Movie Review: The Maids Room (2014)

 

WildCinemaUK

Movie Review: The Maids Room (2014)

 The Lowdown

 Admittedly Micheal Walker's The Maids Room is a movie that wasnt on my radar or probably anyone else's for that matter. I decided to check it out as i had nothing better to do with my time. Was it worth it? Well yes and no. The Maids Room tells the story of a live in maid Drina who is left alone with a couples son brandon while they go away for a few days. One night Brandon gets into a drunken car accident and kills a man and stumbles into the house drunk and wakes up Drina. The parents come back and learn of the accident and learn that Drina knows more than she lets on, they try to buy her silence but Drina refuses.What will happen to Drina? will she turn Brandon in? Those are the questions viewers find themselves asking about a half hour into this flick. It feels just like every other thriller of the past 30 years up till that point, but then it throws you a real curveball and goes in a completely different direction that quite frankly shocked me and was very unexpected and made the movie better in my opinion. I will not ruin it for potential viewers but it is in intense ride from about the 45 minute mark. By far one of the most entertaining limited release movies ive seen in a while. My only gripe is that with such a great build up in the first half the ending does seem rather flat in comparison.

 Final Verdict

 A fine performance from Paula Garces as Drina the foreign maid who is about to find out just how far one family will go to keep a secret, a jarring and shocking transition at the halfway mark that may startle viewers and a solid overall package make this one highly recommended viewing. Its not going to set the world on fire but it is way better than it had any right to be, a solid overall thriller featuring a very pretty lead.

Rating

3 out of 5

Movie Review: At The Devils Door (2014)

WildCinema Presents

Movie Review: At The Devils Door (2014)

The Lowdown

Once every so often you watch a movie with low expectations and end up getting something much better than anticipated. At The Devils Door is one such movie. I went in expecting nothing and walked away with a huge smile because what i had just seen was pretty damn good.

In At The Devils Door writer and director Nicholas McCarthy charts familiar territory with an inventive flare as he tells us a tale about a young real estate agent named Leigh (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and her artist sister Vera (Naya Rivera) who get involved in a battle with supernatural forces.

Now the plot sounds like it could have come from just about any horror movie spanning the last decade. But what sets this movie apart is the love and care that has gone into each frame. Never content to deliver mediocre jump scares the movie takes its time building up likeable charecters and a story that builds on multiple levels so when the scares come they're actually pretty terrifying. The movie harkens back to simpler times in horror movies when what you dont see is just as scary as what you do see and the movie never reveals its antagonist for too long and the movie is all the better for it, we see girls flying round rooms and hear a chilling voice say "come to me" but only every now and then do we catch a glimpse of lucifer himself, and its usually shot in the shadows or in a window pane reflection. Call me crazy but its a lot creepier that way.

  Final Verdict

Gushing atmopshere from the very first frame and lovingly shot in beautiful HD the movie is fantastic to look at. Naya Rivera carries the movie well and fans of hers will probably dig this performance. The movie itself is a slow burn and successfully builds the tension and the twists and turns come at all the right times. Perfect saturday night entertainment.

Rating

3 out of 5

Movie Review : Mercenaries (2014)

 WildCinema Presents

Movie Review : Mercenaries (2014)

 The Lowdown

With the recent success of such ensemble movies as The Expendables and Fast and Furious 6 it was only natural that a female led action flick would come about. Most people assumed it would be the long in development "Expendabelles" movie that hollywood has been trying to put together, no sadly someone beat them to it. Asylum fills the void with their very own "chick flick" Mercenaries aka Prison Raid featuring such female action legends as Brigitte Nielsen, yeah you read that right Red Sonja is back baby. Sarcasm aside the cast is decent enough, starring stunt woman Zoe Bell, Terminator 3's Kristanna Loken and martial arts queen Cynthia Rothrock this had all the makings to be a decent action flick so does it deliver? Well not really seeing as this is an asylum movie, the CGI is terrible, the acting is wooden and the whole thing looks like it was shot on your next door neighbours camcorder but to be fair at times it is quite fun. The plot is thin as our female team infiltrate an enemy compound in order to rescue the presidents kidnapped daughter but the action is plentyful, its just a shame the shootouts are terrible, the hand to hand combat scenes however are much better and upto standard of what you would expect from this type of yarn.

Final Verdict

This type of movie was never going to win any awards so it should at least provide us with some kickass action but Mercenaries can barely even do that, the CGI blood and muzzle flashes are terrible and take you right out of the action and the choreography is bland to say the least, however the hand to hand combat scenes are competent so its not all bad, Zoe Bells martial arts skills are captured in stylish slow motion and look cool enough to make this straight to video trash watchable. Overall this movie falls short on what the trailer showed us, it looked like it was going to be a so bad its good kind of movie, instead we just got kind of a bad movie. The budget seems none existant, the cinematography is terrible and the action is mostly underwhelming. However the cast is great (i just wish Cynthia Rothrock got more screen time) and do the best with what they're given. Check this one out if you like any of the cast, or if you're B movie mad, just be expecting to laugh more than genuinely thrilled and you should be fine.

Rating

1.5 out of 5

Could Terminator Genesis Save The Terminator Franchise?

Could Terminator Genesis Save The Terminator Franchise?

Once upon a time Terminator was considered the creme dela creme of action franchises. Combining Sci Fi, Horror, Epic action, and enough human emotion to make a grown man cry, James Camerons The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day blasted their way into pop culture and into the hearts of millions of action fans worldwide. Catchphrases such as Ill Be Back and Hasta la Vista baby are now recognised worldwide and Arnold Schwarzenegger is synonimous with the terminator character. But somewhere along the way legalities and bankrupcy got in the way causing James Cameron to jump ship and subsequently robbing us fans of any worthy follow ups to Camerons epic two films.

Now on the way we have Terminator Genesis, its not quite a remake and not quite a sequel so what is it? Frankly we dont know yet, BUT.. some sources are saying it will revisit key moments from Cameron's two movies and play out in somewhat Back to the future part II fashion with new and old mixing in some way. Maybe they create a new timeline by altering events we all know and love? Who knows. But if done right this could be a return to form for the fallen franchise. A complex big loud summer blockbuster. Bring it on. After all Terminator has felt rather dumbed down since Cameron left. It would be nice to see it return to form and bring us a mind bending plot combined with the big spectacular action this franchise is known for.

Terminator Genesis is out in the uk in June 2015, so a long wait, but it just might be worth it.

Starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney.

Movie Review: Machete Kills (2013)

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Movie Review: Machete Kills (2013)

THE LOWDOWN

Starting life as a mock trailer the original Machete provided Danny Trejo with a badass action hero to call his own. And it seems that Danny and director Robert Rodriguez were just warming up beacuse Machete is back to kick more ass and once again save the day in this fun action packed sequel.

Yet again featuring an all star cast Machete Kills ups the ante considerably in true sequel style by recruiting the likes of Sofia Vegara, Lady Gaga, Charlie Sheen, Antonio Banderas, Cuba Gooding Jr and Mel Gibson to name a few and lets just put it this way, the cast does not disappoint, each celeb gets to ham it up. Sofia Vegara in paticular seems to enjoy parading around with machine guns for breasts and generally playing an over the top female badass, Mel Gibson is an unstopable supervillain and Charlie Sheen is the womanizing President of the United States. Also male viewers take note, theres lots of eye candy on offer here, attractive women fill nearly every frame of this movie, if you're in the mood for hot babes kicking ass, give this movie a try.

The plot is simple and the action is frequent, whats makes Machete Kills so watchable is its senseless and often times comical violence featuring Machete dispatching hordes of bad guys in inventive ways, some that wouldnt seem out of place in a Friday The 13th movie, Machete wipes out waves of enemies with a whole host of weapons, my personal fav being the inside out gun which turns people - you guessed it - inside out and leaves them as a huge pile of guts on the floor. Pretty cool if you ask me. Machete kills is action packed, its got supervillains, prostitute assasins and shapeshifting hitmen, but if you're looking for substance your watching the wrong movie.

Machete Kills ends showing us glimpses of whats to come next, Machete Kills in space, and if you ask us that looks like its going to be a hell of a good time, but given the film bomed at the box office who knows if we will see Machete in another outing, which is a shame as this is a great tongue in cheek action series and i would be sad to see it end here when the film makers are only just getting warmed up.

FINAL VERDICT

Babes, guns and buckets of blood. What more does a grown man need on a friday night?

 

Rating

3.5/5

Movie Review: Knights Of Badassdom (2014)

WildCinema Presents

Movie Review: Knights Of Badassdom (2014)

The Lowdown

Lets be honest here, in recent years the horror genre has grown stale. Year after year we are subjected to the same old generic PG-13 supernatural shlock. Gone are the days when horror was marketed at adults and kept away from children at all costs, only to be seen by a select few who dared raid their parents video collection. Horror nowadays its targeted towards young teens and is geared towards making the studio a nice big profit rather than actually providing any scares. Such is the movie business. So its nice when a film comes along thats R rated, funny and actually tries to do something fairly unique.

Joe Lynchs Knights Of Badassdom tells the tale of three best friends who take part in a live action role playing game only to find themselves fighting for their lives against an evil succubus from hell.

The film is fairly lighthearted but consistantly violent and gory and clearly takes inspiration from the likes of Army Of Darkness and Hatchet, which is no bad thing as the Horror Comedy genre has a huge fan base which will likely lap this up. Ryan Kwanten does a good job in the lead, playing Joe, a heavy metal loving loveable loser who suprisingly bags a hell of a lot of hot chicks, including Summer Glau, who is perhaps best known for her roles in the ill fated FireFly and Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Its Nice to see Glau in a movie again, especially one thats as quirky and fun as this.

The thing that impressed me the most and made me realize films like this are a rare treat, is the fact that the production team decided to go the traditional route and rely on a lot of practical effects. Theres just something about practical effects that i love, maybe its growing up with all those wonderful horror movies in the 80s or maybe its that they look a hell of a lot more convincing than Cgi when done right, whatever it is Knights Of Badassdom hits all the right notes when we get to see the succubus in its final form, its all constumes and practical effects and it looks glorious. Fans of 80s horror in particular will get a kick out of it, more modern day horror films could learn a thing or two from this, as the effects and costume design really are great.

Final Verdict

A fantastic cast, banging heavy metal soundtrack, unique plot and awesome throwback practical creature designs make this one a must see for horror fans who grew up on 80s comedy horror.

Rating

I wish all modern horror films were this much fun. 4/5

WildCinema Presents Movie Review: Among Friends (2012)

WildCinema Presents

Movie Review: Among Friends (2012)

The Lowdown:

After debuting on the festival circuit last year, scream queen Danielle Harris's directorial debut finally gets a general release on DVD and VOD and its a hell of a lot more fun than it has any right to be.

Among Friends tells the story of a group of friends who get together for an 80s themed murder mystery party that quickly turns sour when they are each tortured and forced to pay for the secrets they keep. The concept is hardly original but its executed with playfulness and a solid degree of tension in which the audience never quite knows whats going to happen next, making it a thrillingly exciting watch the first time around.

Sadly though the cinematography does leave a lot to be desired, it just screams straight to video from the get go, not that that's a bad thing by any means, the concept and execution are all great and the movies a hell of a roller coaster ride, so its a shame the overall look of the film dosent look more cinematic and grand as i feel this could have at least made a great cult classic in the years to come, but the vast majority of people will sadly dismiss this as B movie trash now which is a shame, but dont let the overall look fool you, this is a smart and fun little throwback to 80s horror.

Also worthy mentioning is one scene in particular that fans of Danielle Harris will get a kick out of in which a Dinner guest tripping on mushrooms thinks she's on a movie set and spots Ms Harris in the clown costume she donned in Halloween 4. Its a nice little tip of the hat from Danielle to her long time fans

Final Verdict

Although not breaking any new ground or offering anything unique into the DTV horror genre. Among Friends offers just enough thrills and gore to be worthy of a rental.

Rating

A solid 2 out of 5.