by admin | Jan 23, 2017 | Good Horror Movies, Movies, Reviews |
Abattoir 2016 Quick Review
In Abattoir, an investigative reporter investigates why a good guy one day murders his sisters family. She teams up with a cop and the investigation leads her to learn things she should have left alone.
First, thing that stood out about The Abattoir was the hair and makeup. I know that’s odd for me to say. In the fist scene we meet the the wonderfully talented Jessica Lowndes’ Julia Talben character and her hair and makeup makeup is so 1940’s it just pops out at you. Not that I didn’t like it. It’s just that I think the director was trying to set the tone of those great noir films of the time too hard. In the very next scene we meet a cop played by Joe Anderson and his hat is an obvious throwback to the great fictional detectives of the time. It was just so much that for a moment I was taken out of the film and thought maybe this was set in the 40’s? Then I noticed the desktop top monitor in the background.
As I mentioned, this wasn’t a bad thing and I liked what it was trying to say about the film. It put me in the mood for a good mystery and that’s exactly what I got. Just think it could have been done more subtly. Aside from that there were no other glaring issues.
There was much to like about Abattoir. A solid mystery and ghost story. Solid acting and as usual Dayton Callie was excellent. I have enjoyed his work greatly since his standout role in Deadwood. He has been acting since the early 80’s. He was even episodes of CSI: Miami, The Practice and NYPD Blue. All shows I watched regularly but Deadwood finally gave him something he could really sink his teeth into as an actor. The whole, cast did a wonderful job in telling this story. And, how could not mention Lyn Shaye. Just awesome in everything.
I don’t recall much gore. I am sure there was some at the murder scenes. Nothing gratuitous. The visual effects were another standout. The last 20 minutes or so especially. And, the house. That could not have been more perfect. That design was outstanding. I think that credit goes to Jennifer Spence, the production designer. Fantastic. Makes sense, the work she has done over the years is incredible. Insidious 2, Lights Out, three Paranormal Activity movies to name a few.
Obviously I am recommending you see Abattoir. I didn’t find it to be too scary. But, it was wasn’t really supposed to be. It is however, very interesting, atmospheric and well worth the watching. A good solid mystery that with visually stunning scenery. And a top notch cast. Very well done. The perfect movie for rainy night in.
by admin | Jul 9, 2016 | Good Horror Movies, Movies, Reviews |
The Other Side of the Door 2016 Quick Review
The Other Side of the Door is about a young couple living in India and trying to come to terms with the loss of a child. The mother feels terrible guilt over the loss of her son and is told of an ancient ritual that will allow her to talk to her son one last time to say goodbye. But, there are rules that must be followed and in a moment of desperation she breaks the rules causing a disturbance between the boundaries of life and death.
I have to admit that I put off watching this for a while because of the preview. The preview shows a character being told the rules to follow and of course the first thing they do is not follow the rules. The second that happens it takes me out of the moment and I feel they deserve every bad thing that’s going to happen to them. Very rarely can a character break the rules and still have me interested in the story.
If the rules are going to be broken then I have to understand why the character ignored the rules. It has to make sense to me. I have to sit there and think, “would have done or can I understand why they did it and accept it?” 9 times out of 10 a character will ignore the rules for no other reason than they are an idiot. That’s usually a sign of bad writing. However, in The Other Side of the Door, they didn’t do that. I understand why made the lead character did what she did and I have to admit that there was a part of me that wondered if I too would have done the same thing. This moment in the film was so well done and believable. You have nothing but compassion for this person.
There are so many things to like about The Other Side of the Door. The acting, the story, the scenery I could go on and on. I supposed what I liked the most about it was the ending. I won’t ruin it for you. I will just say that as the movie was coming to an end I was feeling disappointed in it. The entire film was interesting and had a wonderful eerie feel to it but it appeared they were going to blow the ending and it was starting to feel the disappointment. Then, it did something that was just perfect. I’m not saying it’s a happy ending or a sad ending I am just saying it’s good, “Whoa!” ending.
Who will like this movie? Adults, mature teens, people with a good amount of life experience. I doubt very much shallow people will be able to appreciate it. If you’re looking for boobs and gore I’d skip this one. But, if you want a movie with a good story, suspense with a couple of scares thrown in, I think you will really enjoy The Other Side of the Door.
by admin | Jan 25, 2015 | Lists, Media Rants, Rants
Do Supernatural Horror Movies Scare Atheists?
While surfing the net looking for something new in the world of horror I found this article on the Huffington Post “Do Atheists Get Scared During Supernatural Horror Movies?” by Robert Frost. My first thought was, what kinda of idiot would actually stop and wonder that? What level of moronic reason ran through a person’s head that made them ask such a stupid question. The author of the article, Robert Frost didn’t come up with the question. He just chose to answer it. It was asked by someone on “Quora” who obviously has the IQ of a rock.
I started this rant Thursday night. I have written and re-written it several times. Changed a word, a phrase, deleted and added paragraphs all in an attempt not to turn this into a passive aggressive slam at religious people. I don’t think that all religious people are stupid and shallow. I also don’t think that all atheists are full of depth and knowledge. Yet, when it comes to the question at hand, I can only see this as being asked by a religious person. However, perhaps, it was asked by an atheist who was looking for his or her reasoning why? I don’t really see that but it’s possible. So I want to make it clear that at the core of this rant, I am angry at stupid people not religious people. So my rant here is an attempt to point out the stupidity of the question as well as answer it, just in case someone should come across this article and not have at least the philosophical depth that nature gave to puddles.
An atheist can be scared by and enjoy a supernatural themed piece of work for two simple reasons. The first being what is called the Suspension of Disbelief. It is a term that has been around since the early 1800’s when the philosopher and poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge first coined the phrase. He felt that if the writer could add “human interest and a semblance of truth” to the story, no matter how over the top it was, the reader could believe it long enough to enjoy the story. It has since changed somewhat nowadays to refer to the audiences ability to suspend their belief in reality long enough to enjoy the book, the movie, the TV show and so on.
I believe Steven Spielberg inadvertently gave the best description of what this means when he was talking to Peter Benchley. Benchley didn’t agree with the ending Spielberg had in mind for Jaws. He thought there was no way an audience would buy it. Then Spielberg responded with, and I am paraphrasing only because I don’t have time to find the actual quote. “If I can grab the audience for the first two hours, I can do anything I want with the last three minutes.“
What Steven Spielberg said was the absolute truth. It doesn’t matter what a person believes or does not believe. If the makers of the film do their job right, no matter how fantastical the story, the audience will ignore their own beliefs and accept those of the story being told to them. Some will do it just long enough to enjoy the film. Other people will believe what the film told them forever.
How many of us had no fear of swimming in the ocean before Jaws was released and all these years later we can’t even step into a lake or go into a pool at night with no lights on and not think somewhere in the back of our minds that a shark is going to get us. We now it’s not going to really happen but there’s always that part, way back in our consciousness, that tells us to be afraid. For those not old enough to remember when Jaws came out, I was 5 years old and lived on Okinawa at the time. I was too young to see the movie. But, the moment that movie came out, I was afraid to go into the water. I still am afraid but I do go out in the water though there is always a part of me that knows when I step into the water that I am not alone.
In my experience the effect Jaws had on society far surpasses it’s audience. I have never been to the beach, in the water and not had someone in the group bring up jaws or a shark of some kind. No one cared or thought about sharks when they went to the beach before Jaws, at least not to the scale they do today. I saw the change in my friends when I was kid. We went to the beach all the time before Jaws was released, not so much after. That fear of sharks stems from the movie. People today who haven’t seen the movie fear sharks because of all that has followed since.
Another great example is the movie Psycho. That shower scene was so powerful there are people to this day won’t take a shower. That always lock the bathroom door, even when home alone, with all the main doors locked and secured.
These two films are a perfect example of what the “suspension of disbelief” and having a good imagination can do. I can understanding not understanding the theory behind a “Suspension of Disbelief”. But, to not understand the concept shows a staggering lack of intellectual ability. This is just something you should understand. At least anyone who is smarter than a hockey puck should naturally understand it. How anyone could question how another person could not like a work of fantasy is so stupid, it’s offensive.
I just am at a loss for how ridiculous of a question it is. Has this person ever seen Superman? How can he or she watch a movie like that and believe an alien baby survived travel from another galaxy, that it only took a matter of days, weeks or months and that upon arriving on Earth now has superpowers because our sun is yellow and his was red. This allows him to defy gravity? Yes I know Superman originally couldn’t fly, he could only leap really far but they soon realized how idiotic Superman look would leaping over shit like a frog or Kangaroo.
Can a religious person like Star Wars or Harry Potter? Both deal with sorcery and magic. Of course they can. What I find fascinating about the primary question of this rant is that I have never met another atheist who didn’t like supernatural horror movies or monster movies because they knew they were fake. They may have not liked the movies because they were written poorly, the acting was bad or some other real world reason. But, they didn’t not like the film because they believed ghosts or gods are not real. And yet, I have met Christians that wouldn’t let their children watch Harry Potter because it has to do with witches and sorcery. How completely shallow and stupid is that?
Can an FBI Agent or a cop like a movie like The Godfather? Can a vegetarian like a movie if the main character eats a hamburger? The ridiculousness of the question. It’s hard to get past that level of stupidity.
Ghost stories are among my favorite type of horror movies. I love a good or bad ghost story most of the time. I can do this because I am not a complete idiot. The ability to suspend my logical beliefs in order to appreciate the fantasy I am being sold is easy. It’s easy because sometimes I have a healthy imagination, sometimes the story is so good I can suspend my beliefs and sometimes it’s both.
What it all comes down to is that if the story is done well, you go with it no matter what your beliefs are. It doesn’t matter if you are religious or not. A good story can take you anywhere. A great story can make you believe, at least for a moment, that anything is possible. That is, unless you’re a complete idiot.
