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(03/10/20 9:00pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Fantasy Island was a staple of 1970s television. It starred the late great Ricardo Montalban as the enigmatic yet charismatic Mr. Roarke, who oversees a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean. On the show, Roarke and his sidekick Tattoo (Hervé Villechaize) would offer guests to come and live out their fantasies—for a price. Oftentimes these fantasies would be used to help the guests learn a lesson, come to terms with something in their past, or just become better people. While the show would be considered campy by today’s standards, it is still fondly remembered as a classic. Flashforward 42 years later, and reboots and remakes of old television properties are all the rage. That means some idiotic Hollywood executive thought that it would be a great idea to take a property like Fantasy Island and reboot it into a horror movie. Helmed by the infamous Blumhouse Productions and directed by Jeff Wadlow (who directed both Kick Ass 2 and the hilariously bad Truth or Dare), Fantasy Island brings a fantasy that’ll have you bored to tears.
The film follows your standard plot of an episode of Fantasy Island: Mr. Roarke (this time played by Michael Peña) entertains five guests that come to his island to fulfill their fantasies. Melanie Cole (Lucy Hale) wants revenge on a childhood bully, Patrick Sullivan (Austin Stowell) wants to enlist in war to honor his late father, Gwen Olsen (Maggie Q) wants to accept a marriage proposal she rejected years ago, and step brothers J.D. (Ryan Hansen) and Brax Weaver (Jimmy O. Yang) want to party it up. However, things take a sinister turn as the fantasies continue on.
(02/08/20 4:00pm)
by Daniel O’Connell
The works of Howard Phillip Lovecraft are elusive when it comes to adapting them to the silver screen. His works are incredibly influential when it comes to popular culture, since they serve as the basis for the popular Cthulhu Mythos and created the subgenre of cosmic horror. However, film adaptations of his work are incredibly rare. Guillermo del Toro tried to make a big-screen adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness back in 2006, but it quickly fell apart because of his refusal to give the movie a PG-13 rating. The closest things to proper adaptations are either movies that adapt Lovecraft’s stories in spirit, such as In the Mouth of Madness or Annihilation, or movies that perfectly capture the tone of his work, like last year’s The Lighthouse.
However, that is no longer the case, as the first proper adaptation of Lovecraft’s work has arrived with Color Out of Space, adapted from the short story of the same name. It is also the triumphant return of writer-director Richard Stanley, being his first feature film in over 20 years, after being fired from 1996’s The Island of Dr. Moreau (a movie that’s infamous for its heavily troubled production). Stanley not only brings the first proper Lovecraft adaptation, but also the first great horror movie of 2020.
The film follows the Gardner family, consisting of Nathan (Nicholas Cage), Theresa (Joely Richardson), and their three children Lavinia (Madeleine Arthur), Benny (Brendan Meyer), and Jack (Julian Hillard), who have recently moved to the countryside after inheriting a family estate near Arkham, Massachusetts. Their mundane existence comes to an end when a meteorite lands in their backyard and begins to alter everything around them, marked by a mysterious, indescribable color.
(01/09/20 4:07pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Josh and Benny Safdie, known collectively as the Safdie Brothers, are a pair of New York City-based independent filmmakers who have risen to prominence in the past few years. Their NYC settings and use of urban grit are reminiscent of a director like Abel Ferarra. They first gained attention in 2014 with Heaven Knows What, a drama focusing on heroin addicts in NYC, based on the unpublished memoirs of Arielle Holmes (who stars in the movie as a slightly fictionalized version of herself). Soon after, they gained further recognition with Good Time, a movie about a bank robber who desperately tries to get bail money for his mentally disabled brother. The film received critical acclaim, notably for its direction and Robert Pattinson’s lead performance. Now, the Safdies once again bring their A-game with their latest movie, the crime thriller, Uncut Gems.
The film follows Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a charismatic jeweler who works in the New York Diamond District and is struggling to pay back his gambling debts. However, his luck begins to change when he comes across a rare uncut black opal priced at over a million dollars. With loan sharks after him and his life crumbling all around him, Howard has to go through a series of high stakes acts, such as appealing to his buyers and to loan sharks, in order to get the gem and come out on top.
(11/12/19 4:00pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
New England-born director Robert Eggers is one of the many on-the-rise directors that critics and film-lovers should look out for. Originally starting out as a production designer in theater, he transitioned to film and made his debut back in 2015 with the religious period horror film, The Witch. The film followed a Puritan family in 1630s New England, who are haunted by an unknown evil that lurks in the woods at the edge of their farm. Upon release, it received praise from critics, namely for its cinematography and its use of slow-building, atmospheric horror. However, it was divisive among the general moviegoing audience. They went in expecting a traditional modern horror movie with blood and jump scares. Instead, they got a minimalist, introspective psychological horror movie that explored religious paranoia in Puritan times. Now, Eggers brings his follow-up with the maritime psychological horror film, The Lighthouse.
Taking place on a remote New England island in the 1890s, the film follows two lighthouse keepers, Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) and Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson), who tend and maintain a lighthouse for a four-week shift. Tensions between the two men arise, exasperated by Wake’s alcoholism. Cut off from the rest of the world, their stay is extended when a storm hits the island. Days begin to blend together, and the two men lose their grasp on reality as they slowly begin to go insane.
(10/23/19 2:30pm)
by Daniel O’Connell
One needs to look no further than Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike to find a filmography full of varied styles and genres. Since his debut back in 1991, he has made over one hundred movies, each of them totally different from the rest. His work has ranged from samurai films such as 13 Assassins, Spaghetti Western homages like Sukiyaki Western Django, and disturbing horror movies like Ichi the Killer and Audition. He has even directed live-action adaptations of manga, such as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable. Now, Miike brings us his 103rd film, the action-romance-crime-thriller: First Love.
The film follows Leo (Masataka Kubota), a successful young boxer with a promising career ahead of him; however, his career is cut short when he finds out he has an inoperable brain tumor. Dejected, he encounters a fortune teller who says he should now use his strength to fight for others. The opportunity to do so arrives when he inadvertently saves the life of Yuri (Sakurako Konishi), a drug-addled prostitute who is in debt with the Yakuza (Japanese mafia). Leo finds himself wrapped up in a plot that involves a shipment of stolen drugs and a gang war between the Yakuza and Chinese gangsters. Leo and Yuri slowly find themselves falling in love with each other as they try to survive the night in Shinjuku.
(09/03/19 3:59pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Australian auteur Jennifer Kent has made a name for herself in recent years. She rose to prominence with her 2014 directorial debut The Babadook. The film was about a single mother who must protect her son from a supernatural threat that escaped a children’s book and now lurks within their home. It was fantastic in how it created horror through its atmosphere, as well as making the audience feel unsettled and frightened. The Babadook received critical acclaim, including praise from The Exorcist director William Friedkin. Now, Kent brings her first feature film in five years with the excellent period thriller, The Nightingale.
The film is set in 1825 Tasmania, then known as the penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land. It follows Clare (Aisling Franciosi), an Irish convict who lives with her husband, Aidan (Michael Sheasby), and their infant daughter. The husband and wife work at a military outpost and yearn to one day earn freedom. Clare’s world is destroyed when a British officer named Hawkins (Sam Claflin) and his men rape her and kill her family. Unable to get justice from the British authorities, she decides to track down Hawkins, who has left to take a captain position up north. To this end, she hires Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), an aboriginal tracker to help find them. With both of them having with pasts full of violence, the two set out for revenge against the backdrop of Tasmania’s Black War.
(08/22/19 9:00pm)
by Daniel O’Connell
As I have stated in past reviews, August through September is usually seen as a dumping ground for movies that studios don’t know what to do with. Thus, the quality varies significantly with movies that are released during this time. However, one of these films, The Peanut Butter Falcon, has proven to be a pleasant surprise. Directed by first-time directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, the film is a sweet and funny modern retelling of Huckleberry Finn.
The film follows Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a young man with Down syndrome who lives in a nursing home. Zak’s hero is a professional wrestler known as the Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church), and he dreams of becoming a wrestler like him. To achieve this dream, Zak runs away to attend the Redneck’s wrestling school, while Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), an employee at Zak’s nursing home, is tasked with tracking him down. On the way, Zak runs into Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a down-on-his-luck crab trapper, who is on the run from trouble. Tyler becomes Zak’s unlikely friend and coach as the two make their way down the Carolina Outer Banks. Together, Tyler helps Zak achieve his dream as a wrestler named, “The Peanut Butter Falcon.”
(07/15/19 5:30pm)
by Daniel O’Connell
Director Ari Aster has recently proved to be an up-and-coming horror master. Starting out with short films The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (2011) and Munchausen (2013), he rose to prominence last year with his feature-length debut, Hereditary. It received a great deal of critical acclaim, with special praise going to lead actress Toni Collette’s performance. The film stood out for being a slow-burning, atmospheric horror akin to The Shining or Rosemary’s Baby, featuring personable themes about mental illness and family. Many consider Hereditary to be one of the best horror movies of 2018, if not if the decade. Now, Aster brings his second feature film, with the summertime folk horror Midsommar.
The film follows Dani Ardor (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor), a couple whose relationship is on the verge of falling apart. When Dani’s bipolar sister kills her family and commits suicide, the tragedy prevents the couple from separating. The following summer, Dani goes along with Christian and his friends Mark (Will Poulter) and Josh (William Jackson Harper) when they are invited by their friend Pelle (Vilhem Blomgren) to visit his home, the Swedish commune of Harga. There, the commune’s midsummer celebration, which happens only once every 90 years, is about to occur. However, their summer vacation slowly takes a turn for the sinister when the inhabitants invite the group to take part in their festivities. This leads into a chain of increasingly disturbing and haunting events set in an eternally sunny land, all conducted by a pagan cult.
(06/27/19 4:00pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
The zombie genre has been one of the more popular subgenres of horror since its genesis with 1968’s Night of the Living Dead. Starting in the 2010s, there was a resurgence in popularity with the zombie genre, thanks to shows like The Walking Dead. However, the zombie genre has dimmed again in recent years thanks to the overabundance and of zombie media. People have gotten sick of tired of the same tropes in only slightly different packages and just want the genre to stay dead for good. Independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (director of Stranger than Paradise, Down by Law, and Only Lovers Left Alive) has decided to challenge the stale zombie genre with his new comedy, The Dead Don’t Die.
(06/10/19 9:38pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Ever since he graced the silver screen back in 1954, Godzilla has become one of the most endearing icons of cinema. Having appeared in over 30 films, he has recently been appearing in American films as a part of Legendary Pictures’ Monsterverse. With the previous films in the series being both critical and financial successes, the latest installment has finally arrived with Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and it brings us a glorious clash of titans.
(05/29/19 4:00pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Back in 2014, veteran stuntmen David Leitch and Chad Stahelski collaborated together and directed John Wick. It starred Keanu Reeves as a deadly and highly skilled assassin who comes out of retirement to get revenge on the men who killed his dog. The film was both a financial and critical success and went on to become a sleeper hit. It revived Reeves’ career, as well as being the shot in the arm that the action genre needed. The film got a sequel in 2017, which was just as successful as its predecessor. Now, Reeves and Stahelski team up once again to bring the third movie in the John Wick series, to bring more adrenaline pumping, pulse-pounding action.
(05/27/19 6:00pm)
by Daniel O’Connell
In 2010, id Software, the video game studio behind classic first-person shooters such as Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein, released Rage. While the game received praise for its combat mechanics, it was criticized for being bland and uninspired with its story and setting, which took elements from games such as Fallout and did nothing new with them. As time went on, Rage was forgotten about and dismissed as a footnote in id Software’s history. Since then, the studio has undergone a resurgence of popularity with their reboots of Doom and Wolfenstein. With this newfound success, they decided to give Rage a sequel. Partnering with Avalanche Studios, the developers behind the vastly underrated Mad Max game, id Software developed Rage 2, which has proven to be a fun, chaotic experience.
(04/03/19 10:03pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
The developers at FromSoftware have made a name for themselves by creating the Soulsborne games. Consisting of the Dark Souls trilogy and Bloodborne, these games are notorious for their difficult gameplay. While this has turned off a lot of gamers, it also garnered a loyal fanbase. With the release of the last Dark Souls game back in 2016, fans of FromSoftware eagerly awaited what game the company would release next. With that game now finally released, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice proves to be another success for FromSoftware.
(03/26/19 3:19pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Throughout his career, Argentine-French director Gaspar Noé has made a name for himself as a stylistic yet provocative filmmaker. His films are technically impressive, featuring excellent cinematography, and are visually mesmerizing to watch. However, this is contrasted by his use of disturbing graphic violence and sexual content. Noé’s body of work contains films such as Irreversible and Enter the Void, with the former causing walkouts at the Cannes Film Festival. With his latest film, Climax, Noé once again brings beautiful visuals and violent imagery with this arthouse take on a dance movie.
(03/13/19 2:00pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Ever since 2005, playwright turned filmmaker Tyler Perry has been making films about Mabel “Madea” Simmons, a sassy old black woman who often gives wise advice. In the vein of Big Momma’s House or The Nutty Professor, Perry has played the role of Madea, dressing up in make-up, and performing multiple different characters. Having made over 11 films featuring Madea, the films have been a commercial success and have certainly found their audience. On the flip side, they have been critically panned. Famed black director Spike Lee has derided the films, equating them as the modern equivalent of a minstrel show. With this film being announced as the last of the Madea films, Tyler Perry does not end these films with a bang. He ends them with a very quiet whimper.
(03/04/19 12:00pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Disclaimer: This review is of the Xbox One version of the game. This review may contain spoilers for the previous Metro games.
Back in 2010, the developers of the cult hit S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl released Metro 2033, a first-person survival horror game based on the novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. It took place in the ruins of Moscow after a nuclear war, where the survivors live in the underground metro tunnels. It followed Artyom, a young man who must save his home from the forces that threaten it. While criticized for its poor technical aspects in bugs and graphical issues, it received praise for its engaging plot and its horror elements, namely its claustrophobic and oppressive atmosphere. The game gained a devoted fanbase, and a sequel — Metro: Last Light, followed in 2013. Now, 4A Games takes Metro out of the tunnels and into the open world with Metro Exodus.
(02/11/19 7:35pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Writer-Director Dan Gilroy got his start in the business by writing scripts, most notably for films such as The Fall, Real Steel, and The Bourne Legacy. He then made his directorial debut in 2014 with Nightcrawler, a thriller that serves as a critique of late night news. The film was a blend of Network and American Psycho and received acclaim from both critics and audiences alike. After directing the legal drama Roman J. Israel, Esq., Gilroy returns to his directing roots with Velvet Buzzsaw, a film focusing on the world of art. With this work, Gilroy delivers a stylish, terrifying film.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f3vmtINZek[/embed]
(02/04/19 8:08pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
In the past few years, the Netflix Original movie has risen to prominence as a way for some studios to distribute their movies. And what kind of movies one gets wildly varies. Some are critically-acclaimed works such as Mudbound or Roma. Others are tense thrillers such as Hold the Dark. And others are straight up dreck such as The Ridiculous Six. At first glance, Polar looked like it would be one of the more interesting Netflix movies. It’s based on the webcomic of the same name, which took inspiration in its style from films such as Le Samourai and Point Blank. The comic presented itself without dialogue or speech balloons, along with a minimalist color scheme. All of these elements together make for a promising film that could break the mold of the typical Netflix Original movie. However, the result is a movie that is a complete let down.
(01/07/19 6:14pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
(11/12/18 9:04pm)
By Daniel O’Connell
Warning: The following review contains spoilers for Suspiria
Back in 1978, Italian horror director Dario Argento released Suspiria, a supernatural horror film that followed Susie Bannion, an American ballet student who transfers to Germany to study at a prestigious dance academy. However, after a series of brutal murders, she soon discovers that the academy is a haven for a coven of witches. Critics and audiences alike proclaimed the film as Argento’s best work. Particular praise went to its haunting, ominous atmosphere, its use of vibrant, saturated colors to enhance said atmosphere, and its memorable, enchanting soundtrack by the Italian progressive rock band Goblin. For years, the idea of a remake lingered around, with David Gordon Green rumored to direct. However, Italian director Luca Guadagnino (director of the critically acclaimed Call Me By Your Name) finally got the project off the ground. Rather than being a remake in the traditional sense, Guadagnino claims that the film is more of an homage to the feelings he had while watching the original film for the first time. And what he delivers is one hell of an experience.