Evil Dead (2013): Review

Back in 1981, director Sam Raimi single-handedly introduced the 'cabin-in-the-woods' sub-genre of movie to the world with his cult horror film The Evil Dead. It was very violent for its time and has become something of a phenomenon, amassing a huge collection of avid fans who adore the original and it's two sequels. Now in 2013, Hollywood has decided to do what it has done with almost every classic horror movie and deliver us a remake, by the name of Evil Dead, but surprisingly, it is a remake which is just as enjoyable as it's origin, possibly even surpassing it.

Evil Dead tells the story of five friends who all go to a cabin in the woods in order for one of them to break her drug addiction by going "cold turkey", with the others being there for moral support and to keep her in the cabin until they feel it is time to leave. The girl, named Mia (Jane Levy), soon begins to see terrifying visions, but the others put it down to her previous addictions haunting her. They find a book in the basement however, which is bound with barbed wire and covered in human skin, and once Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) reads it, things soon go terribly wrong, and the remaining characters soon suspect that Mia's current state may not be entirely down to her drug-related past.

Mia (Jane Levy)

The story may not sound hugely original, but bear in mind that it was the first of it's kind, with many attempts at recreating the now iconic movie rarely succeeding in reaching it's originality and clever blend of humour with terror. This new reboot / remake lacks the comedic elements of the original movie, and instead replaces them with intense amounts of gore. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Evil Dead is easily the most violent and gory film I have seen, with gruesome sound effects adding to the sinister and demonic tone. And I have to say, I loved every minute of it.

You have to know when getting into Evil Dead that it is going to be a gory movie. If you go in expecting an average horror movie, you will no doubt be rather surprised at how quickly the movie proves you wrong. With the opening scene setting the mood exceptionally well with a human sacrifice, the film then slows so it can introduce the cast of characters who, although not awful, were nothing special or memorable. But that doesn't matter, because lets be honest, from the get-go you know that few of them will be alive by the end of the movie, and that's all they're there for. 

Fans of The Evil Dead may despise this remake / reboot for shunning the comedic tone the original loosely had, or not bringing back legendary Bruce Campbell from Raimi's classic, but others (like myself) will love it for it's dedication to the use of practical effects like the 1981 icon had. Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi were also producers on this movie, and you can really recognise that when there are certain similarities such as the now famous camera shot where the camera zooms through the woods following particular characters. 

Verdict
Many resent horror film remakes due to their frequent disregard of the original and it's impact it had on culture, but I have to say that Evil Dead was everything I hoped it would be. It was gory, dark and extremely entertaining, despite being difficult to watch at times. Although not particularly scary or sinister, I found it to be an overall great horror movie which fans of the originals and horror fans in general should love. (There's also a very short cameo after the credits which will have many fans jumping for joy). 8.5/10

"You have...to get me....out of here."

Kick-Ass 2: Review

Kick-Ass 2 is set a few years after the events that took place in the first Kick-Ass movie, and after Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) proved to everybody that it isn't impossible to be a superhero, many more random civilians have been dressing up in outlandish costumes in order to fight crime. The story picks up when Dave Lizweski (the real identity of Kick-Ass) and Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace Moretz) are attempting to live normal teenage lives, occasionally fighting crime as Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl, respectively. Mindy is soon forbidden to continue doing so however, by her new guardian Marcus (Morris Chestnut), while Kick-Ass discovers a group of heroes led by the righteous Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey). Everything changes however when a vengeful Chris D'Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) from the first movie decides to become the world's first super-villain, wearing a gimp suit and calling himself "The Mother-F**ker".

Now, this may be quite a long synopsis of the plot in Kick-Ass 2, but that's because the story is, although occasionally predictable, fairly interesting and detailed. Certain scenes focus on Mindy's battle with separating her crime fighting life with her everyday, mundane life, and these are certainly a nice spin on such a stereotypical feature of comic book movies. Her scenes in which she is Hit-Girl however, are amongst the best in the movie, just like the original. 

The Mother-F**ker (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)

Now, surely the name of the villain as "The Mother-F**ker" alone is a guide as to what the tone of the movie is. Kick-Ass 2 rarely takes itself too seriously, and in my opinion the scenes which try to depict drama work very well, despite not always being spot-on. I was surprised at how much I liked the newly introduced characters aswell, especially Jim Carrey's role, as I have never been a huge fan of Carrey, but Colonel Stars and Stripes is easily one of the most enjoyable parts of the film, and that is no bad thing. 

My only real negative about Kick-Ass 2 is that it wraps up rather quickly. There are a few intense fight-scenes and then the movie just ends, with a few quick fixes to jump over plot issues. Also, Kick-Ass 2 relies heavily on the first film in the sense that I can't imagine understanding a lot of the storyline if you haven't seen the original, something which may drive away newcomers to these hugely entertaining movies. 

Verdict
I find it difficult not to recommend Kick-Ass 2. It's funny, violent, action-packed and at times dramatic. Sometimes the humour is a little slapstick and the script is cringe-worthy, but I really enjoyed it as a fun comic book sequel, and sincerely hope there is a third. 8.5/10

"I try to have fun, otherwise, what's the point?"

Lawless: Review

Lawless tells the story of the Bondurant rothers, three men who, during the depression era in America, are in the bootlegging business. They make illegal moonshine and are allowed to do so by the local authorities who take a cut of their profits, but the established business is halted once a violent, hateful deputy by the name of Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) comes into town and tries to bring down the illegal activities fronted by the intimidating Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy). 

I'm just going to come out and say it now: Tom Hardy is the best part of this movie. That's not to say all the other accomplished actors such as Shia LaBeouf and Jason Clarke (who play Jack and Howard Bodurant, respectively) are a let-down, but Tom Hardy steals any scene he is in, despite rarely saying much. In fact when he does speak his American accent is often very difficult to interpret as it becomes increasingly gruff, but it's difficult to dislike Lawless solely due to the fact that Tom Hardy plays such an entertaining role as the most intimidating and powerful of the brothers. 

Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy)

Initially I thought Lawless was a Western of some sorts due to the name, but it was fun to watch a movie that focused on those involved in the moonshine business during the prohibition era in America, especially with such a vast array of acting talent. As previously mentioned, Guy Pearce who is also in films such as Iron Man 3 or Memento plays arguably the most hated character in the movie, and plays him to such a sinister degree. Gary Oldman also features as gangster Floyd Banner, but only has around 10 minutes of screen-time, which in my opinion was a huge mistake as his character seemed genuinely interesting and could have been utilized a lot more. 

Verdict
Lawless isn't going to be amongst the best movies I have ever seen, but it is certainly entertaining when it picks up. Everybody who took part acted to a believable and entertaining standard, and I was surprised at how enjoyable it was to watch Shia LaBeouf begin as the weakest of the three Bodurant brothers but change drastically over the course of the movie. The violence featured is at times a little grotesque, but for a movie with an 18 certificate you cannot expect anything else.    7.8/10

"I'm a Bondurant. We don't lay down for nobody."

Oldboy: Review

Oldboy is a Korean movie which tells the story of Oh Dae-Su (Min-Sik Choi), a man who is a fairly stereotypical businessman until he is kidnapped and held prisoner in a room which becomes his home for 15 years. For fifth-teen years Dae-Su is given small meals, drugged frequently and left to watch television and write a diary, in which he writes about everybody he has ever wronged in his life in order to attempt to gain a perspective on whom exactly placed him in this small jail-like room. After 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is released, and soon meets a woman who works in a sushi restaurant by the name of Mi-do (Hye-jeong Kang). Mi-do takes Oh Dae-Su back to her apartment after he falls unconscious, and Oh Dae-Su soon begins trying to find his captor so he can exact his revenge. 

I think what I liked most about Oldboy was the character of Dae-Su and how his fifth-teen years held captive truly changed him, making him an aggressive and far more cynical shadow of his former self shown briefly at the beginning. This aggressive side to the character was portrayed through the several intense fight-sequences, which were excellently choreographed and huge amounts of fun to watch, although at times very brutal. I think that sums up a lot of the movie really, in that it's a very interesting and entertaining experience, but littered with several difficult-to-watch scenes which will stick in your mind a while after viewing. The violence is always justified however, often through the intent of vengeance.

Oh Dae-Su (Min-Sik Choi)

One thing to know is that as the film is Korean, all of the dialogue is in Korean (unless you are watching a dubbed version), meaning a lot of subtitle reading is required. I personally don't have a problem with this, as it adds to the experience for me to hear the characters speaking in the appropriate language, but it may immediately put people off to know this is a foreign movie. I would argue that it would be wrong for it not to be Korean however, and with such negative reception to the news that an American remake is set to release this year, it seems many Oldboy fans agree with me. 

My only main criticism of Oldboy is that the length of time Dae-Su was held captive (15 years) seems a fraction of the actual time when portrayed on-screen. Obviously it would be impossible to properly convey exactly how long it felt through a movie, but a longer period of time could have been spent to allow the viewer to properly empathize with the character of Dae-Su. 

Verdict
Oldboy is an original and interesting story of vengeance, filled with twists and unexpected turns. Although the language barrier may put some people off, I would urge anybody who can handle the (at times) intense violence to watch it, especially if you are a fan of heavily stylised movies.    8/10

"Laugh and the world laughs with you.

Weep and you weep alone."

Censorship in entertainment

Having just finished watching 'South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut' for the fifth or sixth time, I now understand a lot more about the message the movie is trying to portray than I did after viewing it when I was younger. The film focuses on the characters created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone as they attempt to prevent the execution of 'Terrance and Phillip', two foul mouthed Canadians whom have been blamed for poisoning the minds of the youth, a story not so unfamiliar from things we hear today. 

Nowadays the scapegoat deemed responsible for violent actions carried out by teenagers is video games, a debate which will no doubt be fuelled towards the end of the year following the September release of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V, a game series which is consistently blamed for numerous acts of violence across the world. Even the recent Sandy Hook shooting back in December sparked debates on how Grand Theft Auto was to blame for corrupting the minds of the assailants, leading some figures of authority to suggest a banning on this type of content. 

The highly anticipated crime game 'Grand Theft Auto V'

This brings me to the point I wanted to make. Of course if you deem it fit to blame a form of media such as a video game for current real-life events it is up to you to do so, but as soon as a powerful figure of authority begins suggesting a banning of this media, the story applies to a much larger audience. The proposition of preventing the masses from accessing something such as a video game is ridiculous. It sounds typical, but that is like saying that "guns kill people". Guns do not kill people, whatever you may believe, and it is in fact people who kill people. 

This is not a new topic either. Back in the 80's in the UK, specifically 1984, the 'Video Recording Act' was created. This led to new legislations on how movies were to be censored, and a list of 72 films was created detailing exactly which movies at the time were to be banned in order to prevent such movies getting into the hands of innocent and impressionable children. 

Although it may seem irrelevant, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is an important movie in this debate, because it brings to light how ridiculous censorship really is. Despite being made back in 1999, it is just as relevant today with the focus of controlling distribution shifting from movies to video games. 

This may just seem like a rant, and for the most part it is, but the final point I wanted to vocalise is how it is wrong to place the blame upon people like Trey Parker and Matt Stone for "damaging our youth". The only way to educate and inform the next generation correctly isn't to ban any form of violent or offensive media, neither is it to boycott said media. No, the only way this can happen is through correct parenting, something which seems to have taken a back-seat in favour of aggressive protesting. 

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

Finally, I'd like to add how good South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is as a movie. As mentioned, it satirises censorship in the media to a hilarious degree, and does so in such a successful manner that it prompted me to write this post. Surely by now everybody has seen it, but if you haven't and are a fan of South Park, I urge you to do so. 

The Conjuring: Review

The Conjuring opens to a long, eerie shot of a sinister looking doll, who's name we find out to be Annabelle. A short sequence revolving around this doll introduces us to the protagonists of the movie; real life paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren. Ed & Lorraine travel across the country presenting their work to various universities, alongside visiting people's homes who believe that their house is the site of demonic activity, which is usually dismissed by simple logic. As advertised however, The Conjuring focuses on one case "too disturbing to be told...until now."

After a title sequence that literally made all the hairs on my neck stand up, the Perron family are introduced. Moving into a new home, everything seems normal until strange occurrences make them believe something is awry, and after many disturbances unsettle the family the Mother Carolyn (Lili Taylor) seeks out the Warrens' help. This gives us a fairly average plot on which countless terrifying moments can be built upon. 

It's important to know that The Conjuring doesn't really try do anything new. Numerous 'haunting' movies have been released recently, but none have made me as scared as The Conjuring. Director James Wan (who also directed such films as Saw and Insidious) has such an effective method of shocking audiences with violence and terror, but The Conjuring features almost no gore or violence or foul language, it instead relies on pure fear to make you feel incredibly uneasy. Of course there are a few 'jump-scares' which have become the norm in current horror movies, but there are so many other occasions where a scene is drawn out to a painful level of tension that had me almost hiding behind my hands, all accompanied by a sinister soundtrack which adds huge amounts to the on-screen sequences. 

Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson)

In a horror movie, it is important to care about the protagonists, otherwise we don't fear for their lives when in danger. Luckily then, actors such as Patrick Wilson and Lili Taylor portray their characters to such an exceptional degree that they are so likeable I didn't want anything bad to happen to them, which is a foolish thing to hope for in a movie like this, but something they should be commended for. 

My only real negative with the movie is that towards the end, a lot of things are revealed which may have been more effective if left to the imagination. Maybe it's just me, but I find things to be a lot scarier when a face is not put to whatever it is haunting a family. Small glimpses are caught of the apparition throughout, and in my opinion it should have remained at that. 

Verdict

The Conjuring is not only one of the scariest movies I have seen in recent memory, but it is also one of the best horror movies I have ever seen. It is suspenseful, eerie and at times simply terrifying: everything a horror movie should be. It may not be for everybody, but if you're a fan of scary films, definitely check it out.  9/10

"The Devil exists. God exists. And for us, as people, 

our very destiny hinges on which we choose to follow." 

WALL-E: Review

One of the finest Pixar movies alongside Toy Story, WALL-E tells the story of a lonely clean-up robot whom has inhabited a now abandoned Earth for almost 700 years, making small cubes of waste like a portable trash compactor. In the year 2105, all human life evacuated the planet after waste became too much of an issue, and many of these robots were left to clean up. Now in the year 2805, WALL-E is the only remaining model of his kind, and has used parts from the other robots to remain functioning. Everything changes when a new robot known as EVE is dropped off on Earth however, who's task is to find any signs of biological life.

I think the really impressive thing about WALL-E is that there is almost no dialogue for the first half of the movie. The characters of WALL-E and EVE portray emotions through the way they say one of a few words, and their general animation. WALL-E's eyes, for example, move independently from his body, so emotions such as happiness or sadness can be portrayed without the need for speech. This makes him one of the most loveable characters Pixar have ever created, as the viewer knows exactly what he is trying to convey solely through the use of clever animation and sound. EVE is similar, although she says a few more words than WALL-E, but both are just as likeable as eachother.

WALL-E

This may not be a positive for everybody though. The lack of consistent dialogue may make WALL-E seem like one of those short animations shown before a feature length movie, but it is far from it. The plot in WALL-E has more depth than many blockbuster movies produced currently, truly standing testament to how talented Pixar are as an animation studio.

My only issue with WALL-E is that the latter section of the movie which takes place in space doesn't have the same appeal and charm as when it was just WALL-E and EVE on Earth, which is due to the inclusion of humans. I know that it was pretty much crucial to the story for this to happen, but I much rather would have preferred the focus to be entirely on these two characters for the entire movie.

Verdict
WALL-E is up there for me with classic Pixar movies such as Toy Story or Monsters Inc. The characters are memorable, the musical score is appropriate and the plot is unique and interesting. It's simply a great way to spend 90 minutes, and one which can be enjoyed by everybody.    8.5/10

"WALL-E!"

The Wolverine: Review

It's been four years since Marvel hero Wolverine had a central role in a film, with 2009's  X-men Origins: Wolverine, which was met with mediocre reviews. This, rather appropriately named, told the origins to the popular mutant hero, providing further depth to his already fleshed-out character. Now, The Wolverine intends to go in the other direction, taking place after the events of the X-men movies, with a severely run-down Logan (Hugh Jackman) being portrayed. Wolverine / Logan is brought back into public attention after an old friend from the Vietnam era gets in contact, seemingly wanting to thank him for saving his life and say goodbye before he passes away. It is soon revealed however, that a now very old Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) intends to receive the powers Wolverine has been cursed with, allowing him to live on indefinitely. Things do not go entirely to plan, and it isn't long before the expected over-the-top fighting and martial arts come into play. 

I won't divulge much more about the plot as in my opinion the trailer gives away far too much already, a sin many films have committed, but it's notable that the storyline is particularly interesting and not simply a device to move from one action scene to the next. The unique setting of Japan also allows for lots of cultural references and locations, which makes a very nice change from the now typical backdrop of a non-specific American megacity. Ninjas also feature in the movie, which can never be a negative. 

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)

As usual, Hugh Jackman presents the popular character of Wolverine to an exceedingly high standard, making it now impossible to imagine any other actor portraying him. The same however, cannot be said for the entire film's cast. The fact almost all of the cast members were of Asian descent made the film feel much more authentic, but their acting talent unfortunately did not. That's not to say everybody was a disappointment, but certain characters such as Yukio (Rila Fukushima), the woman whom tells Wolverine about the dying man's wish, were simply unlike-able, making it difficult to care about what happened to them. Still, I did not go to see The Wolverine expecting Oscar winning performances, so this should not come as a huge surprise. 

Verdict

Overall, The Wolverine is yet another enjoyable yet largely forgettable addition to the X-Men franchise. It's worth seeing if you've been a fan of the other films in the series, or simply if you enjoy superhero movies, but I can't find myself demanding that you have to see it. Simply put, I'd recommend it, but you won't be missing anything if you give it a miss.     7.5/10

"What kind of monster are you?!"

"The Wolverine."