Ed's Review Dot Com

Genre Co., The, Benaroya Pictures, 120dB Films,

Anthony Reynolds, Owen Teague, Clark Sarullo, Stacy Keach, Isabelle Fuhrman, Samuel L. Jackson, Erin Elizabeth Burns, John Cusack

Clay Riddell (John Cusack) is in the airport when he notices everyone who is on their cell phone screaming, then turning into maniacal killers killing themselves and everyone around them. A strange signal pulses though the phones turning filling everyone on their phone with incredible rage. Those not on their phone at the time, soon called 911 or someone at home to find out what was going on and were exposed to the sound. Clay escapes the airport, but sets out on his way to determine what happened to his wife and son who were home at the time of the cell phone attack. He runs across Tom McCourt (Samuel L Jackson) who is a locomotive engineer and they team up to try to survive the pockets of murderous monsters that are everywhere. The try to figure out the rules of how to deal with this problem while trying to stay alive.

This is based on a novel by Stephen King. I haven’t had the opportunity to read the book yet, and from those who have read it, the film pales in comparison to the book, but not having that to compare it with, I really enjoyed this film. It seems that Stephen King has a problem with Hollywood producers doing a weak job of migrating his books into films. I liked the fact that this was a zombie movie with living zombies. It was an interesting twist, as though these folks were clever and fast instead of stupid and slow like the typical zombie. In typical King fashion, we’re not going to get all the answers. He seems to like to tell the story of what happened and let you draw your own conclusions as to the whys and hows. The suspense was intense, although this is more of a science fiction story than a horror story. But King is like that too, typically. This is a really intense story, and the pair of Cusack and Jackson really go well together. This movie has a lot of people who dislike it, but for me it’s one of the better modern Stephen King movies I’ve seen. I enjoyed the scares and the suspense, and found it a very enjoyable little film. For Sci-Fi and Horror buffs, why not give it a try.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Macari/Edelstein, Parkes+MacDonald Image Nation, Vertigo Entertainment,

Alex Roe-Brown, Matilda Lutz, Aimee Teegarden, Johnny Galecki, David Dorfman

A young couple, Julia (Matilda Lutz) and her boyfriend Holt (Alex Roe-Brown) are just getting used to being apart. Holt is away in Spokane in college, and Julia is left behind in Seattle. But as they are using Skype to connect every evening, one time Holt stops answering calls and in nowhere to be found. This is after he told her he was working on a special project for a noted biology professor. Julia heads to Spokane to look for him, and the two of them get involved in the mystery of a video, that once you watch it, you will die in seven days.

This is a sequel to the 2002 film The Ring which scared the crap out of us back then, and The Ring 2 from 2005. It’s based on an original Japanese story of a girl who was drowned in a well and is seeking release from her prison inside that well. This is a very slick movie, and though it’s a bit far fetched, just like the original, the methods by with they build and build the suspense layer upon layer is really masterful. The primary actors here are excellent, especially Johnny Galecki who play the professor who we will remember from Big Bang Theory. The suspense, especially in the last half hour is really intense. It’s quite shocking, and is rather interesting. I really enjoyed it, and got to see it on a really big screen with excellent sound and it was really creepy. I totally enjoyed this film, and I recommend it for the horror fans out there. If you liked the original, I think this one is just as good if not better, and certainly equivalent to The Ring Two. Nice add to the original tale.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Blinding Edge Pictures, Blumhouse Productions,

James McAvoy, Anya Taylor Joy, Betty Buckley, Jessica Sula, Haley Lu Richardson, Sterling K. Brown, Kim Director, Lyne Renee, Brad William Henke, Sebastian Arcelus, Neal Huff

Kevin (James McAvoy) is suffering from a Split Identity Disorder. His doctor, Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley) is treating him with a little success, but is only aware of 23 of different personalities. Unfortunately there is a 24th that she is not aware of. When one of Kevin’s personalities kidnaps three girls, he takes them to a basement that is securely locked, soundproof and not easy to escape from where he holds them and prey’s on their minds until #24 shows up to do horrible things to the girls. This M. Night Shyamalan psychological thriller hit theaters this week and is certainly very suspenseful and quite shocking.

I have had a love/hate relationship with Mr Shyamalan. Some of his work I really liked, and some I just did not get. Surprisingly my list of the ones I didn’t like are on many people’s favorites list, and likewise, those I really liked, many people despised. This one I got a real jolt out of. The best thing about M. Night Shyamalan is that you must know as little as possible about the film going in, and try to see it right away before the ending gets spoiled. A couple times he has truly broken my mind. Sixth Sense is something I NEVER saw coming until the “Oh Crap” moment at the end. The Village was also one of my favorites as well because I never could see what was coming when the poor girl got out of the forest. What a shock that was to me. This one is not quite as shocking, but it was very, very suspenseful and I enjoyed every second of this film. Jame McAvoy had a blast playing all these different characters, and he slipped between them so perfectly that we really got to learn the personality of each of them as if they were separate people. Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) really nailed this movie. I have seen here is several very suspenseful movies, particularly in The Witch and in Morgan which I really thought was a gem. She is a wonderful little actress, and I will do my best to watch out for her in the future. I thought this film was very suspenseful and quite entertaining, and I didn’t see the reason for all the hate. The public seems to like it though, as it has won the first two weeks, although granted there isn’t a lot of stiff competition at this time of year. This is rated PG-13, but it would be pretty darn scary for kids under 13, so I would take that into account. There was a small child in the theater when we watched it, not a toddler, but definitely elementary aged, and it seemed a bit intense for someone that small. It is actually a though provoking suspense film, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. It was a pleasant evening.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Hannibal Pictures, USS Indianapolis Production,

Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore, Thomas Jane, Cody Walker, Matt Lanter, Weronika Rosati, Brian Presley, Emily Tennant, Callard Harris, Mandela Van Peebles

It was in the midst of WWII in the pacific and Captain McVay (Nicholas Cage) is captain of a Navy ship, and he and his men are given orders to deliver two packages with unknown contents to the Mariana Islands in the Philippine Sea. It is a top secret mission and so their ship must sail across the Pacific alone without other ships accompanying them. This puts them at great risk of Japan submarine attack because the ship is a dead duck if a sub attacks them. The crew has no idea what’s in the boxes, but set out on their way. The custom was for large ships like this to follow a zig-zag path, but Captain McVay decides the best move is to sail as straight and quickly as possible. The Japanese were now using manned torpedo subs, and zig-zagging was of no value if there were attacked by one of these because the suicide pilot would follow and hit you for sure, so the only choice was to get there as soon as possible and keep a low profile and hope. They delivered their packages, but were sunk by a Japanese sub on the return trip. The survivors were thrown into the sea with very basic rafts, hardly any supplies, and in water full of sharks. Because of the secret of their mission, the Navy was not searching for them and they had no contact. The sailors suffered terribly from hunger, thirst, exposure, and shark attacks.

This is based on the true story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, a cruiser that was sunk by a Japanese sub. Historically it may be correct. There is a lot more to the story than what I have given you above, and this story didn’t end when the survivors were recovered. The feel of the torment on the sea was very well done, and I feel Nick Cage did a wonderful job in portraying this character. A lot of people have complained about this film, but I think some people complain about anything Nick does. I felt he was very well suited for this role, and he did a very good job. I like how the movie at the end, in the credits gave us a look at the actors and the real sailors side by side, and there are lots of special features and interviews with some of the survivors on the DVD, even the rental version. I have briefly heard of this story, but did not really know the facts, and I was impressed with the whole story. If you can remember, Quint (Robert Shaw) from the original Jaws movie talks about the USS Indianapolis with Richard Dreyfus while aboard the ship. I was glad to learn much more about these brave men, and the terrible way they were treated by the Navy to provide the coverup of their mission. In my opinion this was a darn good movie based on real WWII history and had some very touching and thought provoking experiences. CGI is good, and I think the acting was good, and the look and feel of the story was really authentic. I recommend this move for mature teens and adults, especially those interested in military history.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Demarest Films, Media Talent Group, Relativity Media,

Kate Beckinsale, Mel Raido, Lucas Till, Gerald McRaney, Michaela Conlin, Michael Landes

Dana (Kate Beckinsale) and her husband David (Mel Raido) move onto a new home way out in the country along with their young son. David hires a local boy as a handyman, but he’s creeping Dana out as he is constantly hitting on her, and it appears Dana has has some issues over the last few years. When she keeps hearing noises upstairs, she goes to investigate and finds a small door behind a bookcase that is locked and the key is missing. She becomes really obsessed with this room, and when she finds the key, she goes right into the room and find out that it has some hidden secrets, even the purpose for a hidden room that is not on the blueprints of the house.

This is a pretty decent ghost story, and I haven’t seen one like this in a while. Granted, it’s not an unusually unique story, as I’ve seen this same premise pretty much before, but it was handled very well. Kate Beckinsale is, of course, and excellent actress and this suited her very well. She was helped by the rest of the main characters and made it really believable. This movie was a bit of a surprise, and I am very glad I watched this one as it was quite scary and very suspenseful. There aren’t too many good haunted house stories these days, and this one surprised me with how well it played out. I can recommend this one to horror fans and though it’s an R rating mostly due to the horrific back story and a few scenes early on of a married couple, though it is not too over the top. Mostly it builds up with glimpses and pieces of the puzzle of why this room is there and what it was used for, and how it all came to be quite haunted. If you like a ghost story, then this is a pretty good one in my opinion.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog