GRAVITY (2013)

RATED- PG-13
RUN TIME- 91 MINS
WRITER(S)- Alfonso Cuaron and Jonas Cuaron 
STARRING- Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and Ed Harris
DIRECTOR- Alfonso Cuaron 



Synopsis taken from IMDb
A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after a catastrophe destroys their shuttle and leaves them adrift in orbit.




Talk about a movie that's been getting a lot of hype! It seems everywhere you go it's 'Gravity' this and 'Gravity' that. Whenever there's a movie going around like this there's two kinds of crowds: those who get the hype and agree with it, and those who don't get it and say it's overrated. Usually I find myself in the latter crowd. Usually films that get critical praise give me migraines because they're so dull and boring. I was hoping that was not the case with this film.

I knew that I'd eventually get around to seeing it, but I didn't really feel a rush. It was my fiance who made me feel the rush and urgency to see it. So, being the awesome fiance that I am, I brought it home as a surprise gift for her (on Blu-Ray of course). We pretty much popped it in the player before the blu-ray case was even opened (laugh). And I was actually really satisfied with the outcome, and I can say now that I do agree with the hype it's getting. It's just that good!

Although George Clooney has a minimal part, he makes his presence felt. And Sandra Bullock does a great job of supporting the film by herself. Though I would never have considered her for a best actress in this role because of all the cgi used, she does an amazing job! Very sincere character that clicks with the audience. She's scared and out of her element, same as everyone else who isn't experienced in her situation. For 90 minutes we watch her fight tooth and nail, with everything she's got, to survive being alone in space and make it back home in one piece.

What I didn't expect about this film was how non-stop it is. I had gone in expecting to watch Sandra float around in space for God knows how long, and what I got is a blistering outburst of chaos and special effects that are top-notch. The tension only eases up momentarily until a new problem arises. I said to my friend, "it's like the worst day you could possibly have, only it's happening in space" and that's the best way I can sum it up. I didn't expect it to be one disaster after another, but damn if it didn't keep me on my toes!

Towards the end of the film we get some heart to heart time with Bullock's character, Ryan Stone, who's still tormented by the death of her young daughter. She's wasted a lot of time in her life as of late due to being caught up in past agonies. And now that she has nothing and no one, she has a chance to either make a new life for herself and start anew, or die trying. Her performance at the end is gut wrenching, and had me hoping for the best for her, but i was uncertain it would play out that way.

I was also surprised by how short the movie is! Here I am expecting an over two hour long movie, and it's only 91 mins! That just goes to show you how much momentum the film has, because a lot happens in a short amount of time. It's an avalanche of disaster, and you're a witness to it. I love it!

After watching the bonus features, I came to understand how exactly it isn't a completely accurate film. And how some things had to be altered in order to make it work for the movie. Such things do lessen a movie for me because if you're not based in reality then your based in fantasy. And if you're based in fantasy you're not believable. This film attempts to blend the lines in order to allow cop-outs, such as having suits with made up zippers for easy removal.

And there's other small things, like the fact that the director Alfonso Cuaron threw in a quick shot in George Clooney's helmet reflection of the camera crew. Such little jokes go wasted on me. This film would have been better off staying as close to reality as possible, instead of looking for easy shortcuts and funny little inside jokes being riddled within.

So ultimately I absolutely loved the movie, but that doesn't take away from my disappointment towards some of the nonsense in it. It has a good leading actress who knows how to carry a film, and it's got a good story. Debris in space is no joke, and this film is an attempt to make more people aware of how polluted our solar system is becoming. I like the message, and I like the movie.

THE COLONY won't save you

RATED- UNRATED

RUN TIME- 95 MINS

WRITER(S)- JEFF RENFROE, SVET ROUSKOV, PATRICK TARR, AND PASCAL TROTTIER

STARRING- KEVIN ZEGERS, LAURENCE FISHBURNE, AND BILL PAXTON

DIRECTOR- JEFF RENFROE

Synopsis taken from IMDb

Forced underground by the next ice age, a struggling outpost of survivors must fight to preserve humanity against a threat even more savage than nature.

This is another recent rental of mine. I've heard some pretty good things from friends, so I wasn't reluctant to give it a shot. However, there is a small part of me that was worried because Laurence Fishburne doesn't have a good track record with me. But, in all fairness, he has his share of good films. Also, the fact that it co-stars Bill Paxton helped to sell me on giving it a watch.

From the way this flick started, I instantly could see that it wasn't going to be that bad, and that it had promise. I definitely like the concept, and I actually was impressed with its delivery. There is a real sense of it being severe times for humanity, and I couldn't help but get pulled in, and sympathize with the characters. The year is 2045, and after we build climate controlling machines, they break down and ever since, it's never stopped snowing. So, all humanity is broken up into underground colonies, where they're quickly running out of resources. However, from what I understand, major critics accuse this movie of borrowing old ideas from sci-fi motion pictures, and I can't really disagree.

 Sam (Jeff Renfroe) is the main character and we follow him on the journey as he tries to accompany Briggs (Fishburne) to search out and save a fellow colony that isn't responding to radio contact. Upon the rescue mission, they come to realize that the death of the other colonists are by a group of cannibals, who ate them. Again, this is a great idea, and it kept me intrigued, even if it's originality is severely lacking. But, it's very entertaining.

The performances are pretty spot on, Fishburne and Paxton are at their best. The character development is dry and repetitive, but the acting is surprisingly convincing. I enjoyed the interactions between characters, and their dialogue isn't forced. Though, nothing remarkable stands out about the writing, it just works for what this film is. I would have liked to see more clever writing done, to really put it over-the-top and make it less predictable. 

There's things that this movie does fail at miserably, and the main thing, is the lead villain, the Feral Leader (Dru Viergever). I don't like or understand the need for him to be as menacing as he is. I understand he's the bad guy and main threat, but the acting and execution of his appearance looks like something out of a ridiculous sci-fi movie. I found this character to cheapen the overall effect this movie had before he became a player on screen. Had he been more fitting to the story, and not as cheesy, I think this film may have been really good. Not to mention the mediocre cgi, that reminds us all that this isn't a high-end motion picture, and also lessens the impact this film may have otherwise had.

In the end, The Colony is more of the same. But it's enjoyable and an easy watch. Can't say I hated it, but I can't praise it. Could have been better, but wasn't. I am expecting this one to become forgotten very quickly, and it sucks. There was a lot of potential behind this one, and it just didn't add up to what it should have.

The Collection (2012)

"Every great collector has a vision"

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 82 MINS
WRITERS- MARCUS DUNSTAN AND PATRICK MELTON
STARRING- JOSH STEWART, EMMA FITZPATRICK AND CHRISTOPHER McDONALD
DIRECTOR- MARCUS DUNSTAN




Synopsis taken from IMDb
A man who escapes from the vicious grips of the serial killer known as "The Collector" is blackmailed to rescue an innocent girl from the killer's booby-trapped warehouse. 

Regardless of the bad reviews I heard and read about 2009's The Collector, I really liked it. I found it fun, exciting, somewhat original and suspenseful. So yeah, I was pretty pumped for the sequel to come out. I wasn't disappointed.

The movie starts off with a television broadcasts that speak of the Collector and his recent crimes, there's a manhunt out for him. Arkin (Josh Stewart) is the Collector's most recent victim from the ending of the previous film.

Elena Peters (Emma Fitzpatrick) goes to a secluded party that her friends drag her to. The party takes place in a dingy  alley that looks suspicious. There they're greeted by a man with piercings all over his face and dreadlocks, they have to give him the password "nevermore" to enter the party. Upon entering, all of their fears and suspicions  disappear when they see the party is all they had been hoping it would be.

The fun doesn't last too long as the Collector has made this party his latest death maze, full of sick, sadistic torture and slaughtering devices that turn the entire club into a crimson mass. The traps, the deaths and the gore are really upped in this film and I was pleased, bring it on.

Arkin makes a lucky escape during the party after seeing Elena being taken by the Collector. Arkin gets treatment at a hospital. Where even there he isn't safe, he gets a card from the Collector threatening his family. Soon after, Arking is approached by Lucello and his team of hired mercenaries. Lucello is Elena's father's right hand man, and he' watched after Elena since she was a child. He's leading his team to find and kill the Collector, and find Elena.

Arkin gets strong-armed into leading Lucello and his hired team to the Collector, but he warns them of what they're getting into. Once they enter the Collector's lair, a run down hotel, it becomes a bloodbath. People being picked off one by one in pure brutality. I like how calm the Collector is, he has the odds stacked against him but he's always two steps ahead of everyone, he's meticulous.

As Arkin and Lucello dig further into the Collector's residence we see some of what makes the Collector tick, seeing how sick he is and learning what he does with his victims. I especially like this because there was no development with his character in the first film. This was definitely the right way to go for a sequel.

The film is incredibly violent, it pulls no punches. It comes packing a big punch. If you're not one for gore or torture you should probably turn this movie down, unless you want to lose your lunch. The acting wasn't anything fancy, but it worked. There's a lot of chaos going on in this film and it's a bloody good time.

I'm looking forward to where they go with the future of this series, if they're is one. I'd be interested to see where they go with a sequel, which will hopefully happen. The ending of The Collection is spot on and a good, refreshing change in cliche endings.

THIS FILM GETS 3 1/2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

247⁰F (2011)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 88 MINS
WRITTEN BY- LLOYD S. WAGNER, LEVAN BAKHIA AND BEQA ONIANI
STARRING- SCOUT TAYLOR-COMPTON, CHRISTINA ULLOA AND TRAVIS VAN WINKLE.
DIRECTOR- LEVAN BAKHIA AND BEQA JGUBURIA




Synopsis taken from IMDb
Jenna, Renee, Ian and Michael arrive at a lakeside cabin owned by Ian's uncle, Wade. Intending to enjoy a carefree weekend, instead, three of them become locked in the hot sauna. First they think it's Michael playing jokes on them, but soon realize that help is not coming and they must find a way out before the heat kills them. As the heat rises they are pushed to their physical psychological limits- staying alive is not easy any more. Breaking a small window- may be the worst thing they can do, because cool air will trick the thermostat to run the heater full blast. They need to get out, but all they can do is wait! Wait for what, wait for who?! How long could you wait in the heat up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. 




In a world where survival horror is hitting a peak, they throw another log on the fire (no pun intended). This is pretty much the exact opposite of Adam Green's Frozen (2010), in this film these teen suffer from extreme heat instead of freezing. However, what surprised me was that it actually not bad.

The cast has it's strong points, but it's overacted at other parts. Still, all in all, you see that this cast is somewhat strong. Travis Van Winkle and Scout Taylor-Compton stand out amongst the rest of the cast. Although Scout does do some of that overacting I mentioned, Travis does a really good job in this film. He was a very likable character.

Ian (Travis Van Winkle) and his friends go to his uncle Wade's (Tyler Mane) lakeside house. His uncle Wade does the fire works at a local town celebration. Ian and his friends do some drinking and he looks to hook up with Jenna (Scout Taylor-Compton). However, she's still on over the death of her boyfriend from a nasty car wreck, and she doesn't know if she can move on. As the film progresses we learn the extent of her condition. 

While uncle Wade's away the party begins. Ian and Mike do some heavy drinking and decide to go into Wade's sauna for some relaxation. Mike and his girlfriend Renee (Christina Ulloa) hope for Ian and Jenna to hook up. Renee wants Jenna to move on and stop living in the past, letting it drag her down.

Michael leaves the sauna in a drunken stupor, leaving his friends and girlfriend to laugh at his expense. After a few moments pass we hear Mike walking into some things and something heavy his the door. Ian, Jenna and Renee try to get out of the sauna, but their laughs and joking become screams for help very quickly.

I like the realness this movie portrays. I think that it's done very accurately and I don't know if there's anything I can pick out about it that wasn't accurate. This is a atmospheric horror film, it centers on the claustrophobia of the situation. Ian of course, is the smart one of the group, keeping them all alive with his knowledge of the downside of their situation.

There isn't hardly any character development due to their situation. There isn't much time to focus on anything but them in current time. The cast does a good job at keeping us entertained though and the movie doesn't have any boring parts. Seeing how calm Ian remains is incomprehensible to me, considering how Renee is constantly being rude and making things worse with her attitude and mouth, I did not like that character. She was that whiny character you wait to get killed off.

All the while, Michael is no where to be seen and uncle Wade is off doing the fireworks downtown.

The movie gets pretty intense with some parts that are tough to watch. I was impressed as the story unwound, and if this story teaches you anything, it's that it isn't always cool to get drunk and act like an idiot. Sometimes there's consequences to pay.

Ultimately this film is entertaining and good at making you feel the severity of their situation. The acting was good enough and pulled the story through. It's a crazy situation their in and it makes you realize how easy it is to be in a life or death situation from things you commonly use and wouldn't ever consider harmful.

Now this film isn't perfect, it has its many flaws. It's better than a lot of other survival horror films, though.

THIS FILM GETS 3 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Bait (2012)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 91 MINS
WRITERS- DUNCAN KENNEDY AND RUSSELL MULCAHY
STARRING- RICHARD BRANCATISANO, XAVIER SAMUEL AND CHRIS BETTS
DIRECTOR- KIMBLE RENDALL



Synopsis taken from IMDb
This movie is about a group of people who get trapped in a Supermarket after a Tsunami hits the coast of Queensland, Australia. But they soon find out that they have more to worry about than being in a flooded grocery store, there's a 12 foot shark swimming around them, and it's hungry. 



This film starts with getting introduced to Josh (Xavier Samuel), the films lead heroin. There's some character dialog, but the build up is all for a grisly shark attack that comes out of no where. The victim is an old man out in the ocean swimming.

From the beginning of this film you can see the influence Piranha 3D (2010) has had on this film. It's not meant to be a great film, they're going for an entertaining film.

A year later, Josh hears there's a shark migration happening on the TV. He then heads to the Supermarket. Meanwhile, there's a robbery being discussed in the parking lot and we see a couple making out in their car.

Inside the Supermarket, a shoplifter, Jaime (Phoebe Tonkin), is being chased by a security guard. She hides in the back room of the Supermarket and finds her boyfriend, Ryan (Alex Russell) who works there. Before Ryan can make her put the merchandise she stole back on the shelves his boss comes in and calls the police and fires Ryan.

In the store Josh is stocking shelves when he sees Tina, his love interest we meet in the beginning of the movie. Tina has a new boyfriend named Steven (Qi Yuwu).

In the parking lot an agreement is made about the robbery. The robbers names are Doyle (Julian McMahon) and Kirby (Dan Wyllie). The robbery is instantly compromised and goes wrong.

Suddenly a Tsunami hits and floods the store. This scene is total chaos. Everything going on between so many characters hits a sudden stop when everything is flooded and it becomes a fight for survival.

You've got people dying, people struggling to hold on and you've got the survivors who jump to the top of the shelves to get out of the water.

In the midst of coming up with a plan things go terribly wrong when they realize they can't leave. A great white is in the store with them, forbidding them to get off the shelves and come up with an escape plan.

It's truly horrific to see how the characters mesh. A great deal of the film is just them staying safe on top of the shelves interacting. And you'd think that with such a weird array of characters that it would prove to be interesting to see them have to work together. Instead it shows you how pathetic the cast is by making it these scenes completely boring. The shark is the ice breaker, it's what makes those scenes even remotely interesting. It really is a case of the film makers not knowing what they're doing and leaving the film on the casts shoulders of a hollow cast incapable of handling it.

This film is a cheap version of Piranha, it's Piranha without the Girls Gone Wild aspect. The sex is toned down a lot in comparison with Piranha, and overall I have to say that this movie fails.

It isn't suspenseful. It isn't scary. There are hardly any jump moments and the story is so cliche it'll make you slap your head in disbelief of how bad the acting is. All of these elements combined with the lack of character development cripples this film.

The actual shark they show, not the CGI one, is very detailed and real looking. But they should have left the shark tale to Jaws. This film is as forgettable as a bad day. It holds no significance in any way.

The shark attack scenes are the only interesting part of this movie. The effects and gore aren't bad. It's just a shame that they're wasted on this movie.

Based on the trailer and poster art I can't say I'm surprised this movie was a disaster, I'm just shocked at how bad it actually is. It's lazy and predictable. This film makes you instantly desire to watch Jaws, you need something refreshing to take the bad taste left in your mouth from Bait.

This film is nothing but stuff we've seen before done better, only they want to win you over because it's in 3D. This 3D thing gets out of hand when it's used as a means to tell a story. They don't make a good story and incorporate 3D in it. They just think of a bunch of cheesy overused ideas and add 3D to it thinking 3D makes the movie good. It doesn't.

The ending of this movie shows hope of a "fresh start". I sure as hell hope that a "fresh start" doesn't include a sequel.

  

THIS FILM GETS 2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5