Category Archives: Live Action Movie Reviews

The Possession Review

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It’s time for another one of those films where a malicious entity works to break a family apart. These spirits definitely like to go for the slow corruption angle to speed up the drama but sometimes you wonder what the end game is. Is it just to mess with everyone and the spirit enjoys the chaos or is it something deeper? Because the former would come off as rather petty if you think about it. Nothing wrong with petty for a villain but it’s something you think about when the main plot isn’t super gripping.

The film starts with the evil box claiming its first victim. An older lady was unfortunately the first fighter to go up against the box and she was unable to withstand its supernatural barrage. She is thrown around for a bit and gets murdered. So the family decides to sell the box off, where it is taken by Emily. This leads to our main characters. Clyde and Stephanie divorced about a year ago and while things are tense, at least they don’t fully hate each other. They have the two daughters Hannah and Emily on rotating shifts and things seem to be fine. Emily hopes they will get back together but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Emily starts to act rather off after getting the box though. Is it…haunted????

I mean we watched the opening scene so we already know the truth. It takes most of the film for the main characters to know what is going on as well so it’s a bit of a slow burn. I have a few issues with this movie to be sure but I will say that it beats the average horror film. Not a hard thing to do of course but it’s still a win so we’ll take it. Basically, one issue I had here is it’s one of those films where the heroes don’t really have much of a chance. The spirit can directly control people, amps up their physical abilities, can push people around with telekinesis, etc. It doesn’t really have any limitations and can operate over a large area. So the average person has no hope without a significant amount of plot armor. Not very fair now is it?

So one of the big problems with a film like this is it feels rather pointless at times. Even when the heroes do take the threat seriously and try dealing with it, at best they start to delay things. It is a horror film so make sure you stay all the way through to the ending. It’s not as annoying as something like the Grudge but yeah they really need to give these things some more weaknesses. Like some kind of a physical form or some defenses that the humans can use to fight back a little bit.

There are a solid amount of fake jump scares to buy time for the real ones. As a result though, almost every jump in the first half is fake. You have raccoons breaking and entering along with insects also pulling stuff off. It definitely makes for a tough combination for the poor father who is already trying to navigate a difficult situation and doesn’t have time for all of this supernatural mumbo jumbo.

On the human side, the film does a good job of not vilifying either of the parents too much at least. Stephanie maybe seems a little more antagonistic since the film is from Clyde’s point of view but at least it’s nothing too crazy. She is moving on with her life and is tired of Clyde always holding her back. The fact that he was even late to pick up the kids has to be annoying. He also seems a little too jealous of her new boyfriend considering that they’re broken up. At that point it’s not really any of his business. They’re not together anymore so he’s gotta just move on.

The new boyfriend doesn’t seem all that bad either. He’s a bit obnoxious but not to a crazy extent. I don’t think you’re meant to care about the guy all that much so his screentime tends to be minimal. As for Clyde, I wouldn’t say he does a great job of connecting to the kids. He’s busy and has calls that have to be picked up and stuff like that but for the most part I wouldn’t say that he is making any critical mistakes or anything. Clyde does put a lot of work into saving Emilly so he tried his best.

Emily is super annoying but you do have to consider that most of this is the box’s fault. She’s not usually as crazy as she appears. Emily is maybe a bit too naive and all but she is younger. Hannah seems like a good older sister who is always trying to look at things rationally. Kids just aren’t ready to fight a supernatural monster, even the adults were really at the end of their rope there.

I guess the main issue here is that this film isn’t doing anything new, different, or exciting. It’s you run of the mill film about possession which isn’t a super interesting topic anyway. It’s not going to do anything to change your mind on the subject. I like the fact that it is a bit tamer than other films in the genre. It’s not super violent although it does have some moments like the principal getting blinded. It goes more for shock value and gross imagery like spitting out a bunch of flies and things like that. It was interesting how some of the stuff was actually happening as opposed to illusions. It made for an interesting scene where the fumigators had to be called in to get rid of them. It’s a small note but that was nice.

Still, the film just isn’t going to hold your interest for very long unless you’re really into the genre. Maybe if the spirit had more personality or there were some interesting dialogues about how to take it down. This would work better in a setting where the supernatural was common place. Then at least this could be a solid back and forth with both sides using their full arsenal. Because it is more of a first encounters kind of film though, it’s just the humans getting wrecked for a while.

Overall, You know a film isn’t holding your attention when you’re more interested in the basketball team’s fate than the actual main plot. The film actually avoids most of the big horror traps so I appreciate that but at the same time it’s nowhere near being at the level it would need to be for me to call it a good movie. Being boring is a really bad offense for any kind of film. So in the end I would give this one a thumbs down without a doubt. You’re better off finding some other supernatural title to watch like Ghostbusters.

Overall 4/10

Crime Story Review

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This review is of the TV-14 edited version of the film. All thoughts below should be addressed as such as a review of the unedited version would be more negative

It’s time for a Jackie Chan film that was actually rather serious. I was on the fence about whether this would get a score or not since it’s based on true events. The names were all changed around and it seemed like it was lose enough though so I decided to just go with it. It’s definitely a reasonably solid film for most of the run but makes enough mistakes to keep it treading water in the middle. You’ve got a good amount of action here but the main character can be rather annoying with how much he puts up with the whole time. The villains definitely needed to get beaten up sooner.

Mr. Wong is a pretty wealthy guy and he has a lot of disputes with his workers over the conditions. He has reason to believe that he will soon be kidnapped and asks for police protection for when this happens. Unfortunately the cops don’t really believe him. Chan is put on as Wong’s bodyguard but he also thinks that the threat isn’t very tangible so he doesn’t take things as seriously as he should. At one point Wong is being followed by a car and asks for help but Chan thinks it’s just some disgruntled workers at first. Chan still does go over to help but it’s too late and Wong is gone. Chan must now find him before the villains do something drastic but can he pull the trigger as needed?

See, Chan is dealing with some PTSD from an earlier case. He was chasing a bunch of crooks through the city and they were just not cooperating so in self defense Chan ended up shooting. There were fatalities and in a way he blames himself although I would say he handled the mission well. Look, sometimes people are gonna die, that’s pretty much inevitable in this kind of situation especially when the crook isn’t stopping. Of course you want to aim for a leg so it’s not fatal but when the crooks also have a gun then that’s game over.

We have a bit of a subplot where Chan works with a counselor to try and get him through the distress. She’s a fun character and the whole time you’re wondering if she’s connected a bit deeper into the film. It’s just good acting in the end but she has such a big emphasis early on that the jaded part of you figures this is some kind of a trap. Either way this is part of why Chan doesn’t just mess everyone up because he’s a little more reserved than usual. He still does all of the usual parkour and running around but isn’t firing off the shots as quickly.

That’s fine, it takes time to get over trauma but what I didn’t like is how he takes so much abuse from the villains. At one point he is questioning a suspicious lady who has been seen with the corrupt cop Mr. Hung. While he is there, the guys minions are tripping Chan, shoving him, etc. They really mess with the guy and go for the ultimate disrespect and Chan just keeps on trying to run out of there. After a point you need to just beat these guys up straight away. There are a lot of ways you could promote this as self defense and if you think the force is too corrupt for this then you just have to hide the villains afterwards.

It was just annoying how he was a punching bag for so long there. I also think he could have handled the situation with Hung a whole lot better. Chan had his suspicions from the start but no proof so he sort of waited and bided his time. The problem with this is that it buys Hung a lot of time to do things. By all accounts Chan should have been dead in this film several times. It’s why you gotta be proactive and make a move based on your gut. The only time Chan really did this was when he roughed up a witness for a while despite everyone warning him not to. That was definitely a good move.

Meanwhile Hung doesn’t make for a great main villain. He may not be the head honcho but he has the biggest role because of his connection with the cops. The guy is a fairly high ranking official so everyone believes him with all of his false information. The guy does a whole lot of damage the whole time and you’re waiting for the heroes to take him out. I will at least give the guy props for his confidence because he really swindles the heroes like a champ even when they could have potentially called his bluff several times. Confidence is the first step towards messing everyone up after all.

He has this random toxic relationship with a girl who shows up a few times during the film. Unfortunately all this does is weaken the film as a whole. The whole affair in the elevator is rather crazy and didn’t have much of a purpose here. I won’t say the relationship itself is unrealistic because you could totally picture this being the case but it’s definitely not something that the film needed. We already knew that Hung was not a good guy and even if this was meant to drum up the slightest bit of sympathy for the guy and why he wanted more money, it definitely didn’t work.

The only one you really feel bad for here is Wong’s wife who is doing her best to comply with the demands and get her husband to safety. It’s just not an easy position to be in and that’s before you consider the corrupt cop and everything going on. All she knows is the cops don’t have a great game plan and keep leading her on a wild goose chase. She does everything she can to save her husband so I would definitely call her the best character in the film.

The film has some good action like I mentioned before and I think that’s something the film should have leaned on a bit harder. Give us more action scenes and solid athletics. That would have helped to also establish Chan as a better main character if he was fighting a lot. Toss the club scene and a few small rewrites would make this solid right off the gate. The film does keep your interest but you see all of the missed potential throughout the movie.

Overall, Crime Story is a film that has a lot of good moments and solid action throughout but definitely gets weakened by the lower points of the film. The whole scene of Chan being hazed at the club was just awful and made no sense. He was too slow to make a move and the toxic relationship with Hung was just wasting valuable screentime. The writing itself isn’t bad and there’s some decent pacing here but in the end these issues definitely start to add up and keep the film from reaching its full potential. I would sooner recommend most of Jackie Chan’s other films.

Overall 5/10

The Asphalt Jungle Review

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Now it’s time for a pretty fun noir title. It’s definitely got its share of intrigue, drama, and emotional beats. So on the whole it’s really the definition of being an all around complete title. I tend to enjoy heist films like this that have a lot of story and planning going on in the background. You can bet that none of the characters can afford to let their guards down for even a moment or it’s all over.

The movie starts by introducing us to Doc who has finally left jail. He was there for a long time but now he is free to terrorize the world once more. He doesn’t do this with violence though, instead he goes and uses his wits. So he’s got a full proof plan to rob a bank and make 500K but he needs a team to do this and someone to come up with the funds. He meets up with a guy called Cobby who knows a rich guy named Alonzo. Alonzo says he can handle the money part but Doc doesn’t trust him. So Doc asks Dix, to keep an eye out as he’s the only one that can really be trusted. Dix is the strong man of the group and assures Doc that nobody will be messing with his future money. Now it’s time for the crew to try and strike it rich, but do they have what it takes?

In a lot of ways this might be the easiest heist for a heist film. I wouldn’t say the villains ever have any real resistance. For the most part they are really only having to worry about each other which is definitely one of the risks of being a common crook like that. They don’t exactly have the strongest set of morals and ethics right? So it’s not surprising when everything begins to crumble around them. In fact, you could even argue that it’s probably expected. They’ve all got issues after all.

Alonzo is actually dirt poor and right now he’s cheating on his wife with someone else. The guy is morally bankrupt and desperate which is a really dangerous combination. When you’ve got both of those things lined up, it definitely means that he can’t be trusted. Obviously I have no real sympathy for the guy. I mean all of these villains are crooks but this guy is definitely the worst of the bunch. He’s confident but doesn’t really have any skill of his own which is why he’s broke.

Then we have Cobby who talks a good game but only when the others have their backs turned. This guy isn’t confident in the slightest and definitely folds when the pressure is on. It was fun to see the crooked cop show up and take him out. It was interesting the way the movie presented the cop. Yes, he turned to the dark side for money and definitely made the wrong choices but ultimately he went straight once enough heat was on him. The whole ending has a speech about this as there may be a few bad cops around but the majority are still out on the beat stopping crooks every day. I thought it was an effective illustration on scale there. This cop wasn’t out murdering anybody either, he was basically not taking a law that he disagreed with all that seriously.

Still a bad thing without a doubt, yet a cut different than the hardened criminals all around him. As for Doc, I actually liked him for most of the movie. He kept his cool and always had a plan no matter what was coming up. This was a guy who could not be cornered too easily and had experience. It’s why his ending makes no real sense. I just don’t get the logic here at all of how he would take such a risk. Surely he would have the self control to wait to do anything that might delay him until he was out of the state? It all just felt like a big stretch. The film was probably going for some kind of irony or message but I wasn’t buying it. It was a weak way to get him out of there.

Then you have Dix who in a way felt like the main character. He’s a very prideful guy who takes no disrespect from anybody. He’s also honorable in his own way. The guy made a lot of bad choices and is absolutely a villain yet he doesn’t have a lot of malice like the others. He has nightmares about his past with the horses and is definitely going crazy but you feel like with the right circumstances he could be okay. Ultimately these were not the right circumstances but he did have a great shootout with Bob.

That’s probably the best scene in the film as the film was building up to the big fight between villains for a while. So seeing them all get to confront each other at the end was some good stuff. It’s a quick blink and you miss it kind of scene but when the characters have guns, that only makes sense. It’s not like these guys are bulletproof or anything like that after all. I also liked Bob. His screentime may have been a lot lower than the other characters but he made for a very imposing villain when he did show up.

I’d say one of the subtle messages here though is how the supporting cast all lost out due to the villain’s actions. The wife of Alonzo is certainly in for a rough time with her husband being taken out. The young girlfriend is also out of luck although she wasn’t very smart and was basically complicit so I don’t feel too bad for her. Then you have Dix’s girlfriend who is also going to be in a rough spot. Basically villains get the direct repercussions and anyone associated with them will fall as well. You can be sad about it without regretting it though. The villains absolutely did need to be stopped and the cops really did their job here.

The writing is strong and the pacing is good. This is the classic kind of noir title that really does the genre justice. I suppose if it’s not officially considered a noir then I may be giving it the wrong credit but the fact remains that this was good stuff. The film properly developed the characters and really got things moving. I didn’t even mind that the heist itself was fairly easy because it’s an interesting change of pace.

Overall, The Asphalt Jungle is a pretty good movie. It definitely had a solid climax with a lot of tension even if the way the mastermind goes down was definitely underwhelming to the highest degree. It just felt so out of character. I suppose anyone can have a vice but to go down like that are all of the build up and planning? I’ve never really seen anything like it, that was absolutely crazy. So you should check out this film either way and see what you think about how the ringleader is taken care of.

Overall 7/10

Absence of Malice Review

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It’s time for a film about the fine line you walk between what is true and what is speculation. It’s a pretty interesting movie and I had a good time with it but I wasn’t crazy about the ending. I feel like some of the characters really got off very easy considering all of the damage that was done. Not like you want to be super vindictive or anything but they definitely could have done more here. At the very least I can safely say that the main romance really had no reason to be included in the movie and made no sense.

The movie starts off with some guys investigating a mysterious disappearance/possible murder. The news is leaked to reporter Megan by a secretary who was probably fired shortly afterwards. The government shares the building with the newspaper so sometimes these things happen but this is a big story so Megan is told to drop it by this one guy who has a crush on her. So she stomps on his feelings and quickly rushes the report through. The government is investigating Michael Gallagher! Michael isn’t thrilled about this and shows up to the newspaper office but he is given the brush off. It’s all fair use so they can ruin his life with complete immunity. Michael doesn’t think this is fair and is working to find out the source for this story. Meanwhile the governor is getting involved as well and Megan will be on the hot seat if she can’t verify some details.

So there’s a lot going on here. Right off the bat I would say Megan is very irresponsible here for putting out such a hit piece on flimsy information. Here’s the thing, while it’s true that Michael is under investigation, you don’t want to go around publishing that because it immediately puts him in a certain kind of light. People tend to think you’re guilty if you’re under suspicion and that shows how jaded the average person is. It’s regrettable but that’s really just how it is. It’s a rough start but I think she could have recovered a bit by just telling him. Just sell the government out, they would do the same in a heartbeat.

Instead she doubles down and keeps trying to crack him. Michael ends up liking her so he asks her out on a date and the idea is to get to know each other. Maybe she will give him some more information or at least see that he is a decent guy. It’s a thought at least even if it’s not a very realistic one. Megan immediately wants to do more than just hang out because she’s “modern” and all. He initially resists but unfortunately doesn’t do they have their affair and common sense kicks back in as they are still enemies.

All of this is already rough but it gets way worse when Michael’s friend Teresa shows up to try and defend him. She explains to Megan that he has a rock solid alibi and she can prove it but not to use her name or anything. So Megan ignores her and uses the girl’s name, occupation, and tells all the details of what was a super private and controversial affair. It ultimately doesn’t go well for Teresa and the problem here is that Megan knew it wouldn’t end well. Sure, she acts a bit surprised and gets depressed, but the whole thing was nutty. In no possible universe was this going to end well for Teresa. Megan is a reporter and it’s not like this is her first day on the job so I don’t get the confusion here. This is pretty basic stuff.

That to me is where Megan completely crossed the line. I just can’t see how Michael is still friendly with her at the end after this. At least he left but in my mind the bridge was so completely burned that they should not get along at all. It’s really a disgrace to Teresa’s memory. They were good friends and all so it just doesn’t make sense. It’s why the romance should have also been omitted. How can you fall for the person who framed you and hung you out to dry. You could say “It’s her job” but is that really a good excuse? I just want you to really think about that one. Do you actually buy into that in your heart of hearts? Enough to still go through with a romance? No shot!

I was at least glad Michael was smart enough to start launching counter attacks and getting his revenge though. The writing in the film is extremely solid. While I may not like some of the characters, that doesn’t take away from the writing itself. I like this 4 way battle with all of the characters trying to move forward while navigating through their opponents. The governor for example is a pretty fun character as he jumps in to try and take hold of the situation but it’s not so easy. He’s one of the only ones who could get to Elliot though which was a good battle of wits. Elliot doesn’t actually work for the governor since he is directly to the federal government level but they each have some leverage over the other.

Elliot is definitely a fun character with how crafty he can be. The guy definitely holds his own with the other various characters and doesn’t go down easy. He actually tried making a decent case by the end but ultimately wasn’t able to pull it off. He was completely outwitted but the attempt was fair. In general the climax of the film is really good and I dare say it might be the best part of the movie. We finally get the entire cast into the same room to all talk it out. The most underrated character there was Megan’s lawyer but unfortunately she kept cutting him off so he couldn’t save the day. Like him or not, the guy was definitely experienced and probably the only one in the room who could really hang with the grand jury for a while there. When you have so many people with huge egos in the same room, it definitely gets entertaining. Maybe at the heart of things, that’s why I tend to love big meeting scenes and moments like this.

Overall, Absence of Malice is a good film. It doesn’t really have the cathartic pleasure you might expect from the characters getting their just desserts but the film is going for a realistic angle and that kind of thing doesn’t always happen. So it does make sense in that case. It may not be the most satisfying ending but it doesn’t take away from the rest of the movie being a real interesting game of cat and mouse. It definitely does show just how powerful a simple editorial or rumor could be. It may not have the same punch nowadays with so many news sources but back in the day it would definitely be difficult to come back from that. When your career is shot, it’s shot all the way.

Overall 6/10

Mars Attacks! Review

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It’s time for a pretty crazy film that has a lot of fun with itself and the premise. It’s fairly long and gets to really explore a lot of the dynamics of what would happen in a possible alien invasion. While the whole thing is satire, I actually do think a lot of things could play out the way they do in this film. It may lose a little steam by the end as most of the fun parts are in the build up but this is definitely a title that I could recommend.

The film starts by introducing us to a massive amount of characters. You’ve got the president, the army, the advisors, TV reporters, a guy going off to the military, an old lady, people asking for peace, corrupt casino owners, etc. They have so many different plots going on and that’s the fun of it. We find out that aliens from Mars are about to land and so everyone is preparing. Some are nervous, some are thrilled, and the President just wants a good photo op for his ratings. That may seem absurd, but I can picture it. The army of course wants to blast the aliens away but they’re not getting support on that. Unfortunately these aliens are out for blood!

This may seem a bit odd but a lot of times I tend to enjoy building up to a situation even more than the actual payoff. There’s just something really fun about seeing the characters preparing for something and a good movie can really get you right to the absolute peak of intrigue. You just have to see what happens and so the initial fighting and everything is amazing. When I say the film starts to recede by the end, it’s natural to an extent. How can you really top this? The opening of the film can be as comedic and crazy as possible but by the very end it has to start getting a little serious. So the movie is at its best when it is just making fun of everyone. I had a really good time with all of this. I thought it was all good natured fun.

Basically everyone is looking after their own self interests and that seems about right. Others just aren’t smart enough to see any of the big dangers here. When the Martians show up and start blasting everyone, you’re actually happy about it. Humanity just seems so lost in the woods and out of their depths that they absolutely had to be kicked down a notch. They had gotten so complacent in this era of peace that nobody was united or anything. It was really not what you would have expected from the main characters of the universe if it had even just been a few hundred years ago.

I think one of the funnier gags is how the aliens rick them twice though. After the first mass murder event, they actually get the humans to show up and get decimated for a second time. Like are you kidding me? That’s absolutely crazy. They just played on the egos once more and pulled out the W. Like I said, they outplayed us at every corner. Then the final trick was the most embarrassing as they pretended to be a super model to gain access to the president. It was not a very realistic cover up to be honest but I suppose that’s the point. The humans had completely lost their way.

The special effects for the film are actually pretty good. I liked all of the lasers everywhere and the Martians looked funny. This may not have been played very seriously as a whole but the sets and everything could hold their own with an actual disaster film. The writing is also good as a lot of the scenes are genuinely witty so the movie gets full marks there. While the humans were intentionally unlikable, I thought it was done in a way that was legitimately funny so that’s also a big thumbs up.

President James is my favorite character personally. He is just so full of himself and has that loud confidence that I like to see. He’s constantly condescending and really just wants people to say something that he agrees with. It would be real interesting to have someone like him in the White House, that’s for sure. The president’s advisor is a close second though. He just keeps on smoking even as everyone is being blown up. The guy really thinks that it was all a big misunderstanding all the way up to the end. He had some of the best comedic moments because the timing of each scene was absolutely impeccable.

Not every subplot is going to be equally funny of course. The rich lady with her dog was a bit on the weaker side. Basically she’s super ditzy but there’s not a whole lot more to her than that. The old lady who’s going senile is also one that’s fairly generic and not really trying to be different. With such a large cast that is to be expected though. I dare say there are probably at least 20 named characters running around and that really helps you to make the invasion feel real. Films like this should have a large cast and I know it can be hard to balance them but it’s definitely worth the attempt.

The movie doesn’t manage to get by with 0 mistakes though. There is a little animal violence at one point as the aliens do blast a pair of dogs and a bird. The film has them using disintegration rays that are painless and there’s no blood involved so it’s not nearly as bad as the average moment. I would argue it’s still unnecessary though and those don’t really work as jokes. When you tell as many jokes as this film, you are bound to mess up a few times of course but on the whole it did land them more often than not which is the important thing.

I would put this on a fairly high level for an absurd comedy like with Airplane. Now, that is still the greatest comedy of all time and is completely unmatched but this one had that same energy at times with the jokes. The writers had enough knowledge to attack pretty much anyone without ever feeling mean spirited or like it was just targeting one group and I’d say that’s the key to a film like this. As long as you aren’t too sensitive, you’ll be able to have a good laugh at the whole thing.

Overall, Mars Attacks is a pretty fun film. As long as you tend to enjoy humor that borderlines on the absurd then I don’t see you having any problems with this one. Lets face it, we would probably get wrecked by Mars anyway so it’s fun to see them out strategize us at every corner. They were ready for this adventure and were not about to back down. I can definitely respect that. It’s a very long film but one that has a lot happening so you shouldn’t get bored. Trust me, it’s worth the watch.

Overall 7/10

Odd Man Out Review

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It’s time for a film about how crime doesn’t pay. It’s a pretty fun story with a unique setup. You have an Irish gang trying to steal money from the government and from that point on everything gets a little crazy. The writing is solid and I enjoyed all of the characters. The villains were good in their roles and the cops definitely did a good job on their end. In a sense both factions got to have half of the movie although the point of view is always from the villains and heroine. It’s a film that has good pacing and replay value.

The movie starts by explaining to us that the leader of this gang is a guy named Johnny but he’s been in jail for a long time. After he returned, he spent 6 months hiding out in a house and so the rest of the group is thinking that maybe he has gone soft. Johnny is even talking about how perhaps violence isn’t the answer so jail really has changed him quite a lot. Still, Johnny refuses to step aside and still leads the mission. This goes very poorly due to Johnny freezing at the end and so he ends up falling out of the car and a policeman dies. Now the gang is really on the hot seat. Can they find Johnny or even escape with their lives at this point? Once you down a police officer, the heat absolutely multiplies several times over.

First off, Johnny should take a significant amount of heat for everything that happens in the film. When you really think about it, the guy was not ready to get back into the fold. I admire his enthusiasm and everything but he should have recognized that. Getting dizzy and messing everyone up is what caused someone to be dead. The plan would have went off without a hitch otherwise. There’s also not much point in talking about ethics and everything when you are still going to go ahead with the plan anyway. What this really told me is that at the end of the day, Johnny was going to still keep on going at it with the gang even if he thought it was the wrong thing to do.

The film doesn’t hold back on the high price that he has to pay though. He pretty much gets every kind of injury you can after this. The guy can barely stand or move by the end which is why Kathleen had to make a rather serious move. Johnny definitely could and should have done a whole lot better in order to make sure everything was fine. His deputy actually did the best here in that he was the only one brave enough to tell Johnny directly that this was a bad idea. He tried his best but the guy just wouldn’t listen to him at all. That’s just how it goes I suppose.

It was fun seeing everyone get bumped off one by one though. The worst way to go out was for two of them who stop at an old lady’s house. I think she was a friend of the family or something but how can you trust anyone when the heat is this high. It sure was convenient that she noticed them passing by right? Then immediately they start drinking up a storm so they won’t be in peak fighting condition. As always my sympathy starts to go way down when a character starts drinking because now they are really putting themselves in a rotten position. So yeah W for the old lady. I mean she’s a big traitor and all but that’s just what happens when you’re a villain.

Now I keep calling them villains but I admit I’m not super familiar with the Irish background here. Perhaps their cause was decent and all but as they say, once you start murdering then the line is really drawn. You have to be super sure that you’re on the right side by that point and at least from how this film appears, I would say they were on the wrong side. Nothing within made it seem as if they were somehow the true fighters of justice or anything like that.

If anything, in the second half when the cops are taking them all out, I thought the officers looked really reasonable. They didn’t want to murder everyone but weren’t really given much of a choice. They also had to move with a sense of urgency after losing one of their own. They tried everything in order to find Johnny and it was tough since everyone was helping the guy out. You had a painter, Kathleen, a beggar, random people, and even a priest all being rather sympathetic to the guy. Some of them had their motives to be sure but none were being super helpful to the cops, that’s for sure. Even with all of those obstacles the cops managed to go and take names though.

The ending is definitely intense to be sure. When you can choose how to go out, often that is preferable to being taken alive so I get the logic. Kathleen had to make a difficult call and she did not hesitate. It’s a rather sad ending in some respects but also a sign to be careful who you fall in love with. Kathleen’s mother warned her about this as well but she just wouldn’t listen. It’s not easy to control your emotions of course but if you fall in love with a crook then it stands to reason that your end may not be great.

Overall, Odd Man Out is an interesting gang film. I have to admit that I really enjoyed the accents the whole time. I haven’t watched a super large amount of films taking place in Ireland after all. The plot is interesting and there are a whole lot of characters running around. Johnny is basically on the run for almost the entire movie. He’s out there in the rough conditions for over an hour in the movie which is crazy. He bumps into a whole lot of characters and while this can be the only part of the film that feels a bit slow, it works out well enough. It’s a satisfying movie and the strong script really backs it up every step of the way. You’ll definitely be entertained while watching it.

Overall 7/10

Never Say Goodbye Review

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Uh oh, it’s time for a film about the ole rebound so you know this is probably not gonna end well. In some ways you could make the argument that it’s good the main two characters try to get back together but based in large part to the execution I would disagree. Splitting up isn’t great but going back together isn’t either when you know it can’t possibly last. There are a lot of red flags to the relationship in this film.

So the film starts by introducing us to Phil and Ellen who are currently divorced. They each have their appointed time frames with their daughter Flip but she isn’t thrilled with this arrangement. She loves hanging out with both of them and wishes they could all just get along. Life just isn’t that simple sometimes but they don’t really have the heart to tell her that. Flip basically begs them to try and get back together so they give it a shot by going to a date. The problem is that Phil has a girlfriend right now and forgot he was going on a date with her at the same time. He has to try and balance both dates now but it won’t be easy. Can he bring back the marriage?

I mean the obvious answer here is no right? If you already have a new girlfriend then it sounds like you’ve completely moved on. I would feel like the whole thing is completely insincere at this point. Moving on like that is a massive red flag to the point where I would say it pretty much disqualifies you entirely. It’s just such a bad look and it makes them both look bad. Ellen shouldn’t put up with this and should have immediately given up on Phil when she found out. Meanwhile it makes Phil look super greedy like he wants his wife back but still wants to be having fun on the side? I’s clear that he’s not responsible at all so why would you want to re marry him? It would jus be running into the same issues again and again. The reasons why they broke up in the first place would just return for them to break up a second time.

There is really no hope there. Now I know they want to band together for their kid but that’s actually not a great reason to do it. Ultimately all that’s gonna do it lead to more resentment and create more problems. If things were so bad that they had to fully divorce, then it’s not something that can be so easily repaired. They should have just sat Flip down and really given her a detailed reason on why this was not going to be able to happen.

Flip’s a kid so I won’t be super harsh on her but she definitely stirs up a lot of trouble here. No kid wants to be living in a broken home to be sure but it’s something that is really out of her control at this point. Then her final scene is rather rough as she is getting greedy already. It’s supposed to be a very wholesome moment of course but instead you’re just rolling your eyes here. She needs to just calm down a bit.

Since this entire film is really revolving around the main romance, the fact that it isn’t very good definitely ends up hurting the movie as a whole. You can absolutely pull off this kind of premise but only if both characters had not moved on. Like lets say we are introduced to them both and they’re super sad sacks who stay home all day and have nobody to hang out with. Now we actually have something here because that would make sense. You can see how they realized splitting up was a mistake. Since that’s not how the film went though, then you know this was not a good idea.

Phil’s girlfriend Nancy is rather rude the whole time but it’s hard to blame her. On a narrative level you know she is absolutely doomed and from her point of view this is all happening so fast. Why is the ex back in the picture? It’s a risk you always take when you date someone who has a past but it goes without saying that Nancy isn’t going to like Ellen. She has no reason to.

Meanwhile on Ellen’s side you have Rex who likes her but the feeling definitely appears to be more one sided. I dunno it seemed like she didn’t take him seriously and the guy got absolutely crushed by Phil so it’s definitely not like he is anyone special. I can’t say I liked him though, either way as the divorce lawyer it seems like bad practice to fall for your clients in any way right?

Now as I was saying earlier, Flip is always causing a bunch of trouble? Well she strikes again by writing to a marine while pretending to be Ellen so the guy shows up all ready to start a relationship and of course he gets thrown into this whole mess. He ends up taking it extremely well after having his feelings manipulated and everything. You do have to keep in mind that this is primarily a comedic film so all of this is treated rather lightly but from his perspective it definitely sucks.

Also while Luigi is treated well as a loyal friend to Phil for trying to hide his two timing, that’s actually pretty bad. Even if the person is your friend, trying to hide their bad sides is not a good idea. You can hide the ones that don’t affect other people and are mild but when they do affect others, you are making a grave mistake there. The other friend Jack wasn’t really any better and would just show up to create more drama.

Now it’s not like the film is never funny or anything like that. It has its moments and in general I do think the film had good writing. It just is based around a premise that I don’t think worked much at all. The romance should have taken more of a backseat to the comedy and had the film show us why this was such a bad idea. Make the whole thing go absolutely bonkers the whole time and that would have had way more potential. There’s quite a few ways you could have really positioned this in a favorable way. At least that’s the way I see it and you could still have a fairly happy ending.

Just have the main two admit they are not compatible but they will still talk to each other more so they’re not buying Flip the same presents and things like that. I dare say that if you do this, it really fixes all of the issues at once. Then you can enjoy all of the shenanigans more. Flip will probably still be annoying the whole time but what can ya do.

Overall, Never Say Goodbye is a film that tries to make this case but sometimes you do actually have to state your farewells. I get that the film is trying to have a positive message and I appreciate that but in this instance it just didn’t work. The film has its light tone and can be funny but in the end I wouldn’t really be able to recommend this one. There are many other comedies that have a lot more fun with their premises and ultimately they would get the nod over this one.

Overall 4/10

Black Angel Review

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Time for a film that reminds you of how your past skeletons will always come back to hide you. The characters here all tend to have shady pasts except for the heroine who is just trying to do her best but ultimately she ends up having to compromise herself as well. I would definitely say this is a movie where nobody really wins and so the victory ends up feeling a bit on the hollow side. Definitely would have been nice if the characters could have been slightly more heroic.

The movie starts with Marty being super drunk and he is surprised when Mavos doesn’t let him into her apartment. He notices that she lets another guy go up so the whole thing is pretty humiliating. What he doesn’t realize is she gets murdered and a guy named Kirk is the primary suspect. Kirk’s wife Catherine is sure that he is innocent and is determined to find out the truth of the events. Marty agrees to help but unfortunately he ends up falling for Catherine right away. So does he really want to help prove her husband’s innocence or is he content to let Kirk be executed so he can steal her away?

That’s definitely one of the most annoying parts of the film. The fact that Marty is so in love with Catherine when she is already married. The guy doesn’t have any real class and it felt like he was flirting since near the beginning. Catherine certainly notices but she is trying hard to save her husband and can deal with that later. It would have been nice if Marty could have been the bigger man about it and put his feelings aside to help her out instead of being such a nuisance throughout the film. He does help to be sure but he’s helping out from a mess that he really created here so it’s not much of a consolation.

We get a twist for Marty and it certainly doesn’t make him look any better. This guy just had way too many issues the whole time so you’re rooting for him to be defeated. I can’t say that I felt bad for him by the end of the film. He really stuck himself into all of this trouble and so he has to pay the price there now. The guy’s a full antagonist when you really think about it.

Meanwhile you feel bad for Catherine the whole time. She’s in a tough situation with a very fast deadline so she’s doing everything she can in order to find some evidence. This even includes going into super shady locations and even having to perform at a location like that. Then she has to put up with Marty being there the whole time and even the boss Marko wanting her. Where the film takes an unfortunate turn is with her having to be with Marko in order to win his trust and get close to the safe. It all ends up being for naught anyway which is a real shame since that’s adding insult to injury at that point.

I never like any plan that involves compromising yourself to that degree. At that point you have to find another alternative even if it’s a longshot. Like just call the cops to have them take a look or bring in Marty and overpower Marko. Marty’s always looking for a fight and he would definitely assist her there even if it’s for the wrong reasons. Catherine never even led Marty on at all, the guy was just being way too desperate. The whole mission was about saving her husband after all, Marty got way too greedy.

I did like Captain Flood from the cops though. He may not have been convinced of Kirk’s innocence at all but why should he be? The case seemed rather open and shut here with Kirk cheating with Mavos. Kirk even admitted to her blackmailing him about exposing the affair so that makes perfect sense that he would take her out. When you add up all of the circumstantial evidence surrounding the case it definitely pans out. Flood seemed reasonable to me and wasn’t someone who easily jumped to conclusions. But after a point there is really only so much that you can do about these things.

This also made it harder to root for Kirk to be innocent here. Sure, he didn’t murder anyone but we already know that the guy is a complete cheater. It’s a super bad look for him and just makes the guy really awful. It’s another reason why it’s a shame that Catherine had to stoop to his level in order to save him. It’s just such a rough outcome that you can barely even call it happy. I don’t see any of the characters being all that well off by the end of the film. If anything their problems are really just getting started. It’s safe to say that Catherine can never really trust Kirk again so the relationship is ruined. Once you lose trust then you never really get it back. It’s time for her to make a fresh start at this point but at least she won’t have to worry about Marty. Again, I can’t say I have any sympathy for that guy. As always I would say to watch out if you like getting drunk because things can get tricky. I am still of the mind that being drunk only makes you a bigger version of yourself so everything you do is still the true you. So if you aren’t sure just how noble you are deep down, make sure you never take a drink.

Overall, The mystery itself is pretty good in this film. As always the writing is on point and you are interested in learning the truth behind the murder. As the film goes on though, that interest starts to wane a bit with how unlikable the characters arc. Marty is a jerk trying to get Catherine to cheat and her husband is a cheater. You feel like Catherine deserves so much better. Then the film going out of its way to lower her to their level was definitely a real low blow. I’m glad that she at least kept Marty at bay and never gave in there but the film just didn’t end up being a super satisfying watch. That keeps it from being higher and more in line with other noir titles.

Overall 4/10

Curse of the Demon Review

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It’s time for a really old creature feature film. This one deals with an actual demon so you already know that the heroes are going to be in a real pinch here. How do you stop a creature that is basically invincible and moves with such speed? The main character doesn’t even believe in demons but his scientific approach is certainly about to be tested.

The movie starts off with a guy begging Karswell to remove the curse before he gets murdered. The guy will leave Karswell alone going forward but alas it is too late for that and so a powerful demon bumps him off. The poor guy never stood a chance. Karswell isn’t done yet though and he is going to continue inflicting damage onto people. We then cut to our main character John. He doesn’t believe in any of his supernatural nonsense and that’s why he is here. He is supposed to be helping to disprove all of this but with one of his colleagues being bumped off, it’s all a bit suspicious. He supposes the best way to debunk all of this is to confront the guy himself and so that’s exactly what he does. It may end up being a dangerous endeavor.

The weakest part of the film is definitely the really long seance scene hat happens later on in the film. I suppose we needed John to see how crazy this kind of thing could look but it definitely dragged on. Seance scenes rarely ever end up being all that interesting and this one was no exception. The whole time you’re just shaking your head but at least it does give John more time to think that maybe there is nothing supernatural going on since that would help me think everything was a scam too.

Karswell’s first attempt to prove his supernatural abilities wasn’t the most effective either. He made a bunch of wind and while the guy claimed that it never got super windy like that in the area, John could easily just think he was lying. Once we get to the cats turning into panthers, then it all starts to be a little harder to deny. I would have actually liked this part to have been done a bit quicker so we could get to the real intellectual struggles here.

What I mean by this is it turns out that the demon activates in relation to a parchment paper that is passed around. Karswell makes sure to give it to people and whoever gets it, will be murdered by the demon in 3 days. The only way to escape the curse is to give the paper back to the person who gave it to you. At that point you are freed from the curse. It’s a pretty interesting set of rules and of course what this means is the one who cursed you is hyper aware of this. It’s going to be difficult to hand the paper back. Although unless the film specified against this, I would assume just beating the guy up and stuffing the paper into his hand would work. This is a matter of life or death after all so I don’t think a little violence would be outside the realm of possibility right? It’s at least something to consider.

Still, we don’t go the violence route here so instead it’s time for some mind games to trick Karswell. This is all at the very end of the film but was a pretty fun way to end things off. The trick itself was definitely clever so I could believe Karswell being taken in by all of that. John was also a fun main character with how he so strongly opposed the supernatural stuff. I definitely appreciate that in a character. Sure, we know that the magic is real as a viewer but to someone who’s led a life of science, I’m glad he wasn’t converted so easily.

The main heroine Joanna doesn’t get a ton to do though. She helps with some of the info dumps and getting John where he needs to be but inevitably she is hypnotized and kidnapped. Considering that she had more of an affinity for the supernatural it would have been good if she could have had some extra defenses. Something to help keep her safe and running away from this guy. In a way that was definitely Karswell’s undoing though. He shouldn’t have gotten greedy and gone after Joanna. Even if he felt like his victory was inevitable he should have stayed hidden until the days were fully up. Make it very hard for himself to be found by John because there’s nothing good that can come out of meeting the guy. People get awfully desperate when they are about to die after all and you can’t predict what the next move will be.

I’ll give the film a shoutout for the cool demon design. He definitely looked fierce and was one of those opponents you would no want to bump into in a dark alley. A single strike from this fighter would really deal a whole lot of damage. Nobody in the film really tried fighting the demon which is too bad. Sure, it would probably be futile but you’re about to die anyway so you may as well give it a shot right? Better than just lying there and yelling the whole time.

Overall, This film shows why you have to be careful accepting anything from strangers. Sure, it’s pretty unlikely that you will be handed an actual curse with a demon built in but you could still be framed for stolen money or something like that. Odds are if someone is trying to hand you something outside then they have an angle. It could be as innocent as handing out flyers for an event in which case you’re fine…or it could be handing you a bomb and you end up being blown to pieces. So just watch out for your surroundings and be careful at all times. Like in this film, your only shot would be handing it back to the person real quick before anything happens.

Overall 6/10

Murder by Contract Review

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Link to the original review: https://dreager1.com/2020/07/11/murder-by-contract-review/


It’s time for a film about a professional assassin. It can always be a tricky balance since you want to come up with a scenario that doesn’t paint him in too bad of a light where you dread seeing the guy on screen but at the same time you probably want to play it straight and not try to make the guy sympathetic. I’d say the film does a good job of this. The balance is there and by no means is Claude sympathetic at all. You are free to root against him the whole time with no real issues there.

The movie starts with Claude convincing someone to hire him. Claude passes every possible test and aces each of his hit. Eventually he even murders his boss as one of the orders. Eventually he is given his biggest mission yet, he has to bump off Billie, a witness who will be taking the stand soon. This will be a difficult mission and Claude usually makes it a point not to go after women because they are more unpredictable. You can’t exactly turn down a hit once you are involved though so for now he just has to suck it up and continue with the mission. If he succeeds then he will be loaded and if he fails then it’s game over for his life.

One thing the movie does to stand out right away is have a good soundtrack. This isn’t a guarantee for any film after all. You never know if a movie will have solid music or not so hearing a good track can go a long way. It’s a very smooth kind of beat that works for all of the scenes and supports the tone. The movie is showing just how casual this business is for Claude. It really just is the guy’s job and he preps for it as he would any ordinary assignment. We see how he works out and exercises so he is always in peak condition.

He’s also not very trusting by nature so he wastes a lot of time when two people are sent to accompany him. Ultimately it’s a good idea not to trust those guys but you never felt like Claude was in all that much danger. He was clearly a step above those two. They had some tough talk and looked good at times but the skill difference was immediately apparent. Even 2 on 1 you knew they weren’t about to do anything.

Claude is just too calm and too skilled. He waited for his quick opening and from there it was curtains. He also seems to have very little patience for anyone who hasn’t managed to become successful. He chews out a waiter on this about the guy allowing himself to be stuck in this job for so long when he could have really done a whole lot more for himself. Then as long as you are stuck you at least need to be good at what you do. I think his lecture ultimately fell on deaf ears though.

Then by the end of the film Claude gets rather sloppy himself. I don’t think it was even a full change of heart or anything like that. I think Claude would have finished the job earlier in the film but by this point he just had way too many doubts and conflicting thoughts. He didn’t believe in the mission quite as much as he once did and there are enough dead people already where the whole thing has become a mess. So for all of his tough talk and preparation, Claude folded when it counted.

Billie may be the big target but I wouldn’t say that her role is that big anyway. She’s the big objective but in terms of character there’s not a whole lot to her. She spends most of her time taking shots at the cops for not protecting her more and I definitely get that. She ends up being in harm’s way quite a lot. Part of it is on her even if she won’t take responsibility though. One obvious thing is to never walk by the door or any windows. Stay out of easy sniper range and that’s really basic safety 101. The cops actually had a good plan in allowing people to think she was dead for a while and it was just bad luck that someone ended up tattling to Claude. They couldn’t really predict that one.

The writing throughout the film is pretty good. I definitely enjoyed the banter with Claude and his boss despite the boss being bumped off fairly early. The characters always know just what to say and they all have a whole lot of confidence about them. I like all of the posturing. Even the two guys who were following Claude were brave enough to talk back to him. Well one of them anyway. Claude would tell him to be quiet and the guy would just keep on talking. Quality writing definitely helps to support a good thriller.

The character cast may be extremely small but that still services the film well enough. It helps to show just how alone Claude is and how all of his relationships are really surface level. He talks to the people giving him the missions or ladies who are hitting on him but at the end of the day the guy is really alone. The thrills of being an assassin are really the only benefits he gets at this point and I’m not even sure if he was totally serious about his whole buying a house explanation. I assume that was made up but am not exactly sure, so that adds to some of the mystery of the character. He strikes me as the kind of character who will say exactly what he hopes you want to hear.

Overall, The film is fairly direct and goes by quickly. It’s mainly about Claude prepping for the big mission and then getting a little more nervous as his attempts aren’t working and the deadline is getting closer. It’s another cautionary tale on why being an assassin is super dangerous. You could have hundreds of successful hits but all it takes is one slip up and there goes your life. There is just no escaping your ultimate fate and while you may have a fun time at first, it just won’t end well. This is definitely a film I could recommend. It ticks enough of the right boxes to be fun for all fans of the genre.

Overall 7/10