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Streaming Service: Shudder Movie Name/Year: The Lair (2023) Genre: Action, Horror Length: 1h 36min Rating: Unrated Production/Distribution: Rather Good Films, Scarlett
Productions Ltd., Ashland Hill Media Finance, Ingenious Media, Highland Film
Group (HFG) Director: Neil Marshall Writer: Charlotte Kirk, Neil Marshall Actors: Charlotte Kirk, Jonathan Howard, Jamie Bamber, Leon
Ockenden, Troy Alexander, Harry Taurasi, Mark Strepan, Hadi Khanjanpour, Kibong
Tanji, Mark Arends, Adam Bond, Alex Morgan Blurb from IMDb: When Royal Air Force pilot
Lt. Kate Sinclair is shot down over Afghanistan, she finds refuge in an
abandoned underground bunker where deadly man-made biological weapons - half
human, half alien - are awakened.
Selina’s Point of View: I have heard some
bad accents in my day, but none of them come close to what I heard in The
Lair. It was almost impossible for me to concentrate on the script because
the accents were basically parodies. Can’t call the movie a parody, though. The
Lair took itself
seriously. They clearly wanted to deliver a full-on monster film for the ages. When
it comes to the design of the creature, you could tell there was a ton of
effort. There are very few flicks with the kind of monster featured in The
Lair that succeed at creating a design that’s horrific, but still
realistic. I can absolutely appreciate that. The monster they
built was every bit of what they were going for. It looked phenomenal in the
underground scenes, but it also looked good when the scenes were brighter. That’s
not easy to accomplish, even for much bigger productions. There needs to be
credit given there.
Unfortunately,
that amazing creature was dropped right into the middle of some serious
bullshit. There were not
only tropes used, but straight-up stereotypes. It caused even the best acted
character to feel hollow and unnecessary. There are also some attempts at
comedy, but those moments are so out of place that they just feel awkward.
Unintentionally cringey, even. If you watch The
Lair, do it with the lights off – so that you can get the full view of the
glorious creature effects – and with a group of drunk friend who like bad
movies. That would be the best way to get enjoyment out of it. The
Lair will be available
for streaming on Shudder this Thursday, January 26.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 38% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 39% Metascore – None Metacritic User Score – None IMDB Score –4.5/10 Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5 Trust-the-Dice’s
Parental Advisory Rating:
R Movie Trailer:
Streaming Service: Hulu Movie Name/Year: Shadow in the Cloud (2021) Genre: Action, Horror, War Length: 1h 23min Rating: R Production/Distribution: Four Knights Film, Rhea Films, Film & TV House,
GEM Entertainment, Splendid Film, Redbox Entertainment, Signature
Entertainment, Vertical Entertainment, Capelight Pictures, Cinemundo, Film1,
Gravel Road Distribution Group Director: Roseanne Liang Writers: Max Landis, Roseanne Liang Actors: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick
Robinson, Beulah Koale, Taylor John Smith, Callan Mulvey, Benedict Wall, Byron
Coll, Joe Witkowski IMDb Blurb: A female WWII pilot traveling
with top-secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence
on board the flight.
Selina’s Point of View: I was excited to
see Shadow in the Cloud, then disappointed when the reviews started
trickling out. I tend to go with audiences over critics, and it caused me to
delay in seeing it. That makes this film a
very strong warning that reviews can only take you so far. I think the critics
are right where Shadow in the Cloud is concerned. I’m not sure
why audiences despised it so much, but I liked it. It had a few of the basic
issues that a lot of action/horrors have. Lack of realism, dumb (but fun)
stunts, and a whole lot of camp. The pitfalls may have
been a bit predictable, but the movie uses them well to move along the story.
Based n the plot, I
assumed the flick would be dreadfully long, but it’s only about 80 minutes. The
editing was so on point that there was barely any down time. Even though the
majority of Shadow in the Cloud is just Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass,
Let Me In, If I Stay) alone on screen, it never got boring. There was
always something to draw the eye. That’s a tough task to accomplish in
something meant to be this claustrophobic. I don’t normally call
out editors in my reviews, but maybe I should. I think editor Tom Eagles (Jojo
Rabbit, The Harder They Fall, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) really helped this
flick. I don’t know what he left on the cutting room floor, but I don’t think
it matters. I don’t need any further explanation for anything, and – even with
my ADHD – I never lost focus. That is a tough balance to strike. Eagles was
probably worth more to the film than some of the actors. I hope he made a
decent amount, otherwise, he should get a raise. In the end, Shadow
in the Cloud was a decent film. I know some of the reviews might be
scary, but I strongly urge trying it out for yourself.
Cat’s Point of View: I had high hopes and excited anticipation for Shadow in the Cloud when it was first
released. It even landed as my #2 pick on January 2021’s Top 20 list. Needless to say, the moment I
was able to watch Shadow in the Cloud,
I did. When it came up on our schedule for review, I was happy to watch this
movie again. A lot of that falls to the strong performance by Chloë Grace
Moretz (Brain on Fire, Tom & Jerry,
Mother/Android). She drew me in and held my attention, keeping me on the
edge of my seat with the tension of her character’s plight. I was hooked and my
curiosity was piqued regarding the contents of the confidential and classified
package she brought on board the plane. Once the big reveal happened, I was
even more invested in what was going on and it ramped up the suspense, thrills,
and horror factor.
I enjoyed the way that Roseanne Liang (My Wedding and Other Secrets, Flat3, Friday Night Bites) tackled this
particular story. The action sequences were both crazy and spectacular. It was
fairly easy to suspend disbelief and just hang in with what was going on – even
though at times it was a bit bananas. Though, as a sci-fi geek at heart, it was
all par for the course for me. I think some of the more out-there elements of
this tale were set up quite nicely. I couldn’t help getting flashback feelings
from the likes of The Twilight Zone:
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1963). (That episode is, honestly, the only one
out of that whole series that I remember in great detail – it struck that much
of a chord with me.) Shadow in the Cloud
wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but I believe I got more out of it with
what actually transpired than what I had originally inferred from the trailer
in 2020. In fact, I picked up on so many more nuances of this production with
my 2nd viewing. I was still left wanting to know more about this
story and what might have happened next.
I admired the feminist message underscoring this World War
II tale, as well. There were actual female pilots that participated in the war,
even if they were transporting planes rather than flying them into combat in
most cases. It was a hard won victory as the military in general had to
eventually admit that lady pilots were just as good as their male counterparts.
It wasn’t implausible for a situation such as this to happen in that timeframe.
Women weren’t confined to roles such as “Rosie the Riveter” during that
conflict. All told, Shadow in
the Cloud was a great popcorn movie and I really wouldn’t mind even
watching it again in the future. I absolutely don’t understand why it’s getting
such mangled reviews by audiences so the best bet is to check it out for
yourself and give it a chance.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic
Score – 77% Rotten Tomatoes Audience
Score – 32% Metascore – 66% Metacritic User Score – 3.6/10 IMDB Score – 4.9/10 Trust the Dice: Selina’s
Rating – 4/5 Trust the Dice: Cat’s
Rating – 4/5 P.S. – There are video clips
from WWII showing women involved with aviation during the credits. Movie Trailer:
Streaming Service: Hulu Movie Name/Year: It Came From the Desert (2017) Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy,
Horror Length: 90 minutes Rating: Unrated Production/Distribution: AMP International, Cinemaware, Oy Bufo Ab, Roger!
Pictures, Crystalsky Multimedia, Black Lion Pictures, Elisa Viihde, Fox, GAGA.,
Horrify, Horror Channel, Hulu, ITN Distribution, Impact Films, Minerva
Pictures, Raven Banner Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Sunfilm
Entertainment, The Orchard, Thunderbird Releasing, Tiberius Film, Zylo Director: Marko Mäkilaakso Writers: Trent Haaga, Marko Mäkilaakso,
Hank Woon Jr. Actors: Harry Lister Smith, Alex Mills,
Vanessa Grasse, Mark Arnold, Callum McGowan, Andrew Horton, James Alper,
Michael Majalahti, José Varela, Jose Leonardo Garcia Torres, Ross Ellis,
Gregory Rowbottom, Larry Wayne, L.J. Ruth, Christy Fabbri, Rob Drex, Perry
Norton, Rick Shockley, Genevieve Baer IMDb Blurb: A pulpy monster movie inspired by
the cult classic 1980s video game "It Came from the Desert,"
featuring rival motocross heroes and heroines, kegger parties in the desert,
secret underground military bases...and of course giant ants!
Cat’s Point of View: I must admit that when I watched It Came From the Desert, I had no idea that this film was an
adaptation of an 80’s video game. (The story takes place 60+ years after the
events in the game.) In retrospect, it makes so much more sense now. I just
figured someone had a crazy idea along the same vein as Big Ass Spider! (2013), Lavalantula
(2015), or Eight Legged Freaks (2002). That’s really the main thing to keep in mind while watching It Came From the Desert. This isn’t a
serious piece of cinema here. This is campy and playing to the pulp fiction
genre. No one was fishing with Oscar bait here – even though the acting on the
part of the leads was generally fine.
There were little nods here and there that gave the audience
a clear picture that the key players were aware of how ridiculous the situation
was. I mean, have you ever wondered what it would look like if an
ant snickered? Well, worry not – It Came
From the Desert has a compelling visual for you. (The production value on
the effects was pretty good, as well.) The sci-fi elements here weren’t so far-flung as to defy
suspension of disbelief, at least. The setting even felt like an ideal place
for a monstrous anthill. It was certainly remote enough that a ‘secret facility' would be plausible.
While computer technology and cell phones prevent this
actually from being set in the 1980s, It
Came From The Desert certainly pays a good deal of homage to the 80s action
tropes. It plays out like a love letter to campy serialized B-movies from that
era – but doesn’t leave out the occasional homage to more serious works such as
Aliens (1986) and Jurassic Park (1993). Of course, then there’s the random motocross element. Hey,
it works here though. There was really only one thing that bothered me about this
production. I didn’t like the song they generally use as the main theme
throughout the movie and end credits. Melodically, and as a piece of music, it
was fine. The lyrics just rubbed me the wrong way with their repeated reference
to River Phoenix (1970-1993). That’s just my own personal bias talking, though.
If you tune out the words and just vibe with the scenes, it was easy enough to
get past. As long as you don’t set expectations too high, and approach
It Came From the Desert with the
simple desire to be entertained, it’s a fun ride that would be great to share
with friends and plenty of popcorn.
P.S.
- 8-bit animations of plot elements are at beginning of the credits, there
is a small additional scene mid-credits, and then as the rest of the credits
roll, actual game-play from the 80s video game is shown in a window on-screen.
Trust
the Dice: Parental Guidance Rating – PG-13 Trust
the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5 Movie
Trailer:
Streaming Services: Hulu, Hoopla Movie Name/Year: The Dustwalker (2019) Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller Length: 95 minutes Rating: Unrated Production/Distribution: Three Feet Of Film, Head Gear Films, Kreo Films FZ,
Metrol Technology, Myth Factory Films, SunJive Studios, Hark, Umbrella
Entertainment Director: Sandra Sciberras Writer: Sandra Sciberras Actors: Jolene Anderson, Stef Dawson,
Richard Davies, Cassandra Magrath, Talina Naviede, Harry Greenwood, Ruby
Duncan, Caleb Sciberras Scott, Ben Mortley, Ryan Allen, Oscar Harris, Lis
Hoffman, Jackson Lucas, Shyla Vivian, Alexandra Nell, John Harvie Morris, Chloe
Brown, Rayne Moses, Michael O'Brien, Russell Lambe, Sam Dudley, Joyce Penny,
Cecile Charles, Nina Deasley, Andrew Bennett, Peter Barron, Ewan Scott, Oliver
Wynn Blurb from IMDb: One by one the residents of a small, isolated
town become infected by an insidious bug that turns them into violent,
indiscriminate killing machines.
Cat’s Point of View: I’ve probably said it before, but it bears repeating: I am
fascinated by Australia. I love the accents, the people are interesting and,
aside from the large percentage of lethal wildlife, the nature of the Outback
captures my attention as well. When I saw I was going to watch a Sci-Fi movie
filmed just outside of Perth with a largely Aussie cast, I was pretty excited. I
even convinced my nearly 18-year-old daughter to watch with me last night. To say that I had a frustrating experience with The Dustwalker is a slight
understatement. I ended up watching The
Dustwalker twice, much to my chagrin. My fatigue was worse than usual yesterday.
Even with a mid-day nap, I found myself zoning out and dozing off during
programming. I was worried that it affected my experience with the movie so I watched it
again today before writing.
Alas, my fatigue wasn’t the problem. Even my teen quickly lost interest and bailed early before the movie was over last night.
Let me offer a positive note regarding The Dustwalker
first. The remote location worked in the story’s favor and bolstered the suspension of disbelief to allow the story’s events to unfold as they did. Beyond
that, it generally lost
me. Everything just felt strange – but not likely in the
way the production was intended. Some character actions were just…odd. A few of
the story elements were too vague. The camera work wasn’t consistent. I liked
the spunky female lead and her geologist friend – in a broad sense of the
word. The spirit of the characters intrigued me, whereas the roles themselves
and their execution left a little bit to be desired. If the intention of writer/director Sandra Sciberras (Max's Dreaming, Caterpillar Wish, Surviving
Georgia) was for us to just be flat-out confused by this film, then I’d say
she hit a home-run there. Otherwise, I am struggling to grasp the words to
convey my disappointment in The Dustwalker. I thought that, perhaps, this might
be a freshman offering but she has several projects under her belt.
The soundtrack was repetitive and felt a little cliché – and
I rarely say that. You need a certain level of musical or sound ambiance to
underscore scenes for the appropriate emotional reactions. In this case, it
ended up just a little bit off-putting. I don’t think the special effects did The Dustwalker any favors. The monster wasn’t very
believable-looking in several scenes, especially with its movements. The whole
unhinging jaw of the screaming-possessed wasn’t effective for me because
of the lack of consistency throughout the movie. The Dustwalker also tried to mash every zombie movement trope
together, it seemed. (Even though the people weren’t exactly zombies.)
There didn’t
seem to be rhyme or reason to it at some points, whereas with others the
movement seemed intentional.
That point brings me back to disagreeing with part of the IMDb
blurb – the killing that happened wasn’t exactly indiscriminate. It’s fairly
easy to connect the dots there. Unfortunately, it’s never clear exactly why
events happen. It’s possible to puzzle out some of it, but I’m left with more
questions than answers and I just don’t understand how the ending of The Dustwalker could leave audiences on the note
the production chose. Sadly, without spoilers, I can’t exactly explain that
further. If you have a Hulu subscription and are bored, I wouldn’t
call The Dustwalker a complete waste
of time – it had some redeeming qualities. There’s just far better fare out
there so I wouldn’t steer anyone in this direction on purpose.
Rotten
Tomatoes Critic Score – None Rotten
Tomatoes Audience Score – 16% Metascore – None Metacritic
User Score – None IMDB
Score – 3.7/10 Trust
the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating – R Trust
the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2/5 Movie Trailer:
Streaming Services: Hulu Movie Name/Year: Shortcut (2020) Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Horror Length: 80 minutes Rating: R Production/Distribution: Play Entertainment, Camaleo,
Sternenberg Films, Mad Rocket Entertainment, Regione Lazio, Darkland
Distribution, Gravitas Ventures, Minerva Pictures, WOWOW Cinema Director: Alessio Liguori Writer: Daniele Cosci Actors: Jack Kane, Zander Emlano, Zak Sutcliffe, Sophie Jane
Oliver, Molly Dew, David Keyes, Terence Anderson Blurb from IMDb: A mysterious creature
terrorizes five teenage friends after their bus takes a shortcut on a desolate
road in the wild.
Selina’s Point of View: Although I
enjoyed the score of Shortcut, that’s the only nice thing I really have
to say. Shortcut is TheBreakfast Club
(1985) vs. evil. This is a
familiar trope. Projects like this go for a PG-13 rating, with very identifiable
stereotypes (nerd, goofball, rebel, jock, virgin), low gore, and decent – but toned
down – visuals. Many of the flicks that follow this recipe can be great. They
wind up making for decent beginner horror films for teens just becoming old
enough to enjoy the genre. The thing is, Shortcut
forgets its audience. It’s rated R,
first of all, which keeps the people who might enjoy it from actually being
allowed to see it. It has a decent antagonist twist, early on, but then also
tries to inject various tropes from other sub-genres without backing up the
scenes.
For example, a
character has a premonition at one point. I don’t consider this a spoiler,
because it is never brought up again. Even he doesn’t mention it. It just
happens, and then life moves on like it didn’t. Why bother wasting the time? There are quite a
few scenes, along those lines, that don’t matter. There’s some forced emotional
bonding, some unnecessary backstory about a guy that’s not part of the plot,
and some sequel baiting at the end that winds up keeping the conclusion from delivering
the message it seemed to have. I like monster
movies. I wanted to like Shortcut. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t. The creators made
a film for an audience that they then barred from watching it. I thought maybe
that meant they were new to directing and writing, but they’re not. It was an
inexcusable oversight. If you are
looking for a starter horror flick for your 14/15-year-old that’s just starting
to show interest in horror, this is not the worst start. There’s no sexual
content and there’s minimal gore. It’s a soft R at most. If you’re an adult, don’t
waste your time – there are better monster films out there.
Cat’s Point of View:
I feel like I just watched another movie that was misnamed.
The title definitely clashes with what actually happens in Shortcut. If anything, this was a bit of a long meander rather than
the brevity that the name suggests. I was surprised when I saw this was only 80
minutes long. It felt like forever. Let me backtrack a little here and explain what I think Shortcut did right (or at least
decently), before I begin the laundry list of things that irked me. Monster movies can be great fun – especially when the
critter in question is horrifying. There were some moments of real tension and
horror as the shadowy figure was teased initially. I’d even go so far as to say
there were flashes of the creature that were even terrifying. The rest of the
time, I was simply looking at it and pondering what it was really supposed to
be. That took a bit of the edge off, unfortunately. I do appreciate the fact
that the production achieved the big-bad with practical effects, though. I’m afraid
the majority of the tense moments and fear (using the word generously here) I
experienced during this movie were at the hands of human characters.
I loved the old bus that served as a good chunk of the setting for the first half of Shortcut. It’s really neat. I’m fairly sure, however, that it can reach speeds significantly higher than shown in this film. I felt like it could have been pushed faster in some scenes. The snail-like pace of the vehicle made everything feel like it dragged on slower. It’s unfortunate, really. Iconic vehicles like that can add so much to a horror film. Take the creeper’s truck in Jeepers Creepers (2001) for example. Every time I see a truck that even remotely resembles that thing, I get chills. Of course, the two films are not in the same category when it comes to the caliber.
Sadly, the more I think about it, I am finding that every aspect I did enjoy with Shortcut had a rather dismal side to it. The story had some real potential but seemed to lose its way. There were elements that were played up to a large degree at the beginning that never saw follow-through. Some of the acting was phenomenal, and yet at other times, there was a bit left to be desired.
I thought it might be possible that the disjointed quirkiness of Shortcut could be chalked up to a difference in vision between the writer and director. When I looked at IMDb, however, I found that this particular writing and directing duo have been working together for the better part of a decade. The chances of the pair failing to envision the story as intended are slim. In short, I had hopes for Shortcut that this movie took the long way around in order to dash. That being said, considering the film is light on gore and has a teen-centric plot, it wouldn’t be a bad movie to have on in the background for that age group during a sleepover or something of that nature where something “scary” is desired but will largely be ignored anyway. The R rating clearly came from language, rather than the usual more grisly or explicit reasons that are common to the horror genre and yet lacking in this production. Shortcut is not likely to remain very memorable for me, but it wasn’t bad enough for me to actively steer anyone away from it. There are far better monster films out there, though.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 59% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 24% Metascore – 26/100 Metacritic User Score – None IMDB Score – 3.9/10 Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5 Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2/5 Movie Trailer:
Streaming Services: Shudder Movie Name/Year: The Superdeep (2021) Genre: Horror, Thriller Length: 113 minutes Rating: Unrated Production/Distribution: Shaw Organisation, Volga,
Lumix Media Director: Arseny Syuhin Writer: Samuel Stewart Hunter, Arseny Syuhin Actors: Milena Radulovic, Sergey Ivanyuk, Nikolay Kovbas, Vadim
Demchog, Kirill Kovbas, Nikita Dyuvbanov, Viktor Nizovoy, Albina Chaykina,
Darya Shagal, Andrey Trushin Blurb from IMDb: A small research team went
down below the surface to find out what secret the world's deepest borehole was
hiding. What they have found turned out to be the greatest threat in history.
And the future of humanity is in their hands.
Selina’s Point of View: I adore films
featuring all manner of undead. Zombies, as oversaturated as they are, remain
my favorite. The Superdeep delves into this kind of thing and still, even to
me, manages to come up short. The fact that I couldn’t
like it is almost a feat all on its own. You can see where this film took
inspiration from games like The Last of Us (2013) and movies like Resident
Evil (2002) – which we all know was different than the game, I’m
specifically talking about the flick – Alien (1979), and Slither (2006).
If it didn’t pull inspiration from those sources, then it accidentally stumbled
into their areas. I’m a fan of all
the projects that this one reminded me of. Still, I remained completely
uninvested.
The script felt
forced in just about every scene (though it’s an adaptation from Russian, so it
might be better in its original language). The soundtrack included very little
actual music and was just a bunch of obnoxious noises cobbled together. The
acting was over-dramatized to an extreme, except when it was devoid of any
emotion at all. If I had to
choose one good thing about it, it would be the design of patient zero’s
infection. It was decent. If the entire movie was born from the same attention
to detail and quality, this would be a much different review. There’s just no part
of me that can recommend The Superdeep. Everything is subjective, though. If you want
to see for yourself, it releases June 17th on Shudder.
Cat’s Point of View: I always have a feeling of excited anticipation when we are
granted access to a screener for a movie. The
Superdeep was no exception. This time, however, there was only a slight bit
of trepidation involved because this film is Russian in origin. You never know
if you’re going to end up with something dubbed or with subtitles. Thankfully, The Superdeep was dubbed in English
for 99% of the production. There was a slight concern in the first few minutes that this
might just be a black and white movie shot in first-person, and I cringed on
the inside. Thankfully, that passed quickly and the rest of The Superdeep was in a more palatable
format. I’m not knocking black and white films by any means. I just prefer
color features when at all possible. It was the found-footage-like first-person
scenario that would have been more off-putting. I digress…
The Superdeep was
an interesting sci-fi horror tale steeped in a tension-filled score and plenty
of gore and body horror disgustingness. The effects were realistic and
believable, and super gross. The production got a lot of bang for their practical
effects bucks here. The CGI effects were blended in rather well, also, and
weren’t over-the-top. I appreciated the use of sound to build the tension
without a lot of direct shots of the big-bad. It made the situation far scarier
in the moment. I’m curious whether or not director Arseny Syuhin (Lockout, Stalingrad, The Crossing) will
continue to work on projects that lean towards mainstream, or if his future projects
will be geared more to his homeland. I’d be interested in seeing more of his
work in the future. The Superdeep is
Syuhin’s feature-length directorial debut. He has worked on another title that
had international release lately with Iron
Mask (2019), though as the action unit director. If I had to summarize The
Superdeep for someone, I’d have to say that it can be compared to throwing Doom (2005), Resident Evil (2002), and The
Thing (1982) into a blender and setting the story in Soviet Russia. It made
for a very interesting premise that I didn’t regret watching when the credits
began to roll. If you’ve got a subscription to Shuddder, The Superdeep is a decent choice to stream for a night in.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None Metascore – None Metacritic User Score – None IMDB Score – 4.8/10 Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5 Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5 Trust-the-Dice’s
Parental Advisory Rating:
R Movie Trailer:
