BLACK WATER
(David Nerlich & Andrew Traucki, 2008)
BLACK WATER: ABYSS
(Andrew Traucki, 2020)
Aussie croc franchise that thankfully goes for a more realistic approach and keeps its crocs mostly offscreen. The first film follows a man, his pregnant wife, and her sister as they go for a fishing trip in a remote river. After their boat is attacked by a croc, they climb a tree and remain there for most of the film's running time. It has two potent and disquieting moments that have to do with what the croc does to one of the bodies. Even at just 90 minutes, it's runtime feels pushed to the max and repetitive. The sequel suffers a similar fate. That one is a combination of the first film and The Descent, in which a group of friends go spelunking. Once in the cave, it starts flooding due to heavy rain, and they soon find themselves the targets of a crocodile. Some tense moments, but still too many scenes were not much is happening. The second film has a surprise set piece at the end that I wish it had gotten too much faster. GRADES: C+
THE COVENANT
(Renny Harlin, 2006)
Mashup of The Lost Boys and The Craft that goes painstakingly out of its way to not be too witchy. It's a mid aughts horror riff on "No homo, bro!" And like all films from the era, it has that blueish filter. Steven Strait stars as a student at a private school who is descended from a 17th century coven. Known as the Sons of Ipswitch, he is about to turn 18 and his true powers are to be unleashed. Or something. None of it makes much sense and the film is mostly remembered for its parade of twinks. Harlin had definitely lost some of that magic he showed off in the 90's. With Sebastian Stan, Taylor Kitsch, and Chace Crawford. GRADE: D
(Bruce Pittman, 1987)
Amusingly crazy and superior sequel to the 1980 film. Mostly ditching that film's whodunit storyline for a possession tale, the film follows a young woman (Wendy Lyon) becoming inhabited by the twisted spirit of a prom queen (Lisa Schrage) who was killed at the dance thirty years earlier. It doesn't take itself seriously, with memorable characters and fun death sequences. There are apparently two more Prom Night movies, minus the remake, but they are hard to track down. Co-starring Michael Ironside. GRADE: B+
THE INVISIBLE MAN
(Leigh Whannell, 2020)
Why would you cast Oliver Jackson-Cohen if you are just going to make him invisible? Do not deprive us of that sumptuous man candy! That's probably the biggest mistake this new take on the classic tale delivers, thankfully. Elisabeth Moss stars as a woman in hiding from her abusive ex-boyfriend. After news of his suicide, she begins to realize she's still not alone and he's found a way to be invisible. Absolutely a timely approach, the film yields some very tense moments and surprises. And another great turn by Moss, who continues to be one of our best working actresses. Even though Mr. Jackson-Cohen didn't get enough visibility, there is also Aldis Hodge in very tight pants. GRADE: B+
RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE
(Paul W.S. Anderson, 2010)
I had seen the first half of this nearly 10 years ago, and decided to give it a proper viewing since I've seen all of the other films in this franchise. The first three films aren't great, or even particularly good, but they are watchable and entertaining. The last two are pretty damn awful, and this one falls almost between leaning toward the latter. Milla Jovovich returns as Alice, who joins a group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse in a prison in Los Angeles. This was shot using 3D cameras, and it's funny to look back at the picture quality 10 years on. There are shots that are absolutely breathtaking in their detail, but some of it has that obnoxious hyperreal quality. With Ali Larter, Boris Kodjoe, and Wentworth Miller. GRADE: C-
No comments:
Post a Comment