetic; all she wants is to make the world a nicer place and even says ‘Why can’t people have different opinions and be nice about it?’. She just wants the bullying to stop and will make it stop by any means possible, a thought that is relatable. She also seems to hold a dislike towards people and is quick to judge them based only on their bad actions, no matter how big or small that is. However, if someone was constantly plagued with horrific comments no matter what they wrote or published, then that person’s mindset would probably alter a little too.
The quote that Femke says at the beginning of the film is also a theme that flows through the entire runtime. The side plot revolves around Femke’s daughter, Anna, who is trying to host a Freedom of Speech event at her school. However, her Principal keeps trying to stop her from hosting this, even removing her from the school’s newspaper team. They both share the same frustration and, in the end, want the same thing: people to have different opinions and be nice about it. But authoritative figures or bullies constantly try to break down that desire. Again, this is a want, or need, that is relatable.
But, when people aren’t nice about other people’s opinions, specifically Femke’s, she takes things into her own hands…and things get messy! The sound design as she reads the comments and tweets is a fantastic choice: white noise starts to appear before gradually getting louder as she reads more and more and gets more and more frustrated. Or it does this as she finds out more about her next victim via social media. It’s an interesting and striking decision that perfectly conveys her feelings without the use of dialogue. If this were a cartoon, her ears would’ve started smoking, but the white noise is used as the audio equivalent and it was one of my favourite aspects of the film. It was a small detail, but it said so much.
Another aspect of the film that I loved were the kill scenes. This is something that is rarely brought up when I review horror films, however it needs to be mentioned here. Each kill scene was unique to the last, and used a different weapon and location each time, showing us what the smaller scale Dexter could do given each scenario. It makes a difference to the slasher that would exclusively use a knife. The way in which these scenes were structured was different too.
The first kill is very anticlimactic and quiet, but that made it more disturbing: it was easy for her to carry this action out and no one noticed, ultimately kickstarting her killing spree. And, while it does give viewers a montage halfway through the film, ‘The Columnist’ lets us hear the bully’s side of the story first, most of which is laughter at what they wrote, or saying that they thought what they wrote was a joke that should just be taken as one. This furthermore cements the audience into taking Femke’s side, even if we don’t agree with what she’s doing.
‘The Columnist’ is one of the best horror films of this year. And, while this word has been thrown around a lot in this article, it can’t be denied that Femke Boot was a relatable character, even though her murderous actions are disapproving. It was a fun and, at times, frustrating watch as we witness Femke’s horrific treatment online and her struggles with this. It also highlighted a lot of things wrong with social media and that people’s attitudes should change, and people should be nicer to each other. And, at the end of the day, isn’t that something that we should all want?
Previously On: WandaVision – Disney+ Talk (Spoilers)
It’s hard to think that next week will mark the end of Season 1(?) of Marvel’s ‘Wandavision’. And yet, here we are: Episode 8 was released on Friday!
Episode 8, titled ‘Previously On’, sees Wanda and Agatha Harkness relive Wanda’s past and present to discover how Wanda was able to cast a spell over Westview.
This episode was unique to the show for two reasons: Firstly, we weren’t treated to another era of a TV show layout, due to Westview now being up to date with the modern world. And, secondly, we don’t get a perspective from outside The Hex until the mid-credits scene. While these aspects make this episode unique to the show, it also made sense: the show is nearing to a close, so the rest of the loose ends that the show planted need to be tied up.
This episode is one of my favourites and was unexpectedly emotional as Agatha leads Wanda through her childhood and the events of ‘Age of Ultron’ to understand how she became as powerful as she is now. The episode almost acts out as a messed-up therapy session as Wanda revisits painful memories to someone who is clueless about these events. However, this episode also gives non-Marvel fans, who wanted to watch the show, a rundown of the key events that led to Wanda being who she is now.
This also includes her first encounter with Vision, a scene that was the most emotional knowing where his fate may ultimately lead. This scene also highlights what makes Wanda and Vision perfect for each other: at this point in time, Wanda was so tortured that she was mostly emotionless. However, because Vision doesn’t understand complex human emotions, her interactions with him encouraged her to be more openly emotional. Even Agatha shed a tear from this interaction!
Overall, episode 8 has given viewers much needed answers. However, with only one episode left, how will ‘Wandavision’ be resolved?
Once again, the remainder of this article will now be spoilers for Episode 8 of ‘Wandavision’.
I previously mentioned that this episode partly focuses on Wanda’s childhood. And, through this sequence, we get our first answer. The reason that each episode had a different sitcom layout was because they were reflective of the sitcom VHS tapes that her parents had. They would then use a ‘movie night’ event as a special treat for their children, in order to distract them from the war that was going on around them. This was another emotional scene as the family sit down to watch ‘The Dick van Dyke Show’ and then a bomb suddenly hits their home, killing both of the parents instantly. It was a sudden shock, but an impactful moment.
The other memory that we’re shown revolves around what actually happened when Tyler Hayward revealed that Wanda had stolen Vision’s body from S.W.O.R.D in Episode 4. And, if viewers weren’t convinced that Hayward is untrustworthy then the following sequence will definitely convince them now!
What actually happened was Hayward let Wanda through (she didn’t storm in) and let her see Vision’s body for herself. And she’s shown S.W.O.R.D dismantling Vision and collecting wiring and parts of him. According to Hayward, Vision’s body is worth billions, and he can’t allow Wanda to bury billions of dollars in Vibranium. However, aside from smashing the glass window to the room below, Wanda doesn’t act out violently to this news and to seeing Vision; she’s actually hurt and upset. This means Hayward tampered with the security footage that was shown in Episode 4. Furthermore, the strike on Westview (which was introduced in the last episode) still hasn’t occurred yet. Hayward deliberately tampered with the security footage, so he would have an excuse to launch an attack on Wanda, so that she’d never be able to take Vision’s body to bury. Once again, this scene is emotional; if I saw a dead loved one getting torn apart for parts, in the sake of money, I’d be angry too!
However, it’s revealed that she never took his body. Instead, the world she created and trapped Westview under was created by her own ultimate sadness and grief, something that I predicted near the beginning of ‘Wandavision’. And, overall, I can’t feel angry at her: she was tortured, betrayed and had a loved one kept away from her. I can’t blame Wanda for her actions, even if they are also nightmarish; she just wants to be happy with Vision and her children. However, while the way she created this world was predicted, the way Vision enters this world was completely unexpected. Vision in ‘Wandavision’ is an illusion, manifested by her powers and energy. And, if he’s an illusion then what does that mean for Tommy and Billy? My prediction is that they’re not real; they’re also an illusion. While this may seem farfetched, she did create a house and a sentient lifeform from her powers, as well as trap a whole town in a fantasy world, so my theory may not be so absurd.
Boss Level Synopsis: Roy (Frank Grillo), A retired special forces officer, is trapped in a never-ending time loop on the day of his death. To escape this endless eternity, he must reconnect with his ex Jemma (Naomi Watts) and stop her nefarious boss Colonel Clive Ventor (Mel Gibson) from ending the world.
Once Hollywood sees a concept sniff success, a once revelatory idea often morphs into a tired marketing tactic. Time loop narratives have certainly begun to experience this phenomenon. It all started with the success of early 2010’s efforts Source Code and Edge of Tomorrow, which opened the doors for filmmakers to reinvent the “Groundhog Day” concept from their own perspective. Fresh spins on the time loop narrative like Palm Springsand Happy Death Day left a sizable mark with their crafty innovations.
After all of this exploration, the concept is starting to reach its creative expiration date with audiences. As a byproduct of poor timing (the film was originally filmed in 2018) and uneven execution, Joe Carnahan’s latest Boss Level travels through its repetitive loop without bringing much new to the table.
Through the inconsistencies, there’s actually a promising nucleus of a film here. Carnahan’s slick visual edge makes a fitting complement to the concept’s relentlessly bombastic allures. His creatively-drawn action scenes shamelessly bask in the film’s endless cycle of violence while also mining a few cheeky jokes at the expense of Hollywood’s played-out action formula. Star Frank Grillo also deserves recognition for his gruff action star appeals. He wisely matches the character’s bitting cynicism with some much-needed humanity, creating an earnest everyman that draws the audience’s interest (his playful comedic touch enhances several one-note gags).
Boss Level works in bits and pieces, but the whole experience travels through a malaise of familiarity. Carnahan leans heavily into the 80’s action movie aesthetic without ever striking a genuine voice inside the pastiche. His script (collaborated on by The Borey Brothers and Carnahan) strains itself badly on cool-guy machismo dialogue, with several lines landing with an overworked awkwardness that detracts from the action onscreen. Attempts to accent the scenery with obvious needle drops and bizarrely-implemented color-grading show a general lack of tactfulness throughout the experience (why does everything here look so run-down and cheap? It’s a 45 million dollar movie!).
Where Boss Level would have felt innovative a decade ago, it now lands with a certain tiredness. The script’s basic-level plotting gets stuck in melodramatic contrivances, often overworking the simplistic mechanics in unsuccessful attempts to elicit a connection. There’s also rarely a moment where Carnahan steers away from a straightforward and repetitive narrative roadmap. Similar to Roy’s empty journey through the same day, I felt a distant ambivalence towards the story’s lack of interesting surprises.
Boss Level presents a few glimmers of low-rent actioner entertainment, but the film’s all-too-familiar premise rarely breaks new ground amongst its crowded subgenre.
Lucky: Review – May (Brea Grant) is a successful author. However, one day her publisher tells her that her sales are not going so well and that her next book may be her last. She’s worried about the future, but her husband, Ted (Dhruv Uday Singh) tells her that there’s nothing to worry about and they go to bed. Later that night, May hears a disturbance from downstairs and wakes Ted but he tells her not to worry and that it’s only the man that comes to try and kill them every night.
Clearly disturbed by this, May investigates the noise and sure enough The Man (Hunter C. Smith) is there waiting for her. After he’s dealt with, May calls the police and tells them what happened and then her and Ted go back to sleep. However, in the morning May is concerned that Ted has no issues with this happening every night. Especially as the man is after her more than him.
May is left alone in the house and sure enough the man returns and she kills him, after which he disappears. After telling the police yet again about the intruder, she gets the feeling that nobody believes her so she decides to take matters into her own hands.
Lucky is a horror movie written Brea Grant and directed by Natasha Kermani. Cleverly using metaphors not only about how women are treated in society, but also how women are portrayed in horror, Lucky tells its story in a time that feels more relevant every day. However, it seems that men may only just be realising it.
May is faced with gaslighting and victim blaming and despite the unusual situation, it doesn’t feel all that outlandish as it clearly gets its message across.
Grant makes May a likeable character and not the hard-nosed, emotionless woman determined to get to the top as other writers and directors may portray women. Everything she has to fight for is something every woman could relate to even when the thought of her fighting off a serial killer every night could become a little comical.
Lucky is a film that everyone should watch, especially those who don’t really understand why women have to fight on a daily basis.
