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Bad Moon (1996)
He's Just Trying To Be A Good Boy!
This is going to seem like a total fangirl review but I don't care because I LOVE this film. I'd seen it when I was much younger and probably a couple times since and I'm still learning about it!
I just finished rewatching one of my all time favorite werewolf movies, Bad Moon. This film came out in 1996 and was directed by Eric Red. It starred Michael Pare, Mariel Hemingway and Mason Gamble of Dennis the Menace fame. But, I think we can all agree that Primo (R. I. P) the dog who played Thor, was the real star.
Before I talk about my favorite things about this film, I want to briefly mention some of it's lesser points, they're aren't too many. Yes there are some visible mistakes that are noticeable (the dog's training harness) as well as some mistakes in dialogue but in my opinion it doesn't distract from the heart of the film, which I believe is meant to be, family. No film is perfect and the few mistakes are easy to overlook. I digress.
The thing that was most enjoyable about this film was the relationship between Thor and his human family. Apparently this film was based off of a book, a fact I just learned. The book is apparently told from the pov of the dog, Thor. They utilized this in the film but on what I assume is a smaller scale, having not read the book. This dog was well trained. He was the ultimate protector and knew right away that there was something off about Uncle Ted. He spends almost the entire film trying to protect his family, and ultimately succeeds.
This film also utilizes one of my favorite things about creature features and that's, animatronics/stunt work. I appreciate good CGI but for 1996, this was the best option and it worked beautifully in this film. I also just recently found out that the stunt choreographer/guy in the werewolf suit was Ken Kirzinger who also played Jason Voorhees! Very cool to find this out. I also didn't know it was filmed in my home country of Canada, in Vancouver BC. These are just facts that make me love this film even more! I also really appreciated the hard work that went into making the werewolf look so real, it was actually pretty frightening. The human movements just added to the scare factor. I liked the way that Uncle Ted and Thor kept challenging each other (peeing on each other's homes) that was really well done.
In closing, I have to say that the ending was the best with the jump scare and then the realization that everyone (minus poor Uncle Ted) survived and was able to overcome the tragedies.
I highly recommend this classic gem to anyone who is a fan of werewolf movies or just the horror genre in general. It's a solid 10/10 from me.
Rival (2023)
High School Can Be Murder!
I just finished watching the indie horror film, Rival. It's about a disturbed young man who goes on a killing spree in his small hometown. We find out that he snapped after the murder of his twin brother. The killer's identity was revealed almost right from the beginning or so we think...
Almost immediately I noticed elements similar to the Scream franchise (character named Gale, black & white mask) but to be fair it's hard to be original nowadays! Almost everything's been done time and time again.
For me what set this film apart was that the teenagers actually looked like teenagers with emotional struggles, high school drama and visible acne! It made it more believable that the cast didn't all look like supermodels. The acting was believable but not amazing. I liked the character of Taylor (I felt sympathy for her, she seemed troubled) but was sad to see her demise at the hands of the killer/her boyfriend. Most of the characters were likable, especially Taylor, the lead and her girlfriend.
There is a bit of a plot twist towards the end of the film that was good but not entirely original. I'd recommend Rival to anyone who is a fan of indie films made with unknown actors. Wouldn't call it a hidden gem but it was worth a watch! 8/10.
Play Dead (2022)
Liver alone, she's just trying to help her brother!
I just finished watching Play Dead. A, what I'd call a psychological/body horror film, directed by Patrick Lussier. The film starred a grown up Bailee Madison (seems like just yesterday we were watching her as a kid on the big screen), whose performance I thoroughly enjoyed. She's come a long way in terms of acting talent. Jerry O'Connell was in the film too as the sadistic Coroner; was really cool to see him in this type of role. He's still got it, he looks great. His character was a stone cold killer but let's just say that he definitely gets his comeuppance. That Jason Voorhees-esque face mutilation was really well done. The dog was a great actor too! I enjoyed the atmosphere and lighting of the film as well. 90% of the film takes place in a morgue basement. It wasn't one of those annoying "darker themed" films where it's literally too dark to see. I enjoyed this film a lot because of its stellar cast and original screenplay, highly recommend!
Beaten to Death (2022)
Poor Jack! He made a BIG mistake.
Beaten To Death is a 2022 Australian horror film directed by Sam Curtain. This film was unrelenting in its violent and gory visuals. It's about a man and his wife named Rachel, who are struggling financially. They come up with a risky plan to start selling drugs. Through a friend, they track down a man who they think can help them buy purchasing their first batch of drugs from him. Unfortunately for them, he is very untrusting of others and is mentally unstable. He thinks they'll snitch on him so he snaps and beats Jack almost to death and Rachel is killed in an accident when she is pushed, hitting her head. This is where the main premise for the film starts. Jack gets the upper hand momentarily and ends up killing the man in self defense, setting off a terrifying chain of events. He escapes to go find help. He unknowingly leads himself to the man's older brother who proceeds to spend the better half of the film beating and torturing Jack. He crudely removes Jack's eyes and even makes him dig a grave for him and Rachel.
Even though it was a very violent and bloody film, I think it was necessary in telling this type of story. People will do crazy things when they are in pain and grieving. The film deals with several different topics, the main one being dealing with the loss of a loved one. It also explores the ideas of feeling completely lost and wanting to give up/die but also having the will to survive, despite everything.
It hits very heavy at times but has a nice counter balance in the score and cinematography. The film features a lot of softer vocal stylings when heavy metal would have worked just as effectively. The story takes place in Tasmania so we get to see a lot of sweeping and vast landscapes that are pleasant to see even though they feature a bloodied and blinded man running desperately through them. Don't even get me started on that dog!
The ending of the film was something that wasn't entirely original (the dream sequence) but it was so bloody and raw in its approach that it leaves the viewer feeling completely gutted, pun intended. 9/10 would recommend.
Gau ji (2004)
I'll take my wrinkles, thanks!
I first saw Fruit Chan's Dumplings as a short in one of the Three Extreme films and was happy to see it get made into a full length feature film. The thing I liked most about this film was how daring it was. There's no way it would be able to be made today without being boycotted or cancelled. It was a very controversial film.
The film's plot centers around a seemingly young woman known as Aunt Mei. Aunt Mei has developed a secret and successful anti aging formula in the form of meat dumplings. The main ingredient? Aborted human fetuses. She obtains the fetuses from shady doctors.
The main selling points of this film were the richly told storyline, the fantastic and believable acting and the use of realistic gore (the young girl's abortion). The two female leads were very enjoyable to watch. Bai Ling is great! I remember seeing her in The Crow when I was younger. Her and Miriam Chin-Wah Yeung really sold their respective roles. Another small thing I wanted to mention and it's not as important but equally as eye-catching were the sex scenes. Even though they dealt with infidelity, they were very hot and extremely well done.
I don't have anything bad to say about this film except that maybe a sequel would've been nice to experience!
The Cursed (2010)
Mandylor brothers for the win...kind of.
There's really not much to say about the low budget film, The Cursed other than that it was...okay. I watched it for Costas Mandylor because I loved him in the Saw films but they killed him off about twenty minutes into the story and to be honest, I lost interest after that. The Mandylor brothers are extremely attractive and talented actors and even they couldn't save this movie! The lead is uninteresting and the old blind guy was simply laughable.
Some positive points? The monster was kinda cool and there was a hot librarian, a real girl next door type. That's pretty much it! It was good for a laugh, I got it playing in the background while I'm doing other things.
Great White (2021)
Oh look! ANOTHER shark movie...
To start off I'll say two things: I love movies and I love sharks. A good shark movie is hard to find though, especially in recent years. Great White is no exception.
This film was formulaic in that it uses the same boring shark tropes time and time again, the ever feared Great White!!! Frankly, yes this shark may be one of the larger ocean predators but you'd be worse off with a tiger or bull shark because of their more often than not nasty temperaments but I digress. This is just one example of how the film suffers. Another thing for me that made me sleepy at times was the lack of action and excitement. We saw a LOT of paddling. Those are the main reasons for me as to why I didn't really like this movie, shark inaccuracies aside (sharks don't eat people and Great Whites rarely hunt in shallow waters).
Now, onto some positive points...The cinematography was pretty good, I liked the scenic shots as well as some of the overheads. The acting was impressive for such a film. One of my main reasons for seeing the film was for Katrina Bowden. I enjoy her acting and like her in everything I've ever seen her in. Her and Aaron Jakubenko had good chemistry as well as her and Kimie Tsukakoshi, towards the end. I also really liked how the only two survivors were both of the women. That was awesome! The sharks looked decent as well, not heavily CGI'd.
In closing I would say that this isn't a film I'd recommend to people just because you could explain the plot in just a few sentences. I'll file this under yet another mediocre shark film.