The Gift (Review)

The Gift (Film Review) 2015

The Gift is a 2015 thriller film directed by Joel Edgerton, and starring Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall and Joel Edgerton.

Simon, now married, meets an old classmate, ''Gordo'', in a department store near their newly bought, perfect house. ''Gordo'' begins injecting himself into Robyn and Simon's life, becoming too close for their comfort. 

The Gift is a very beautifully filmed, but slightly unoriginal film. The shots of the very window-heavy home which the couple resides in highlights their lack of privacy, and adds a bright and modern look to the film. There are no complaints about the acting or editing, but the music can be repetitive and basic, with no original-sounding tracks. 

While the plot is engaging and interesting, loopholes were not absent. And again, I felt it wasn't a creative masterpiece, though it was a very high quality thriller, which almost everyone should find enjoyable. The very familiar home-invasion cliché is highly used throughout.

I would recommend The Gift to everyone as a really interesting and fun movie, but it definitely doesn't break any creative boundaries.

I give The Gift 6.5/10.

Rated 15, runtme 108 minutes.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Scream 1-4 (Reviews)

Scream 1-4 (Film Reviews)

''Scream'', 1994, begins the Scream film franchise. It introduces the characters of Sidney and Gale, two characters present through the four films. It is, along with the other three, directed by Wes Craven (The Hills Have Eyes, The Last House on the Left, Nightmare on Elm Street), its stars include Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette.

For those unfamiliar with the Scream film series, the character of Sidney is consistently attacked by a ''ghost-face'', wearing the iconic Scream mask. Friends and colleagues die along the way, leading to an exiting, funny, and satirical group of films.

This film begun the ''What's your favourite movie?'' prank call. The intro is probably one of the best in the history of horror, so I won't go into detail. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is living through the 1 year anniversary of her mother's murder. She begins to receive phone calls from someone who claims to be the perpetrator of her mother's murder. 

The film has some genuine scares, along with over-dramatic gore and ironic jump-scares. Scream can simply be described as very fun, and satirical. Satirical of the horror genre. 

Scream has an interesting plot, great special effects, funny dialogue and over-the-top gore. I have no complaints about the acting, and the editing and music is great, and purposefully over-dramatic. Scream really nails the atmosphere and film they were trying to create.

I give Scream 9/10.

Scream 2

Scream 2's introduction scene.

Scream 2, 1997. 

Following books having been written by the character of Gale on the events of the first film, Scream 2 follows the in-movie parallel to Scream, ''Stab''. Even characters in the film complain and joke about the over-the-top gore and dramatic acting, proving that the franchise really understands the kind of film it is.

The introduction to Scream 2 is of a screening to ''Stab''. While I didn't feel the introduction was as clever as that of Scream, it really nailed the ironic/satirical aspect of the series. 

Sydney Prescott is again tracked by a new ghost-face who is announced in the film's finale. Scream 2 follows a very similar formula to its predecessor, introduction-ghost-face contact-stalking-bloody finale and twist. I felt that Scream 2 does an even better job of spoofing slasher films and their endless sequels, ''sequels are always worse'', but slightly lacks in its originality. Its third act was my favourite sequence in the entire series, with a believable twist and exiting visuals.

I also give Scream 2 8.5/10.

Scream 3

Scream 3, 2000, further spoofs the slasher genre, actually taking place on the film set of the Scream parallel ''Stab''.

I do have to say that I enjoyed Scream 3, but I am attempting to look at these movies as individual films. Scream 3 definitely drops in quality to its predecessors.

The irony of jump-scares and gore feels slightly worn in this sequel. It feels slightly less like a fun

and satirical spoof, and more of an attempt at a serious horror film, although some of those aspects still remain. I did find myself less engaged with this Scream, some of the sequences bored me.

The finale simply wasn't as good as the previous two films, and the introduction was definitely not the film's highlight.

While I wouldn't necessarily say I was disappointed, as I still really enjoyed this entry, but it definitely dropped slightly in film quality, while the enjoyment factor does remain.

I give Scream 3 6.5/10.

SCRE4M

Scream 4 acts as a revival to the series, being made 11 years after Scream 3 (2011). The time-jump is in real-time, and the film really does take place 11 years into the future. 

Along with the original director Wes Craven and the same Sydney Prescott, Emma Roberts also joins the cast to act as the new generation of Scream. ''New Decade. New Rules.''

The film opens with a very amusing introduction. It plays off the ''film within a film'' aspect of the parallel ''Stab'' films, and is ,overall, disturbing.

I felt that Scream 4 captured the new age of horror cinema quite well, along with just being a good general adaption to a new decade.

Consistent with the other films in the franchise, Scream 4 has a mixture of genuine scares, and excessive gore, a spoof of modern horror. 

Similar to Scream 3, it also is not up to the level of Scream 1 or 2 in terms of quality. The enjoyment factor is still present, but the depth of the humour isn't as developed. 

I would also give Scream 4 7/10.

Overall, Scream is probably my favourite horror film franchise. I feel the movies have an extremely high enjoyment factor, along with humour, and the spoofing of the modern horror genre.

Rated 15-18.

Hush (Film Review) 2016

Hush (Film Review)

Hush is a 2016 home-invasion horror film directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Kate Siegel.

Hush follows a very well-known home-invasion formula, but with one major difference, the homeowner is deaf.

I felt that the difference, while impressive, isn't as impressive and risky as some viewers claim. The formula of the film is very, very identical to almost all other films of the genre. I think the film could have taken more of a risk, possibly by muting or muffling sound effects, which the film did not do. I feel that the film did add some elements to the plot which separate it from other home-invasion movies, but not enough in my opinion.

There are no complaints about the acting or scariness aspect, only the basic plot and the sometimes questionable or unrealistic aspects to the actions of the characters.

I have to comment that I definitely enjoyed watching Hush. It is definitely an entertaining movie for anyone to watch in groups around Halloween, or alone. I do admire the deafness aspect of the film, and is probably the first strong deaf character I've ever seen in a film, which is a positive.

I would give Hush 6.5/10.

Rated 15, runtime 87 minutes

Currently streaming on Netflix.

10 Cloverfield Lane (Film Review) 2016

10 Cloverfield Lane (Film Review)

10 Cloverfield Lane is a psychological thriller directed by Dan Trachtenberg (début) starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Goodman.

The film begins with Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) waking up in the bunker of Howard (John Goodman), along with Emmett (John Gallagher). She is told that the outside world has been ravaged by nuclear war and that she must stay inside, but this is the word of a man she has never met before.

The film relies on psychological tension, rather than gore and jump-scares. 10 Cloverfield Lane is probably one of the most tense movies I've seen, I constantly felt on edge.

John Goodman plays a character very different from his tradition comedy roles. Mary Elizabeth Winstead portrays her confusion and conflicting thoughts very well with minimal dialogue which is impressive.

Without spoiling, I was extremely disappointed with the ending sequence. I felt that the writers could have gone with a much more intelligent ending, but I could understand how some viewers could like it.

I give 10 Cloverfield Lane 8/10. 

Rated 15, 106 minutes

The Witch (Film Review) 2016

The VVitch (Film Review)

The Witch (A New-England Folktale) is a 2016 horror film directed by Robert Eggers (debut) and starring Anya-Taylor Joy.

The film's opening scene follows a Puritan family being exiled from their church due to the father's ''pride''. They attempt to form a normal living on their own accord.

One of the film's highlights is its realism. Impressively, the child actors in the film were on-par with the older actors. The dialogue is entirely in old-English, which I found irritating at the beginning, but I realise it definitely added to the realism of the rest of the movie. The film is shot without black borders to allow full viewing of the forest trees. The cinematography is clearly impressive if they were willing to alter the aspect ratio.

The horror in this film, while minimal, is very haunting. Child and animal possession, along with very disturbing imagery is common. The animal trainer should be congratulated for their work with the goats and rabbit. I felt the hold-back on the horror added impact to the very disturbing scenes.

Possibly a commentary on religious and marital pressures put on women, The Witch is a film which will keep you thinking well after the film's conclusion.

I give The Witch 8/10.

Rated 15, runtime 93 minutes

The Lobster (Film Review) 2015

The Lobster (Film Review)

The Lobster is a 2015 comedy-drama directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth), and starring Colin Farell and Rachel Weisz.

The film's concept: all adults who have recently lost a partner through death or divorce are sent to a hotel, where if they do not fall in love within 45 days, they are surgically transformed into an animal of their choosing. ''A lobster's an excellent choice''.

I try not to explain the film's plot when somebody asks. Maybe this ridiculous concept is in reference to how ridiculous forcing someone to fall in love due to common interests is, or even just forcing someone to eventually get married. A comment on the societal pressures put on single adults. There are constant references and reminders to how even numbers are perfect, a couple. There is a further commentary on applying limiting labels and boxes to people, no half-sized shoes, etc.

Collin Farrell and Rachel Weisz, along with the many minor characters, all add to the film greatly. There are no weak actors which I could point out. The screen writing can be fast and witty at times, but I felt the ''quirkiness'' was definitely overdone. The robotic and monotonous speech pattern was generally funny but also overdone.

I have spoken to many people who do not enjoy this film, and I can definitely respect and understand their opinion. The Lobster is not for everyone, with it's strange plot, writing and imagery. It's script is similar to that of a Wes Anderson film, but still remains very dark, and at times disturbing. It is definitely a slow film which is heavily reliant on dialogue (which many people won't even find funny). A very strange film.

I give The Lobster 7.5/10

Rated 15, runtime 120 minutes