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aion-rsa · 3 years

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The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 Episode 1 Review: Has the Story Outgrown the Limits of June’s Character?

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This The Handmaid’s Tale review contains spoilers.

“Are you ready?” they asked June, holding a red hot cauteriser over her bleeding gunshot wound. “No,” she said, but they jabbed her anyway. Hard relate. The Handmaid’s Tale has been away for almost two years, and now it’s back, are we ready for the pain? Of course not, but it’s happening.

In any other show, episode one’s pain would have been been extreme. Esther’s story of a bloody act of revenge inspired by child sexual abuse would have been a rare depth plumbed, the culmination of a whole-series crime mystery, or a long-held simmering character secret. Here? It’s just another day in Gilead. Mrs Keyes (played with remarkable self-possession by 14-year-old actor McKenna Grace), is one awful story among thousands.

Specifically, she’s the story June fears will become Hannah’s in the near future. In her numbed, feverish state, June conflated the two girls and called Esther by her daughter’s nickname in that final “I love you too, Banana,” scene.

Esther isn’t June’s only adoptive daughter, our lead is also the protector of Janine and all the other former Handmaids. Despite barely being able to walk, June insisted on approaching the safe house alone, signalling to them when it was safe to follow. When they were dancing like teenagers in the barn, she only looked on. She’s no longer one of them, but their leader – a resistance hero in command of an underground revolt. More than that, she’s become a celebrity in this world – a figurehead for everybody who wants to see Gilead burn. She’s Che Guevara, a symbol of revolution. If Gilead’s rebels could put her face on t-shirts, they would.

A potential problem for season four is that symbols don’t make compelling characters. The transformation from person to icon can be fascinating, but once a character’s up on that pedestal, giving out rousing speeches and making the hard decisions, they’ve generally reached their climax. However supreme Elisabeth Moss remains in this role, there’s a sense that we may already have seen everything that June Osborne the character has to offer. How many times now have we watched June – as she did in this episode – suffer, collapse, and then rise up with a renewed sense of fight? Half a dozen? More? At some stage, a repeating pattern begins to lose impact.

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That may not be fatal, because The Handmaid’s Tale is no longer June’s story. Not really. Thanks to her, it’s now the story of Gilead’s fall, starting with the loss of the children she saved. A highlight of this season opener was watching the Waterfords receive the news that not only were there now 86 new Baby Nicholes in Canada, but that June was behind it. The looks on their faces. That whole scene crackled with hostility, making the prospect of any return visit to those two tantalising. Fingers crossed their trial isn’t delayed much further.

Commander Lawrence’s trial came and went, without him, or us, and with a rug pull ending. All episode, he and the viewer had been led to believe that Lawrence was heading the way of Janine’s pig Mr Darcy and facing execution for his role in the mass break-out that happened under his nose. Not so. Nick’s retcon ascent to power must have shot him to such heights that he was able to argue the case for keeping Lawrence around for the war ahead. Given the choice between Bradley Whitford and no Bradley Whitford of course, any sane TV viewer would choose the former, even if his character’s survival stretches credulity in a world where arms are amputated and necks broken for much less.

The episode denied us a glimpse at this season’s more compelling storyline – the fates of those children in the 19 days they’ve been on Canadian soil. While June was staggering around that farmstead getting her murderous groove back, it was hard not to let attention drift to the reunions and culture shock going on off-screen. How was Canada reacting to the bombshell arrival of those kids? Were Rita and Luke bonding? Did the sight of them bring back the Gilead trauma for Moira and Emily? Our investment in the stories of the ensemble is a credit to The Handmaid’s Tale’s thoughtful expansion of Margaret Atwood’s world.

It’s not just the production team who’ve expanded that world of course. Since season three aired, Atwood published Booker Prize-winning sequel The Testaments, set 15 years after the end of her original novel. For TV viewers who’ve read it, the book offers an endpoint for the series that will be fascinating to see reached.

The opener’s other highlight came courtesy of the indomitable Ann Dowd. Aunt Lydia appeared in front of the Sons of Jacob bearing signs of torture after 19 days of interrogation by the Eyes. The experience hadn’t softened her permanent fury, but it did appear to have pointed it in a new direction. She hissed with disdain for the Sons, her required humility in their presence accompanied by what seemed like visceral contempt. Her parting line about them doing their jobs and bringing June to her, was almost delivered as a threat. What an actor, and what potential in her trajectory ahead.

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Episodes one to three of The Handmaid’s Tale season four are streaming now on Hulu. Season four will air on Channel 4 in the UK at a later date.

The post The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 Episode 1 Review: Has the Story Outgrown the Limits of June’s Character? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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brokehorrorfan · 5 years

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Blu-ray Review: Amityville: The Cursed Collection

After the original trilogy, The Amityville Horror's storyline had run its course, as had its theatrical viability. The 1979 original is an iconic adaptation of Jay Anson’s allegedly true book. 1982's Amityville II: The Possession is a successful prequel that shows the murders that led to the house being haunted. 1983's Amityville 3-D rested its laurels on the 3D gimmick for a largely dull entry.

This would spell the end for most franchises (at least until the remake boom), but once the home video industry blossomed, the marketable title was revived for a spate of direct-to-video sequels. While the initial source material had been tapped, four of these later efforts borrowed a concept from John G. Jones' 1988 short story collection, Amityville: The Evil Escapes, in which cursed objects from the original house find their way into unsuspecting peoples' lives.

Vinegar Syndrome has collected the pseudo-quadrilogy of 1989's Amityville: The Evil Escapes, 1992's Amityville: It’s About Time, 1993's Amityville: A New Generation, and 1996's Amityville Dollhouse - the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth installments in the franchise, respectively - in a Blu-ray box set dubbed Amityville: The Cursed Collection. (The absent fifth entry, 1990's The Amityville Curse, is an unrelated Canadian production that remains out of print due to rights issues.)

Amityville: The Evil Escapes was made for television but features decent production value, including a strong opening with a rain storm and a fairly convincing facade of the original Amityville house at 112 Ocean Avenue. The Amityville Horror screenwriter Sandor Stern returned to write and direct the followup. While having one of the original creative forces at the helm is a good omen, his effort is light on scares.

The film follows Nancy Evans (Patty Duke, Valley of the Dolls) and her three children. The untimely death of Nancy's husband has put a financial burden on the family, forcing them to move to rural California to live with her mother, Alice (Jane Wyatt, Star Trek), who recently received an antique lamp from the Amityville house. The 300-year-old evil is attached to the lamp and then transmigrates to the most vulnerable person in the house: the grieving youngest child, Jessica (Brandy Gold), who communicates with her late father.

The familial melodrama is akin to a Lifetime movie, while a series of strange occurrences in the house causes further tension between its inhabitants. Naturally, the cursed lamp lights up whenever something happens. The ridiculous plot lends itself to a few entertaining set pieces, including a possessed chainsaw and a garbage disposal gone wrong. The gore in the latter scene was absent from the TV broadcast but was added for the home video release and remains intact on Blu-ray.

Duke is probably a little too old for her role, but she's good in it. The kids don't fare as well, but what's asked of them is fairly minimal. The cast also includes Fredric Lehne (Supernatural) and Norman Lloyd (Saboteur) as a pair of priests from Amityville, Aron Eisenberg (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as Nancy's son, and Peggy McCay (Days of Our Lives) as Alice's sister, who sets the story into motion by gifting her the lamp.

Amityville: The Evil Escapes's Blu-ray disc includes new interviews with Stern and cinematographer Tom Richmond (House of 1000 Corpses, Chopping Mall). Stern's conversation is an informative one, but the most interesting fact is that he had no idea more sequels were made after this one. Richmond details how he felt more like the lighting manager than the director of photographer, as Stern was more experienced and knew what he wanted.

Amityville: It’s About Time is directed by Tony Randel (Hellbound: Hellraiser II) and written by Christopher DeFaria (who went on to executive produce the likes of Mad Max: Fury Road, Gravity, and Ready Player One) and Antonio Toro. Its subtitle is not just a clever clock pun; the movie deals with time in rather interesting, if sometimes nonsensical, ways - including time shifts. The name also works in a metaphorical sense, as the core of the picture is about a character struggling to break the cycle of making the same mistakes.

In the film, the Amityville house has been torn down and replaced with a new development, but architect Jacob Sterling (Stephen Macht, The Monster Squad) helped himself to a antique clock. He brings it home to suburban California, where his ex-girlfriend, Andrea (Shawn Weatherly, Police Academy 3: Back in Training), is watching his two teenage kids, Rusty (Damon Martin, Ghoulies II) and Lisa (Megan Ward, Encino Man). The clock physically roots itself into their home and begins controlling the family members.

Rusty - who's depicted as a "troubled" kid in a very '90s way, complete with black clothing, an earring, and heavy metal music - recognizes that there is an evil presence, but everyone else blames him for the weird happenings in the neighborhood. While he's at the center of it, the plot successfully integrates the entire household, unlike the previous film, and the complicated family dynamic is a welcome shakeup of the formula.

Playing more like an ensemble than any other Amityville, each cast member is able to pull their own weight. Macht's role is fairly thankless, as a dog attack leaves him in failing health, but he fully commits. Jonathan Penner (Survivor) gives a charismatic performance as Andrea's pretentious psychologist boyfriend, and Nita Talbot (Hogan's Heroes), Terrie Snell (Home Alone), and Dick Miller (Gremlins) are among the neighbors who pop up.

If not for the tenuous connection to the Amityville Horror franchise, I suspect this picture might have more of a cult following. (It's easier for word-of-mouth to spread about a lone gem than the sixth entry in a direct-to-video franchise.) The most entertaining film in the set, It's About Time is a charming, if unspectacular, B-movie with a delightfully silly plot and several fun moments featuring special effects by KNB EFX Group (From Dusk Till Dawn, Scream), the most memorable of which sees a character melting into the floor.

Amityville: It’s About Time's Blu-ray disc includes new interviews with Randel and DeFaria. Randel seems to relish the opportunity to discuss the film, as he says no one ever asks about it, and praises the cast and crew. DeFaria explains that he offered to write the film as a way to get his foot in the door as a producer - which, looking at his post-Amityville resume, seems to have worked out for him.

Amityville: A New Generation eschews the franchise's traditional, suburban family dynamic in favor of a metaphorical one; a community of artists living in an urban loft co-opt. It focuses on Keyes Terry (Ross Partridge, Stranger Things), a struggling photographer who's struck with inspiration when a homeless man gives him an ornate mirror that has been in his family for generations. The mirror predicts the death of its first victim, which would be an interesting enough concept, but alas it is not consistent. Ultimately, the possessed object tempts Keyes to commit murder.

The film boasts a powerful supporting cast that includes David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London) as the landlord, Terry O'Quinn (Lost) as a detective, Richard Roundtree (Shaft) as one of the artists, Robert Rusler (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge) as a disgruntled ex-boyfriend, and a particularly charming Lin Shaye (Insidious) as a mental hospital nurse. Although the cast elevates the material, the script - penned by a returning DeFaria and Toro - remains lackluster.

While the previous entries did an admirable job to overcome their limited resources, A New Generation looks and feels very much like a '90s direct-to-video movie; THE of the same caliber as the endless Children of the Corn, Hellraiser, and The Prophecy sequels that were being churned out around the same time. Despite a direct connection to the Amityville mythology beyond the mirror, it hardly even feels like an Amityville movie.

Directed by John Murlowski (Santa with Muscles) made the inspired choice to hire The Amityville Horror visual effects artist William Cruse to handle the elaborate mirror effects. They're all accomplished in camera; an impressive feat that sounds great in theory but looks campy in practice. The film also features cinematography by future Academy Award winner Wally Pfister (Inception, The Dark Knight).

Amityville: A New Generation's disc includes new interviews with Murlowski and DeFari, plus a commentary by Murlowski. Murlowski's chat includes a breakdown of the analog effects, supplemented by behind-the-scenes footage. His commentary allows him to go more in depth, citing The Shining as an inspiration, pointing out the similarities to Oculus, and addressing shortcomings such as the pacing and the rubber monster. DeFari discusses the challenges of channeling artists' fears on screen and offers advice for aspiring filmmakers.

Amityville Dollhouse is perhaps the most traditional of the bunch in terms of concept, though its execution goes in a different direction. In it, a newly blended family moves into a house that the contractor father, Bill Martin (Robin Thomas, Summer School), built on the original Amityville lot. Bill finds an old dollhouse - a miniature model of the Amityville abode, naturally - and gives it to his young daughter. While the girl ostensibly releases the evil, the strange occurrences begin before she receives the gift.

The eerie events start small but escalate to the point where the family's younger boy sees his deceased father, urging him to murder his family. The father appears in three stages of decay, a la Jack in An American Werewolf in London. His ultimate form is something like a cross between Tales from the Crypt's Crypt Keeper and Friday the 13th Part VII's Jason Voorhees, but he's too loquacious to be scary, delivering a few Freddy Krueger-esque quips.

While the deceased father feels a bit out of place in an Amityville movie, he is the highlight of the film, thanks to exceptional makeup by SOTA Effects' Roy Knyrim (The Toxic Avenger Part II & III). Also notable is an appearance by a young Lisa Robin Kelly (That '70s Show). The film marks the lone directorial effort of Steve White, who executive produced all four films in the set, along with The Devil’s Advocate and Halloweentown. Joshua Michael Stern (director of Jobs) penned the script.

Amityville Dollhouse's disc includes new interviews with White, Knyrim, and director of photography Thomas L. Callaway (Feast, Slumber Party Massacre II), along with alternate footage from the TV edit. White, having produced the prior three films, offers an interesting perspective. Knyrim discusses the progression of the dead father's makeup and how existing creature parts were repurposed for demons in the climax. Callaway breaks down a few interesting techniques, like a 360-degree shot with a periscope lens and the challenges of lighting a character covered in latex.

The perfect companion to Scream Factory's The Amityville Horror Trilogy set, Amityville: The Cursed Collection is available exclusively from Vinegar Syndrome. It's not as loaded with extras as some of the company's releases (there's no input from any cast members and only one commentary), but each movie offers at least a couple of new interviews. All four films have been newly restored in 4K from their 35mm original camera negatives, so they look better than they ever have. Each disc is in its own Blu-ray case with reversible artwork, all packaged in a slipcase box designed by Earl Kessler Jr., which is limited to 4,000.

Amityville: The Cursed Collection is available now from Vinegar Syndrome.

#the amityville horror #amityville horror #amityville #amityville: it's about time #vinegar syndrome #amityville: the evil escapes #amityville: a new generation #review #article #dvd #gift #lin shaye #david naughton #terry o'quinn #dick miller #patty duke #richard roundtree #robert rusler #stephen macht

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themosleyreview · 6 years

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The Mosley Review: The Predator

It is truly heartbreaking to see a franchise you love keep getting worse and worse and almost to the point where you want to completely give up on it. I love the Predator films and specifically the original, Predator 2 and Predators. The Predator is one of the most iconic sci fi monsters and it's sad that each one of its later films have all been horrible. The first film was a perfect sci fi action film that had horror elements where as Predator 2 was more about the brutality. Predators brought us back to the original’s style and had a great story. Those 3 films also had characters you cared about. Now here we are with a new entry to the franchise that is just an empty, loud and violent film that had some moments of good action and some funny one liners, but overall it had no identity or real direction. At least this film introduced a new history to the Predator's race and mythos that I want to know more of. It truly started off with potential, but it just plummeted into nonsense and cheap nostalgic references to past superior films.

The cast were as good as they could be in this type of film, but I felt like I was watching a cheaper sci fi version of The Expendables that was made in the early 90's. Boyd Holbrook is a fantastic actor and as the hero of the film, Quinn McKenna, he keeps you invested for the most part and stays true to his badass nature. Sterling K. Brown is another great actor and I liked his dark since of humor as Will Traeger. He was your standard G-man that is highly invested in grabbing all alien technology and I felt like he was another version of Gary Busey's Peter Keyes. I liked Olivia Munn in the film as Casey Bracket and she handled the action pretty well in the film. Jacob Trembley was good as Quinn's son Rory and I was glad he was useful in the film. Trevante Rhodes was good in the film as Nebraska, but I've seen him do alot better. Thomas Jane was good and strange as Baxley and his chemistry with Keegan-Michael Key's Cole was actually hilarious in some parts. Augusto Aguilera as Nettles was weird and Alfie Allen as Lynch really didn't have much to do in the film. I was disappointed with the use of Jake Busey as the son of Peter Keyes, Sean. I wish he picked up where his father left off and you could've had a fun vengeance subplot or something. It was waste.

It is not a Predator film if the theme isn't present and I loved hearing it once again thanks to the excellent composer Henry Jackman. The action in the film was good and gory as I wanted. I was just truly disappointed with the plot and how it just was an empty action film and this franchise has had better and deserves better than this. We didn't need some new big genetically enhanced Predator and my god were there so many huge plot holes. The third act in the film just felt disjointed and just confirmed what I felt about almost all the characters: they're all cannon fodder. In the end, this was just a disappointment all around and I still will consider Predators to be the last true film in the franchise that hasn't forgotten its roots.

#the predator #Boyd Holbrook #Olivia Munn #trevante rhodes #thomas jane #keegan michael key #alfie allen #sterling k brown #jacob tremblay #jake busey #shane black

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9oodshots · 4 years

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𝗥.𝗜.𝗣. 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗗𝗪𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗕𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡⁣ 𝗡𝗼𝘃 𝟮𝟵, 𝟭𝟵𝟳𝟳 - 𝗔𝘂𝗴 𝟮𝟴, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬⁣ ⁣ It is with great sadness that actor Chadwick Boseman, who played the iconic roles of Jackie Robinson & James Brown before receiving critical acclaim as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, had died from stage IV cancer after 1st being diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016.⁣ ⁣ The talented actor had a career that began in 2003 & spanned 17 years playing 30 different characters over 33 movies & TV shows.⁣ ⁣ 2020: ‘Ma Rainey's Black Bottom’ [Yet To Be Released] - Levee⁣ 2020: ‘Da 5 Bloods’ - Stormin' Norman⁣ 2019: ‘21 Bridges’ - Andre Davis⁣ 2019: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ - T'Challa / Black Panther⁣ 2018: ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ - T'Challa / Black Panther⁣ 2018: ‘Black Panther’ - T'Challa / Black Panther⁣ 2017: ‘Marshall’ - Thurgood Marshall⁣ 2016: ‘Message from the King’ - Jacob King⁣ 2016: ‘Captain America: Civil War’ - T'Challa / Black Panther⁣ 2016: ‘Gods of Egypt’ - Thoth⁣ 2014: ‘9 Kisses’ [Short] - Musician⁣ 2014: ‘Get on Up’ - James Brown⁣ 2014: ‘Draft Day’ - Vontae Mack⁣ 2013: ‘42’ - Jackie Robinson⁣ 2012: ‘The Kill Hole’ - Lt. Samuel Drake⁣ 2011: ‘Fringe’ [TV Series] - Cameron James⁣ 2011: ‘Justified’ [TV Series] - Ralph 'Flex' Beeman⁣ 2011: ‘Detroit 1-8-7’ [TV Series] - Tommy Westin⁣ 2011: ‘Castle’ [TV Series] - Chuck Russell⁣ 2010: ‘The Glades’ [TV Series] - Michael Richmond⁣ 2010: ‘Persons Unknown’ [TV Series] - Graham McNair⁣ 2008-2009: ‘Lincoln Heights’ [TV Series] - Nathaniel Ray⁣ 2009: ‘Lie to Me’ [TV Series] - Cabe McNeil⁣ 2008: ‘Cold Case’ [TV Series] - Dexter 'Dex' Collins '05⁣ 2008: ‘ER’ [TV Series] - Derek Taylor⁣ 2008: ‘The Express’ - Floyd Little⁣ 2007: ‘The Appointment’ [Short] - The Mover⁣ 2006: ‘CSI: NY’ [TV Series] - Rondo⁣ 2006: ‘LadyLike’ [Short] - Male Lead⁣ 2004: ‘Date’ [Short] - New Yorker⁣ 2004: ‘Law & Order’ [TV Series] - Foster Keyes⁣ 2003: ‘Third Watch’ [TV Series] - David Wafer⁣ 2003: ‘All My Children’ [TV Series] - Reggie Porter Montgomery #1⁣ ⁣ Chadwick Boseman was survived by his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, & had no children. The actor had kept his diagnosis & much of his personal life under wraps. ©️ (at RIP) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEfhh7Elq84/?igshid=11itiyuswehjg

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