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Unlocked (2017)
Spymovie with twists, a good director and good actors, what could go wrong?
Everything, in this case.
1st: Spymovie - we've seen many of these and Unlocked unlocked (huh!) every possible twists and clichés a spy-movie could offer for the viewer.
2st: Twists - like stated above,there are many, and exactly because of the huge amount of them, if you've ever watched any Mission Impossible, or Bourne movies, you will find out the next one BEFORE they even happen.
3rd: Good director, who has no superpowers to make a great movie from a "ctrl+c ctrl+v" screenplay, that is full of plot holes, non-senses, clichés. He is still doing a great job, and at least keeps the pace up, making Unlocked a somewhat watchable action-movie.
4rd: Just look at the credits, Noomi Rapace, John Malkovich, Toni Colette, Michael Douglas. Oh, I almost forgot that Orlando Bloom was in the movie, too. It's hard to use that many talent in a single movie, and despite all of the stars worth their money and doing alright, they are too much at once.
*SPOILERS FROM HERE*
I will elaborate my statements above,and you will agree with me once you saw the movie.
Since you know it is a spy-movie, you know from the very start, that nobody can't be trusted. Everybody knows that.
Except the main character, who is a CIA interrogator and should've known better, but she seems the most clueless person in the entire world for the most part of the movie. She's been played and fooled as may times as possible.
Alright, the whole CIA isn't any better as it took them almost a day to notice that their VIP captivate with the whole CIA team escorting him did not arrive to the final destination.
Now let's see some clichés!
Michael Douglas plays the wise old mentor of the main character a la Jon Voight in the 1st M:I movie. Surprise! He will die early. Surprise! He will return later. How and why is the "main ""twist"" " in the movie so I won't tell you right away. You can find out easily on your own at the very moment he dies on screen.
More clichés are like flashbacks to (supposedly) fill up plot holes and make our jaws drop. Did not work. Silent white haired bad guy. (Lethal Weapon and Da Vinci code should ring a bell) Useless funny characters, a secret apartment to hide at with keys above the fire extinguisher etc. etc.
Let's move on to the too many stars in one movie problem. Poor Orlando Bloom who suffered the most (in my opinion). He is in the movie for like 30 minutes. During this short time he meets and makes friends with protagonist, fights alongside her, turns against her, then disappears. Yes, disappears as nobody knows for sure what happened with him but all honestly nobody will care in the end. Again, Alice was the silly one here who trusted the military trained guy who all accidentally showed up at the supposedly secret apartment in the very moment she arrived.
These moments ruin the entire movie. Also, Alice is an interrogator, still she's the one who tracks down the public enemy No.1 bad guy in the end and assassinates him which also makes zero sense.
I could go on and point out all these disturbing moments and non-senses, but you better watch it yourself. Or not, if you listened closely.
They had all the chance to make a good movie but Unlocked wanted to be much more than that. And it failed.
Lights Out (2016)
Finally!A really enjoyable horror flick
We haven't had anything like Lights out in recent years. Sure we had some great horror movies, but those were either much more dramatic (The Conjuring) or much more like a dark fairy tale (Crimson Peak), rather than a good, "just-for-fun" horror movie.
Lights out is exactly that. It does not take itself too seriously, and bravely balances on the edge of horror and comedy, just like Drag me to hell did a few years ago.
Of course it has a dark backstory about a girl, Diana who died a terrible death, and now came back to h(a)unt everyone who tries (or at least she thinks that)to separate her and her bff,a little lunatic mom who is portrayed by Maria Bello.
The main characters are her children, Rebecca and Martin, who are Diana's No.1 targets for the main part of the movie. The young actors are great, and the characters are likable, finally you will actually care about them instead rooting for the bad guy (or girl, this time) to kill'em all.
Do not put your expectations too high though. You will have a great deal of fun, but do not expect a movie that will overwrite the whole genre of horror from the basics.
One jump scare follows the previous one, and sort of that's about the scary part. You almost saw them all in the trailers already, still they work as they are done very well. Do not ask yourself why people will click the lights over and over again until the creepiest thing of all times will jump on them, instead of running. Do not ask how Diana, who suffers from the smallest light can approach Becca's apartment at the end of a well-lit corridor.
Really just lean back and enjoy the ride.
Aside of the well choreographed jump-scare scenes the film's atmosphere is not dark at all, it is full with heartwarming and even funny little moments.
All in all, Lights out is not an instant classic, but is very good, and one of the most enjoyable horror movies of recent years. Go for it! (and borrow some reflectors from Batman, just in case)
Demonic (2015)
Horror movie generator 2.0
The title says it all. This movie was put together from every existing clichés of horror movies. Which is not necessarily a bad thing unless the filmmakers doing it wrong. Like they did with Demonic.
The plot? Haunted house. Youngsters go in. Only a few of them comes out.
The actors? Maria Bello is the only name you would recall from your memory. She is not bad, but she has not much to do anyways as her character is one of the most meaningless criminal-occultists- psychologist of all times in this movie. Rest of the actors not even worth to mention, which is not necessarily their fault this time...
...because it is the fault of the director/writer. The movie does not have a real opening, does not have a decent elaborating part, and does not have a good ending. The whole movie is a huge plot hole. I warn you, you will have no idea what are the characters doing and why they are doing it. The good thing is that you won't even care as the characters are empty, just like the story itself.
There are some jump scare moments but they are only good for keeping you awake as they are completely random and does not fit the events of the film. (that screaming in the cellphone thing?!? What the hell was that? )
You won't get any explanation either. After all the 80 minutes of the film ( I gave it two stars because it is short at least) you will only see an imaginary question mark in front of you.
Avoid it.
It Follows (2014)
Oh, no, please not another disappointing horror movie
Well. Expectations were so high from me toward this movie, and I am genuinely surprised by the superpositive response from others, critics included. Let me be the troll then.
The concept is great, and the way the director painted up a picture of a loving family with lovable members who viewers will care for (at least until a certain point)definitely worked.
Jay is not the typical cliché-ish bombshell damsel in distress, instead she is the girl next door (TM). The sister and the friends surrounding them are also sympathetic characters.
The score in my honest opinion is an instant classic, as it casts a disturbing shadow onto the whole movie, including the supposedly heartwarming moments, which are not too many in this movie.Creepy 80's style.
Acting is also alright but nothing special, but one rarely expects academy award performances from horror movies anyways.
(Spoilers may happen from here!I did warn you!)
Where the movie stumbled for me then? Well, as haunting and clever as it starts, the more bored and dull it gets toward the end. I feel for Jay who got tricked and pulled into this sick and deadly "tag game" and in the beginnings I was actually scared and breathless whenever "It" showed up.
But then it starts fading away with every horroristic scene. Along with the carefully built-up "feel for the characters" feeling. These -at first I thought - smart and spirited teens don't make the smallest effort to find out what the hell is really happening, what is "It" aside from searching up the guy who was generous enough to pass the STD (sexually transmitted demon)to Jay. Somehow they are so cool- headed that the idea of beating up the bastard doesn't cross the mind of neither of them, instead they are having a nice chit-chat while sitting in the grass.
After that, they don't try to find an occultist, a crazy wannabe ghosthunter, an exorcist, nobody, they do not hit up google.The only thing they do is Jay sleeping around with all of the male members of the gang, even after the first try it becomes clear that it's not a long-term solution.
The creepy moments slowly starts to become less and less creepy, and the grand finale is as stupid as possible. I still have to think hard if I want to find out what they really wanted there with all those kitchen machines and other electronic devices around the pool and even then I have no idea.
Well. "Haunted" movies, as a genre have one thing in common. The hero/heroine tries his/her best to find out what is haunting them and how to get rid of it. Of course it sort of never works, just think of The Ring or that Sarah Michelle Gellar movie. But at least they are trying. Jay and her friends aren't. And it's disappointing and turns the otherwise almost good movie into a boring horroristic scene-chatting scene - mild sex scene - another horroristic but not that much this time scene - chatting scene- some more chatting scene- oh no, horroristic scene, this time longer - then mild sex scene then...you get the point.
At the end I only really felt for the pure prostitute. From the ending scene where "It" follows Jay and his not-in-the-friendzone anymore boyfriend (?)I guess she wasn't long lived after her encounter with this boyfriend mentioned above. (What was his name?!Oh well. )
Alright, that's it. I AM disappointed. A crappy and not creepy movie. Ba-dumb-tssh!