Ed's Review Dot Com

AI-Film, Lava Bear Films,

Natalie Dormer, Taylor Kinney, Yukiyoshi Ozawa, Eoin Macken

Sarah (Natalie Dormer) gets a call from the Tokyo police department that her twin sister Jess (Natalie Dormer) has gone into the infamous Suicide Forest on the north side of Mt. Fuji on a school field trip (she’s a teacher) and was lost and has not returned and is presumed dead. But Sarah can feel that she’s still alive with a kind of intuition, so she sets out to Japan to find her sister. The Suicide Forest is a very, very dangerous place. There are very strict rules for going in there, and no one wants to be a guide. But in her despair she meets Rob (Eoin Macken) who offers to take her with a local Japanese man who is familiar with the forest and finds the suicide victims for the local police to haul out. Together they head deep into the forbidden forest and face the always present dangers in there, in this brand new horror film.

This film was bashed a lot by the critics. I am a horror fan, and I like films like this one. The ending is quite twisted, and rather hard to figure out. I like the open ending but I can see several theories on what actually happened and what was illusion. I found the story very refreshing as the Suicide Forest is a real thing, and the Japanese government forbids photography in this location so the movie had to be filmed elsewhere. I don’t need to explain the truth of this place as it is well covered in the film, and the research I was able to do pretty much agrees with what we are told in the movie. But the story itself I found really creepy. The “scariness” of the film is what seems to be bashed most, as I am sure people are used to partially undressed teen-age girls running through the woods being chased by a guy with a machete, but this is much more cerebral than that which is what the director was after. I found the unknown to be very suspenseful, and had a good time trying to figure this one out. I was tempted to rate it higher than 4.0 stars, but I do have to admit that even though I enjoyed the film, there are some problems. The acting wasn’t real bad, especially if you are a fan of the Japanese and Korean horror films that have crossed over to the U.S. in recent years. There is no major blood and guts, but it is shocking and builds quite a bit of suspense as we come crashing to the somewhat surprise ending. If any part of the film could use a bit more work, perhaps it is the ending. But the truth is, the way he ended it does allow you a lot of wiggle room to come up with your own meaning to it all. I liked this film, and was glad to see that it exceeded it’s budget so it wasn’t a loss for the producers. Go see it if you like smart horror films, rather than the brainless ones.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Legendary Pictures, Universal Pictures,

Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania Owen, Krista Stadler

Poor Max (Emjay Anthony) is having the worst Christmas ever. He’s doing his best to keep believing in Santa and has written his letter. But a whole bunch of annoying relatives are showing up to celebrate with them, and the two mean sisters steal his letter and reads it out loud to the whole table. Max has had it and in a fit of rage, he tears the letter up and throws it out the window. Instantly the weather changes as the worst storm in history settles in knocking out power, telephone, and radio/tv. Little did they realize that Max’s lack of Christmas spirit has brought them Krampus, the dark side of St. Nicholas and the Christmas devil to terrorize and take away the family members one by one. This Christmas horror film is based on the German Christmas legend.

This is a very unusual film. Filled with lots of old legends sparked by Krista Stadler who plays the aged Grandmother who knows the stories of Krampus and sets the family straight on the danger. This is a PG-13 horror film, so though it’s really “make you jump” scary, and the monsters (Krampus and his minions) are rather horrific, there’s nothing completely out of the ordinary. David Koechner has the “Cousin Eddie” role that Randy Quaid played so well in Christmas Vacation, and certainly Conchata Ferrell (Charlie Sheen and Ashton Kutcher’s housemaid in 2 1/2 Men) has an excellent role as the grumpy alcoholic Aunt who is not far from her 2 1/2 Men character. She adds a great deal to the mix. Certainly though, the cast was really well put together and they all played off each other very well. There is a great deal of humor in this movie as well, so it doesn’t take itself too seriously. After all, it is a ludicrous situation. There are a couple things you will not want to miss, should you head for the theater for this out of the ordinary Christmas thriller. First, be sure to arrive on time, as the opening sequence is a rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” with a slow motion montage of what looking like Christmas really means in America! It’s a very well done piece. Also, the very end gives us a surprise view of what really happened to the family members who have been killed off one by one throughout the film. All in all it was a very enjoyable film, great music and sound effects, spectacular special effects, and winter scene that truly looks colder than when Lara and Dr. Zhivago stayed in the country for the winter! This was an enjoyable film and if you’re a horror lover, like I am, go spend the 10 bucks to see it.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Marvista Entertainment, Odyssey Media,

Kristy Swanson, Chris Potter, Carolyn Adair, Lizzie Boys, Colin Lawrence, Catherine Lough Haggquist, Amy Tucker, Nick Purcha, Alexandra Siouras, Kolton Stewart

Charles Montgomery (Chris Potter) is a hardworking husband who built a really fancy mountain cabin for his wife Judith (Kristy Swanson) and his children to spend the holidays. But things are not really going well for the Montgomerys. Judith really just wants a husband who is home and with the family, and he’s a workaholic of the nth degree. They constantly bicker and fight, and the children are not any better. Dad takes away all the cell phones from the rest of the family, but keeps his because he has important work to do. It looks like they’re not going to make it through the week, when in the middle of the night a loud knock on the door occurs. The Tuckers who are one their way to a nearby ski resort have crashed their car and need a place to stay out of the “storm or the century”. The Tuckers know how to love each other and how to spend the holidays as a real family, and their brief visit during the storm guides the Montgomerys to the hope of putting their broken family back together.

This heartwarming and borderline sappy holiday religious story is a perfect fit for UP TV. This is mostly about a troubled marriage where neither wants to end it, but neither one of them know how to fix it. The example of this God sent family helps them through it. But their own children, especially the youngest daughter who still holds out hope that her family can get along. This story does have a bit of a twist in the ending, that is highly expected, and it is a bit sappy. But it’s not extremely preachy. At least not in my experience. With everyone cooped up during the massive storm. We can learn to appreciate the important things as the family learns their lessons. All in all this is a very well cast and strikingly real story that benefits from good writing and a good cast. This is the kind of uplifting story that I’ve missed on TV. I was very touched by this story and I can highly recommend this one.

Here is the home page for this UP TV Holiday movie.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Muse Entertainment Enterprises,

Lori Loughlin, Bailee Madison, Dermot Mulroney, Ava Telek, Marcia Bennett, Lisa Berry, Ella Rose Coderre, Arthur Holden,
Christine Lan, Jake Manley, Derek McGrath, Donovan Scott, Paul Stewart, James Thomas

Mackenzie (Lori Loughlin) inherits the Northpole Inn from her Aunt. It’s the place that she spent every childhood Christmas. The Inn is very important to the folks in the town, but Mackenzie is planning on selling it. The local handyman Jack (Dermot Mulroney) is very attached to the Inn and tries to persuade Mackenzie that it would bring a bigger price if they fix it up a little bit as it’s lost a lot of its luster. But with the help of a team of elves led by Clementine (Bailee Madison) she learns to love the place and perhaps she will keep it in the family.

We met Clementine in last years premier of “Northpole” and it was so well received that they brought her back in this year’s “Northpole: Open For Christmas“. Bailee is so charming. It makes sense that they’d bring her back for a follow-up to last year’s film. This is better, I think, than last’s year’s movie. The Inn is a character by itself, and everyone in this film is just so “nice”. It really is a charming story and brings back the memories of small town Christmas magic like many of these holiday films. I think we all wish we could spend our holiday in a place like this. This is certainly one of the highlights of Hallmark for Christmas 2015. This is one you should try to catch for sure, as it’s a charming story full of warmth and heart.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

B24, Columbia Pictures, Danjaq,

Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, Ralph Fiennes

Bond is taking a much needed (wink, wink) vacation in Mexico City during the Day of the Dead festivities when he disrupts a terror plot about to take place. However big changes are happening back headquarters as the 00 agents are being retired and replaced by a multi-national spy system of information gathering and drone attacks. But of course, there is a far more sinister purpose as some of Bonds old nemeses are still alive and active in this high action, big suspense, old style Bond film. Bond is back.

I don’t think we’re going to see any more Daniel Craig Bond films, and if we don’t, at least he went out with a bang. This film goes back to the classic Bond, and I really enjoyed this one. The formula that Ian Flemming used in creating his characters and telling his stories was very good, and this one is very much like the original Bond films in many ways. This film takes place after the struggle at Skyfall. Judy Dench’s M was killed so we get to meet her replacement. Originally Bond used to use his wits and super intelligence to get himself out of scrapes (and some luck, let’s face it). He was always a bit cheeky, but once Connery left the role, Bond became quite the smart ass. He used fantastic inventions and gadgets to escape and was not very clever himself, but depended on tricks to survive. I hated the wise cracking Bond, and am glad this is back to the nitty gritty hard working and very clever Bond who can work his way out of these situations. And the situations he gets put into are alarming. The usual trek around the world puts him some real messes, and it is quite full of suspense, wonderful chases, a lot of gun play, and some really stressful moments. It’s a relatively long film, but I was sad when it is over. The best part is that in the very end there is a promise that “James Bond will return”. I’m sure he will. This was really a nod back to the early days, and I think it was excellently directed and filmed. Whether underground, on the streets, or in the air, the action is non-stop. There is some humor in this one, as there always is, and some of it was very funny, but at the same time, the shenanigans were limited. It was a good mix and the timing was just right. This is the best Bond film I have seen in a number of years, and I certainly urge you to see it.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog