Unwelcome (2022)

  

 

Streaming Service: Shudder

Movie Name/Year: Unwelcome (2022)

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Length: 1h 44min

Rating: R

Production/Distribution: Tempo Productions Limited, Ingenious Media, Rococo Films, Warner Bros. Pictures, Well Go USA Entertainment, Shudder

Director: Jon Wright

Writers: Mark Stay, Jon Wright

Actors: Hannah John-Kamen, Colm Meaney, Douglas Booth, Jon Wright, Kristian Nairn, Niamh Cusack, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Finbar Lynch, Rick Warden, Lalor Roddy, Paul Blackwell, Caskey Brown, Mark Desvaux, Sarah Madigan, Ania Marson, Bradley Turner, Paul Warren, Richard Cave, Duncan Moyse

 

IMDb Blurb: Married couple Maya and Jamie escape their urban nightmare to the tranquility of rural Ireland only to discover malevolent and murderous goblins lurking in the gnarled, ancient wood at the foot of their new garden.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

I’ve been looking forward to watching Unwelcome ever since its limited theater run in March 2023 brought it up for contention for our Top 20 article for that month. It was, in fact, my #9 pick. 

Unwelcome had several things going for it including an infrequently explored creature from Celtic mythology, the gorgeous setting of Ireland, a recognizable cast, and an intriguing story exploring the titular theme from dual fronts. 

 

Let’s start with the familiar faces among the cast. Colm Meaney (Pixie, Save the Cinema, Marlowe) just excels at playing a villainous curmudgeon. He’s one of the best-known Irish actors and you can always count on him for a solid performance. Unwanted was no exception. His character just made me uncomfortable. Kristian Nairn (Mythica: The Godslayer, Robin Hood: The Rebellion, Our Flag Means Death) added his own creepy element to the story, and thankfully got more lines than playing poor Hodor in Game of Thrones (2011-2019). Well…whole sentences at least. 

Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp, Killjoys, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City) and Douglas Booth (The Limehouse Golem, Loving Vincent, The Dirt) worked well as an on-screen couple. I believed their chemistry and found it easy to empathize with their story. 

 

I was also generally impressed by how Unwelcome brought the redcaps to life on the screen. I was surprised to learn that the effects were primarily practical with the only CGI elements focused on motion-captured facial movements. I think they did a decent job bringing the little goblin-like critters to life. My only nitpicking note was that their well-known titular red caps weren’t always shown. 

The redcaps mythology originated in Scotland, lurking in castle ruins and preying on the wayward traveler. They’re not unheard of in Ireland, however, so their appearance in an Irish horror based on faerie folklore was still within the realm of belief, at least. 

Unwelcome could have benefited from a little tighter editing to streamline the story. There was at least one scene that could have been cut entirely or at least heavily modified. It felt like it was added to either toss in a political point or at the very least give John-Kamen’s character something controversial in her background. Other than that, the story was fine and generally delivered what was promised - with a little twist. 

 

The only other element that took away from my overall experience was the ending. On one hand, I get it. At least, I think I understand what the story was going for. I just felt like it didn’t quite gel with the rest so the ending feeling was a little disjointed. By that point, however, I’d already been on the pulse-pounding rollercoaster ride that led up to those final moments and I enjoyed everything else the narrative had to offer. 

If you enjoy horror based on folklore, Unwelcome is a decent offering in that category. There’s even a little levity worked in here and there, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it’s a horror-comedy. 

Unwelcome lands on Shudder starting Friday, June 23rd, 2023.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 64%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 41%

Metascore – 64%

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 5.1/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

 

Movie Trailer:

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

 

 

Streaming Service: HBO Max

Movie Name/Year:  The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Genre: Drama, Comedy

Length: 1h 54min

Rating: R

Production/Distribution: Blueprint Pictures, Film 4, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Metropolitan Films International, TSG Entertainment, Searchlight Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Disney+, HBO Max

Director: Martin McDonagh

Writers: Martin McDonagh

Actors: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Pat Shortt, Gary Lydon, Sheila Flitton, David Pearse, Jon Kenny, Bríd Ní Neachtain

 

IMDb Blurb: Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

I was really excited to watch The Banshees of Inisherin from the moment I watched the first trailer. The film had so much going for it, I figured it was guaranteed to become a new favorite. 

Writer and director Martin McDonagh (Six Shooter, Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), whom was also responsible for the exciting and hilarious In Bruges (2008) was bringing Brendan Gleeson (Paddington 2, Mr. Mercedes, Riverdance: The Animated Adventure) and Colin Farrell (Dumbo, Voyagers, The Batman) back together again for another darkly comedic love-hate relationship. This powerhouse acting duo caught lightning in a bottle on screen together in the past, and I imagined it would be much the same this time around. They’d even be in their native Ireland! 

 

I wasn’t entirely wrong - but The Banshees of Inisherin was nothing like I expected, either. 

For a movie set in Ireland, I was missing the traditional Irish music in the production’s soundtrack. While music is part of the plot, it just didn’t quite satisfy my craving to pair the haunting melodies with the gorgeous Irish vistas on screen. This was apparently a specific choice made by McDonagh. I get it, though. It would be hard to sell a tale about the erosion of joy with snappy jigs playing in the background. 

 

That’s the thing, though – The Banshees of Inisherin was a rather bleak gut-punch of a story rather than the dark comedy romp that I’d been hoping for. At one point about halfway through, I found myself in tears. I related to Farrell’s character on a level that was profoundly uncomfortable. Losing a friend is never easy - especially when you don’t understand why. It’s easier to move on when there’s logic in the situation such as you just grew apart or long-distance communication was difficult. When it seems like an arbitrary decision was made, however, it’s that much harder to let go. I had that happen to me once. I’m still not sure the true reason why I lost a dear friend almost 20 years ago, and sometimes it just haunts me. There will likely always be questions on my end and little closure. Generally, I try not to think about it but this movie just brought it all roaring back. 

 

On the whole, The Banshees of Inisherin was a solid and well-executed production. All of the cast were wonderful in their roles and the cinematography capturing the gorgeous Irish landscapes was on point. There were a few chuckles here and there, though this film leaned more toward drama. 

While my own emotional reaction to this story will likely prevent me from watching The Banshees of Inisherin again, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 96%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 75%

Metascore – 87%

Metacritic User Score – 7.3 /10

IMDB Score – 7.7/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

 

Movie Trailer:

The Cellar (2022)

Streaming Service: Shudder
Movie Name/Year: The Cellar (2022)
Genre: Horror
Length: 94 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Production/Distribution: Epic Pictures, Hail Mary Pictures, Savage Productions, Wrong Men North, RLJE Films, Shudder, Wildcard Distribution, Front Row Filmed Entertainment
Director: Brendan Muldowney
Writer: Brendan Muldowney
Actors: Elisha Cuthbert, Eoin Macken, Aaron Monaghan, Abby Fitz, Andrew Bennett, Chris McHallem, Dylan Fitzmaurice Brady, Marie Mullen, Michael-David McKernan, Seán Doyle, Steve Gunn, Tara Lee
 
IMDb Blurb: Keira Woods' daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house. She soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family's souls forever.

 
Selina’s Point of View:
At the start of the film, The Cellar seemed like it would be a bit basic. Just about any haunted house-style flick could have started the exact same way. Many have.

I got excited when it seemed as though there might be a little something more underneath. What had originally felt like a paint-by-numbers horror suddenly seemed to be sliding down a mystery/thriller route. I was here for it. If it had kept going at that, I would have been much happier with the final product.

That said, it still wasn’t that bad.

The ending of the film was up my alley. It was foreboding. I’ve always been a fan of that kind of down ending. Even now when I tend to lean more towards escapism.

There were some unique puzzles, and the focus of the plot did stray from expectations a little. Some of that intrigue was lost on me because I can read a very little bit of Hebrew. As a result, I did see approximately where it was going. People without that ability might get sucked in a bit easier, though.
I do think that they did a great job by not showing too much of the creature involved. In fact, I wish they’d kept that up, even through the ending. Leaving that kind of thing up to the imagination brings tension up so much higher.

The Cellar wound up being an acceptable, if mostly ordinary, horror film. I wish it had taken some of the other roads I saw as options, but it’s still alright for casual viewing.

 
Cat’s Point of View:
One of the odd bits of knowledge not many realize about Louisiana is that basements, or cellars as the case may be for this movie, are extremely rare in residences. We’re so close to sea level and the water table is so high that it’s generally not structurally feasible without prohibitive expense.
 
That being said, I generally view these subterranean spaces with a mixture of awe and trepidation. They’re just foreign to me and only exist in large commercial buildings and places like my college campus. (That’s where the laundry room was in my dorm building. Fun, right? No. Scary.)
 
When I saw there was going to be a new horror movie with the title of The Cellar, I was already intrigued before I even saw the trailer. Sign me up.

 
I wasn’t entirely familiar with writer and director Brendan Muldowney’s (Savage, Love Eternal, Pilgrimage) work, however, I am a fan of Elisha Cuthbert (24, Goon: Last of the Enforcers, The Ranch) and Eoin Macken (The Forest, Nightflyers, La Brea) so The Cellar already had something going in its favor. When you add in the Ireland setting, that was just icing on the cake.
 
The fastest way to harness my rapt attention is to speak to me in any sort of Gaelic accent. I digress.
 
Trailers all too often give away too much these days. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves. I’m on the fence about whether or not that happened with The Cellar. The sneak peek reveals quite a bit but without all of the context so the viewer might not realize. I suppose it would give a decent litmus test as to whether or not someone might enjoy the production, itself. If you watch and like the trailer – you might just like the expanded version of the story. The opposite could also be true.

 
I loved the eerie and suspenseful atmosphere that built within The Cellar. The background score wove me into each scene with a tapestry of sound. There was even a piece of music during the end credits that will haunt me much like some of the soundtrack from The Omen (1976) franchise.
 
The house used as the primary setting was also fascinating, and I really enjoyed how it played a part in the larger story. I’ve always been enamored of hidden rooms and secret passages within houses like that.
 
There are a few of the usual tropes one would expect from a movie such as The Cellar, but they weren’t over-used. The jump-scares were even kept to a minimum. I was also a fan of the fact that they didn’t shy away from technology or modern concepts such as social media.

 
At the same time, The Cellar didn’t dive too far down the rabbit hole. The story remained focused so that it didn’t have loose ends lying about when the credits rolled. I didn’t see that ending coming. That was a pleasant, if unsettling, surprise.
 
Overall, The Cellar met my expectations for this flavor of horror movie.
 
The Cellar will release to theaters as well as streaming on Shudder starting Friday, April 15^th.

 
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 32%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 6.1/10
 
Trust the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating – PG-13
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5
 
Movie Trailer:

Riverdance: The Animated Adventure (2021)

 

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Riverdance: The Animated Adventure (2021)
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Music
Length:  90 minutes
Rating: TV-G
Production/Distribution: Aniventure, Cinesite, River Production, Constantin Film, Notorious Pictures, SND Films, Vértice Cine, Sky Cinema, Netflix
Directors: Eamonn Butler, Dave Rosenbaum
Writers: Dave Rosenbaum, Tyler Werrin
Actors: Pierce Brosnan, Brendan Gleeson, Lilly Singh, Jermaine Fowler, John Kavanagh, Pauline McLynn, Stephen Delahunty, Conor Drum, Sam Hardy, Hannah Herman, Rory Kardos-Ivess, Thomas Lappin, Danny McColgan, Brian Tynan
 
IMDb Blurb: An Irish boy named Keegan and a Spanish girl named Moya journey into the mythical world of the Megaloceros Giganteus who teach them to appreciate Riverdance as a celebration of life.

 
Cat’s Point of View:
It’s hard to put into words how giddy I was when I noticed that Riverdance: The Animated Adventure was available to stream on Netflix. When I listed it as my #12 on November 2021’s Top 20 list, it wasn’t clear where it would be landing for streaming purposes following its initial run. I could have danced a jig on the spot (had I still the coordination and balance for such things).
 
I feel I must preface my review with the same disclaimer as my Top 20 entry: don’t expect the stage show when you watch this movie. If you have the story from the show in your head, you would likely be disappointed and frustrated with the movie. Clean your mental slate before embracing this whimsical Irish tale of magic and music.
 
I’m pretty sure the few stinky critic reviews I’ve seen so far (as well as regular audiences) were from those that didn’t bother to modify their expectations – and failed to take into consideration the fantastical nature of Irish folklore.

 
I can’t say that I’m familiar with all of Ireland’s myths, but I do know a fair amount of them. Irish art, music, and mythology have been passions of mine for many years. Deer have been represented in several legends. Why not this one, too?
 
Let’s put aside whether or not the legend of the Irish deer (Megalocerus Giganteus) magically preserving the flow of rivers and teaching people step-dancing is authentic or not. It’s still a fun story. I actually adored how the writers incorporated the deer with the dance, and also the overall message of the movie – coping with grief and moving on in celebration of life. The heart of the story is authentically Irish enough that the rest doesn’t matter.

 
There were more layers to this story than I anticipated. It’s definitely about more than just dancing deer and the soundtrack. It’s about family, community, responsibility, owning your mistakes, tradition, friendship, and inclusivity as well. Complex for a kiddie movie? Perhaps, if you look at those concepts on paper. The animated tale made it easy to swallow without being preachy. I will also add that the production was very respectful in portraying death on screen so that it wouldn’t be as traumatic for young viewers.
 
Honestly, if you know someone with young kids dealing with grief from the loss of a loved one; this might be a good movie to show them to help them through it a little.
 
Now for the music.

 
I don’t think they could really get away with calling this Riverdance without some aspect of the original within the film. In this case, Riverdance: The Animated Adventure uses quite a bit of the music from the stage production. The same composer was on board, after all. Some songs were used only as a background score as events unfolded, but other tracks still hosted lively Irish step-dancing on the screen. It was just animated this time. I got a bit misty when my favorite piece played. Each number was thematically appropriate for the action on screen.
 
I absolutely adored this marriage of music and animation. If you loved the music of the stage production, perhaps give Riverdance: The Animated Adventure a try. Do keep in mind that the message is geared for younger kids, but it could still be fun for the whole family. My 18-year-old daughter watched with me and enjoyed it more than she would admit to. 

 
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 38%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 5.4/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5

P.S. - There is a brief post-credits scene.

Movie Trailer:

Boys from County Hell (2021)

Streaming Services: Shudder
Movie Name/Year: Boys from County Hell (2021)
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Length: 90 minutes
Rating: NR
Production/Distribution: Six Mile Hill Productions, Blinder Films, Endeavor Content, Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen, Automatik FX, Egg Studios, Inevitable Pictures, Shudder
Director: Chris Baugh
Writer: Chris Baugh, Brendan Mullin
Actors: Jack Rowan, Nigel O’Neill, Louisa Harland, Michael Hough, John Lynch, Fra Fee, Morgan C. Jones, Robert Nairne
 
Blurb from IMDb: A crew of hardy road workers, led by a bickering Father and Son, must survive the night when they accidentally awaken an ancient Irish vampire.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
This is the flick I’ve been waiting for all month. It’s horror comedy, it’s Irish… it’s got so much of what I love. I’m happy to say, it didn’t disappoint.
 
As it got started, I began to get a slightly darker Shaun of the Dead (2004) vibe. That didn’t last. The deeper I got, the darker it got. When the horror aspect really got going it came out of left field and caught me completely off guard.
 
By the end of it, I couldn’t really compare it to the 2004 Edgar Wright zombie comedy that I thought it would be lumped in with. If I had to compare the feel of it to anything, now, I’d say it’s closer to Fright Night (2011). It had that same kind of realistic humor meshed with fear.
 
The biggest difference is that this flick definitely went ten times harder with the terror aspects.
 
I enjoyed the aesthetics of the vampire more that I can accurately convey. I’ve always been more of a Nosferatu (1922) girl, when it comes to the ancient blood suckers. Interview with the Vampire (1994), or stuff like Vampire Diaries (2009-2017), is fine, but I prefer fear over romance.
 

No one is taking the vamp in this film home to meet mom.
 
The creature had a terrifying visage: jagged teeth, long stringy hair, a hooked nose, bone-tight skin with veins pressing to the surface and blood dripping over the dark, nearly blue, flesh. He was gorgeously hard to look at.
 
I spent the entire hour-and-a-half runtime glued to the screen. Every time the horror got so dark that I thought there was no coming back, they inserted enough humor to add that essential balance that horror/comedy so desperately needs in order to work.
 
I did notice a couple of errors in the timeline that kind of irked me. It did pull me out of the story a tiny bit, but not enough to ruin the whole thing.
 
Boys from County Hell was absolutely remarkable.
 
Boys from County Hell will be available to stream on Shudder, April 22.
 

Cat’s Point of View:

When you mention Ireland and vampires, you generally don’t find them in the same sentence. That could often be held true for horror and comedy. However, every once in a while the two go together quite well and you can end up with something absolutely fan-freaking-tastic like Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (2010).

 
At the same time, that is a really tough comparison because it’s hard for other movies to live up to that unicorn standard. I am happy to report that The Boys from County Hell reasonably succeeded in this particular attempt at the genre blend. The overall story here, albeit, is significantly darker.
 
I will admit that I’m slightly biased when it comes to Irish-based movies and stories in general. Irish lore, accents, music, and landscape seem to speak directly to my ginger soul. That being said, I’ve immersed myself in a lot of it over the years. I can’t say that I’ve run across many mentions of vampires.
 
The topic is a patch of common ground that pop-culture horror enthusiasts can latch on to. You say ‘vampire’ and it’s immediately recognizable by most. Unless you’re talking about banshees or leprechauns, you don’t get that same sort of recognition with the scarier of the Irish bogeymen. The Dullahan doesn’t ring bells for most, even if the legend bears a close resemblance to The Headless Horseman.

 
The interesting tidbit here is that there is an actual Irish legend of Abhartach. I won’t get into detail here, however. Spoilers! If you give the movie a go and are interested in a little more background lore on the subject, give that name a search and I imagine you’ll find it interesting. I digress…
 
I really liked how this story was pulled together. Urban sprawl and its side effects are concepts familiar to many, and the price for those that live in areas under development is often unpleasant. The characters were also relatable, and I found myself invested in them. The humor was spot on and you wouldn’t have to entirely understand the nuances of Irish culture to get it. There were a few words here or there that were unique to Irish slang, but it shouldn’t be a worry.
 
The effects were also solid. Nothing looked hokey or too fake. There was one bit that actually had me cringing a bit because of the realistic nature of a particular wound in a scene. I mean, ow. I believed everything that they were selling. 
 
Well done for the relatively new Six Mile Hill Production for this gem. Good acting, good story, and I had a great time watching. Shudder has scored a good one with The Boys from County Hell. It’s one of the many that make it worth the reasonable subscription fee. 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 6.3/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5
 
Trust-the-Dice’s Parental Advisory Rating: R
 
P.S. If you’re not overly familiar with Irish accents, you may need captions.
 
Movie Trailer: