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TrippingABlindMan
Reviews
Hellraiser: Judgment (2018)
A step in the right direction, flaws and all.
The Hellraiser series nosedived with the previous entry, Revelations. Honestly, no one can tell me there is any value to that film, outside of some good gore gags and makeup. So, the fans lost all confidence when a new entry, Judgment, was put into production. But Gary Tunnicliffe, a Hellraiser series mainstay, promised us something good and made with care.
Well, Judgment suffers from one thing: a tiny budget. And what I imagine was a rushed filming schedule. Which is too bad because Judgment is a big improvement and a unique entry into the Hellraiser series. Lots of gore, surreal imagery, and yes, Pinhead does his thing. Paul Taylor is a solid Pinhead- no Doug Bradley, but who is? Is Mr. Taylor is in for the long haul, then so am I.
The plot is basically a take on Se7en set in Oklahoma City. Nothing mindblowing mind you, and there is a twist which I will not reveal. But fro a technical standpoint Judgment is well made. Good effects, acting from all involved, and the plot is interesting. There is one bad performance, from the girl who plays what I think was an angel. You'll see what I mean.
Still, Hellraiser fans, don't despair. It's really not all that bad.
Children of the Corn: Runaway (2018)
Competently made, goes nowhere.
Here we are at Children of the Corn 9: Runaway. As a franchise, this series is a complete mess, with no sense of continuity, canon, or anything remotely interesting to keep viewers coming back. And if you are a fan, it must be crappy to see the powerful filmmakers constantly churning out crap with zero care. Parts 5 through 8 were made with little regard for anything, or anyone. And as if the last entry Genesis wasn't insultingly vague enough, we come to Runaway.
The good: this film is much more competently made and acted than most of the entries in this series, especially the cheap Genesis. Shot composition, lighting, music, performances, surprisingly top notch. There is some slightly cheap CGI but nothing that looks like total crap, just the low budget showing. You came for gore? You'll be happy to know there is quite a bit of blood in this film.
The bad: Starts off boring and kind of slow, and you wonder, where is this going?
The ugly: you then realise, it's going nowhere.
The plot concerns a young mother and her son. The mother, ably played by the pretty Marci Miller, belonged to the corn cult in Nebraska some time ago, but set fire to the corn and killed all of the kids and vanished. Since then, she's been a drifter with her son. She settles in the town of Luther, OK., gains a job as a mechanic, and tries to live her life with her son as normally as one can. However, the locals act strange and hostile, she sees visions of demonic kids (specifically an ethereal looking girl in a yellow dress), and random murders happen. Her boss, who initially takes pity on her, apparently only wants something else. And she kind of befriends a local waitress who acts a little too friendly. Don't worry, this doesn't add to much, despite all of this being the setup.
As I said, this movie goes nowhere. There is no satisfying pay off, no climax. The plot starts off straightforward, boring... but straightforward... there is the odd gore scene sprinkled here and there... then it comes to a "what?" conclusion.
It's more connected to the saga than the last few entries. Lots of mentions of Gatlin, He Who Walks Behind The Rows. The scenes in the cornfield are splendid and feel right. Too bad they don't happen more often. There are some stylish moments here and there (including a scene that I can only conclude is a modern take on the diner massacre from part 1), and as mentioned, the acting is all credible. The gore is good, nothing special though. But what the hell is it all for?
In short, this films makes zero sense.
Overall, it's a waste. You can have a well shot and well acted film, but when you have no plot, it doesn't added to anything.
For the curious only.
The Shelter (2015)
Clumsy, but atmospheric slow burn with a great lead performance
*Potential Spoilers*
The Shelter is the feature directing debut from John Fallon and stars Michael Paré of Eddie and the Cruisers fame. It tells the story of a troubled homeless vagrant named Thomas Jacob (Paré), who while wandering the streets of the city drinking alcohol one night, finds shelter in a beautiful empty house. Believing he has struck gold, he finds food, booze, television, and a nice a place to sleep for the night. But something else, something potentially supernatural (or is it religious?) is at work here, forcing Thomas to confront his inner demons in said house. This is a very low budget feature and it shows. Some of the acting is a little on the amateur side and some of the cinematography is a little on the cheap side, emphasis on some. The story is slightly confusing and the film is definitely a slow burn with an artsy slant- so if that's not your scene, you may not dig this film at all. And, to be frank, the opening sex scene initially made me chuckle and the ending did not do it for me for the most part... however credit must be given where it's due: Paré, pro that he is, turns in a genuinely excellent performance here, he was absolutely on point, same with the actress who played his wife (that "are you cheating on me?" scene, damn!). The film has plenty of atmosphere to burn and director John should be given credit for that, some nice mood lighting and shots, there were times I felt lost in the atmosphere which is a big plus. The plot direction was interesting as Thomas was a well developed character, and there were some great scenes spread through, my favorite being the fall from the window, into the water shot; very nice transition. Though the plot eventually didn't end on the right note IMO, and some of the low budget seeped through into the film (whether via acting, some of the VFX, etc.), at the end, I can still say the film showcases major potential for the director. Can't say I loved it, it was inconsistent to be fair... but it has something memorable to it, and as mentioned Paré carries the film well. It also has a short run time at 75 minutes, so it was a painless watch. Overall, you take pleasures where you can get them, and The Shelter has a few to offer. The director has a promising future ahead, and here's hoping Paré shows up in his next film as he was great. *PROS: Some excellent shots, moody atmosphere, interesting lead character, Michael Paré was terrific* CONS: Some awkwardly filmed scenes, a few of the other actors were not so great, disappointing ending, some clumsy dialogue mixed with awesome dialogue* OVERALL 6/10
WolfCop (2014)
Awful, in every respect
As someone who enjoyed the wonderful b-level horror and action films of the glorious heydays of the 80s and 90s, I was rather looking forward to this werewolf themed cop film. First, it should be noted this movie was (sort of) crowdfunded... Cineplex is the main theatre chain in Canada, and they offered an online contest for amateur filmmakers to submit a short trailer. The prize? A million dollar budget and theatrical distribution (limited. I only found a screening in downtown Toronto).
The million dollars is certainly on the screen. The FX are pretty good. Like gore? Like monster FX? You'll get your fix. But the rest of this movie stunk. It stinks! Just awful, putrid filmmaking. The fact that this film was the winner of this contest is borderline infuriating. Were there not better plots/films to pick from? Who knows, but I mean gawd... I recognized Jonathan Cherry from that other piece of dreck House of the Dead. Okay actor, but man he gets stuck in bad films. Leo Fafard is the lead, he deserves better than this. I mean, for Christ's sake his character's name is Lou Garou. That a pun, because in francais, loup garoup means werewolf. GET IT! Such is the "genius" comedic writing of this film, which strives to be funny and action packed. It's just lame. There's a better film from the 90s with the exact same plot called Full Eclipse. Watch that one instead. This was weak sauce.
Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
Terrible. Just terrible. Save your time.
Revelations is unquestionably the worst of the franchise. I've always had a soft spot for the Hellraiser series, even the series' most hated entries like Inferno and Hellworld are still professionally made and entertaining horror films. Revelations, however, is horribly amateurish. I won't lie, I was secretly rooting for this film. I hoped, despite the short schedule and re-cast Pinhead, it would still be good or at least a worthwhile entry into the series.
This movie is a joke. The cast is hilariously bad, with the exception of Steven Brand who gives a decent show. Nick Eversman is the extreme on-and-off type- sometimes he's good, other times, oh my lord... and the new Pinhead, well, yeah he was obviously not going to be Doug Bradley but no one could imagine the crap this guy pulls. He's worst then a fan film Pinhead
The story had potential, but it's full of obvious holes. The acting sucks. The script sucks. The gore effects- well those are good. The production values suck- example, an Asian hooker with a California valley girl accent is supposed to be Mexican hooker. Right. This is basically someone taking a dump on the Hellraiser franchise and releasing it on DVD.
This is inexcusably bad. Don't bother.
Children of the Corn: Genesis (2011)
Good first half, flies off the rails in the last act
Children of the Corn... what a bizarre franchise. The first 3 followed a set storyline, and the rest (aside from 6) were just their own stories ala Halloween 3, sometimes with very minor mentions of previous entries. 'Genesis', the 8th film in the series, is quite good for the first half. Intriguing storyline involving a couple's car breaking down in the California desert, and they seek refuge from a weird preacher and his hottie Ukrainian wife. There's a child locked up in a shed behind the house, and it seems like a bizarre entity doesn't want the couple to leave the Preacher's house. For the first 40 minutes or so, the film tells a good, straightforward creepy story. Acting for the most part is good and credible. But then, things get extremely messy and confusing. Nothing is explained, the last half will have you scratching your head. Should I mention the horrible stock footage car crash? Yeah, that was hilariously bad, and makes a film that did a good effort of covering its' low production values for the whole film look EXTREMELY cheap. Good start, messy and confusing middle, horrible conclusion.