Stay Out Stay Alive (2019), a movie review. A horror film apparently based on a true story, in which a curse involving a gold mine leads to a group of friends descending into greed and madness. Not one of the best films I've seen recently, and left wondering if I could get the near hour and a half runtime back.

 

Stay Out, Stay alive. A quick-fire review.

    So, bored, sick, and looking for something to watch, I found myself watching a number of poor movies. And, this little film was one of them. Unfortunately, I feel like I wasted an hour and a half that I can't get back. I'm not one to be hard on films as I'm no professional critic, but sometimes a film comes along and you can't help but think, Why did I watch this? This happens more often than people talk about, with that urge to watch something to alleviate boredom, and the resulting disappointment at your choice. I have to admit that I didn't have much hope this would be good after watching the trailer, but I thought, what the hell. Yeah, my mistake.

    This is a ghost story, of sorts. It centers around a curse laid on this land, a curse made by a native american chief after his people were murdered due to the greed around the gold mines in the area. We have our group of campers who stumble upon this abandoned mine, a mix of cliches found in most horror films. The acting is far from great, barely managing to be believable, with some very obvious over-acting on some occasions. After the sister of Bridget, Donna, goes for a walk in the forest in the dark, always a wise choice, the rest realise that she has not returned in the morning. It turns out she fell and landed in a mine shaft, her foot somehow caught under a rock. Unsure how that was supposed to have happened, but fine, and whilst looking around the area, they find gold. There are choices made here that make no sense to me, but it seems they were made merely to push the story forward. A lot happens here that is incredibly stupid, and Donna, apparently a nurse, makes decisions that are unbelievable given the training she would have received. If she made it out, she could kiss that foot goodbye. Anyway, we begin to see hints of a supernatural presence influencing our group, to various degrees, and they begin to spiral. It's the standard poor decisions, with easily influenced characters, and the subtle manipulation of supernatural forces. None of these characters is interesting, and I highly doubt that any of the actors here will go on to have a stand-out career. All in all, it is a poor watch with the predictable twists and spirals into paranoia, madness, and greed. There is a scene towards the end that reminded me heavily of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I half expected the words 'let it go, let it go, Indiana' to be used, but in this scenario, the one being held onto made the dumb choice.

    This film is an easy 3 out of 10. Poorly acted, poorly written, and barely interesting. The scares are minimal, the story nonsensical, and the characters get what they deserve. I would just like to highlight that the main idiot is the stereotypical douchebag boyfriend, and his acting is trite at best. A complete waste of time, unless you want to watch it drunk and take the mick out of the film. Give this one a miss.

Malignant, a review. One of the stupidest films I've seen in a while. A horror film that can't decide what it wants to be, with bizarre action scenes and an odd choice of monster/killer. It's rare to find a film that just feels so silly in premise.

 

Malignant, a review.

    I have no idea what the intention was behind the plot and characterisation of the film. None of it made any sense to me, and that is rare. Maybe it was down to poor execution and a supernatural element that never really felt like it fit, but this disjointed story seems a mix of ideas that never truly mesh. And that is a shame, there are hints that this film could have been better. Maybe, not great, but better. As it stands, there are a few standout moments, but overall, it is a poor film. Annabelle Wallis is fine as the lead, though she never really gets a moment to shine, and the other actors are all solid enough. There are no brilliant performances here, elevating the film. I wish this was a silly enough film that it could be considered a good bad film, but for me, it fails to achieve that.

    The film centers around Madison, played by Wallis, a woman who begins to experience harrowing visions after her violent husband is killed horrifically by some unseen presence. And let's be real here, he deserved it. Madison finds him with his neck broken, passes out, due largely to her cracked skull, and wakes up in the hospital to find she has miscarried, again. It is a small detail, but one with surprising weight behind it in the upcoming narrative. Madison soon finds she is having visions of someone killing people, caught up seeing the killer enacting the kills, and she is some kind of passenger. This trope has been used in other films and television series, and it is used serviceably here. The film moves on with the police becoming suspicious of Madison, the killings somehow tied back to her, and someone known as Gabriel. The opening of the movie gives enough hints that I think most who watched this film would have worked out the twist by now, though it never felt like a real surprise. We have a visually impressive scene in the police station that, whilst truly unbelievable, is at least interesting to behold. We discover more of Madison's past, her connection to Gabriel, and the truth about the woman Gabriel kidnapped. The film has a fairly obvious ending, if somewhat silly, leaving Madison with superpowers that are never explained.

    At first, I thought I would like this film. And I did try, but it is so stupid in places. Gabriel, whilst at first might seem interesting, just doesn't make any sense. How the hell is he even still alive? And just how big is Madison's skull? I can forgive some things, but a tumour that size would have been noticed when she first had her skull cracked by her husband in the opening act. How does Gabriel and, by extension, Madison possess superhuman speed and strength?  And do houses in America have industrial-sized fans in their attics? I mean, that thing is massive. All-in-all, this film has some good ideas, but to me, they are just poorly implemented. The whole 'vision' thing is used well, and kind of works, but there isn't enough here to keep my interest. And I have tried rewatching this film several times, and each time I end up zoning out of it.

    After my previous statements, it might seem that I would give this film a low score, but I don't think it is a terrible film. It is just not one that worked for me. I can see this working for others, and it has solid enough performances from all the actors involved. I put this film at a 5 out of 10, for me. It has some good bits here and there, but just fails to work, in my opinion. Give it a watch, and let me know what you think.

Underwater, a film review. Set in the Mariana trench, something hits a drilling station where the surviving crew scramble to find a way to safety. Unfortunately, they are not alone, something is out there in the cold dark waters.

 

Underwater: A Film Review

    I love this film. And yet, objectively, it is not a great film. Don't get me wrong, it is certainly enjoyable, and the performances are solid. However, nothing about it screams brilliance. At some point, it became a comfort film, one of those films that you watch when you don't know what to watch, or you will only be half-watching whilst completing some other task. What I find appealing about the film is the Lovecraftian premise. Trapped far beneath the waves, the dangers of the ocean pressing in all around them, the survivors of the mining crew are pursued by unknowable creatures, and something worse lurks out in the dark and frigid waters. I remember, vaguely, some critic comparing this film to Alien, but I fail to see the comparison. It stands on its own with a very different kind of menace. Laced throughout this film are themes of loss, grief, and helplessness, with the backdrop of the unforgiving ocean highlighting the futility of struggling against something uncaring and unmoving. It is a story about survival in the face of things that cannot be defeated.

    Kristen Stewart is serviceable in her performance as Norah, possessing a certain vulnerability and pessimism,  showing someone merely holding on instead of truly living. I know some people have an issue with her acting, but I blame that largely on the Bella character from the Twilight films. Kristen herself has always had a believability to her work, true she might not be a great actor but her work is never of poor quality. Along with Norah, there are a handful of other survivors, those being Rodrigo, Paul, Captain Lucien, Smith, and his girlfriend Emily. In an underwater facility that is heavily damaged, they have few options and only a slim chance of survival. Their only hope is to make it to the next station, only possible by walking across the sea floor in suits that might kill them. All in all, a pretty grim situation.  As a note, Jessica Henwick continues to be a standout even amid this cast, something that I noticed since first watching her in Iron Fist. Marvel, bring back Colleen Wing, not Danny Rand. 

    Things, inevitably, continue to go wrong for our survivors, Rodrigo dying next in an impressive implosion, leaving the remaining five to push on. I know this film is largely Sci-fi horror, but it is a good psychological horror too. The oppressive environment, the hopelessness of their situation, and the growing realisation that something lurks in the dark help to show characters doing their best to survive and struggle against grim reality. Some horrors go for shocks, jump scares, and gore to grab the audience's attention, but this relies on their desperation and the faint hope of making it to the escape pods. Not that there aren't one or two jump scares, but the film does rely on them. The moment when they truly realise how much danger they're in is an impressive one, and ends with an explosive suit breach. Another aspect of this film that is, in my opinion, done well is the characterisation. We don't have any skilled heroes here, with the women coming to the fore simply for their inability to give in, regardless of their situation. No Mary Sues, just determined women doing their best to survive. 

    With the reveal of what the cause of all this destruction and chaos is, we come to understand that they are faced with something beyond their understanding, or hope to combat. The moment of seeing the creature amid the sea, massive and terrible, is a profound one. This is not just a danger to them but to everything above the surface. As a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos, not so much the creator himself, seeing that thing loom out of the darkness was one I had waited to see in live action. True, not a perfect representation of the Great Old One, but close enough for there to be no mistake what this thing is. And their reaction to this horror is to desperately flee, for there is nothing else they can do. There is no hope of stopping this thing. Thanks to Norah, Emily, and Smith escape to the surface, but she is left below. Left with nowhere to go, she does the only thing she can to protect her friends, blowing up the core of the station, seemingly putting a stop to the creature.

    Again, this is not the greatest film out there, but it is one of my favourites in recent years. For me, it's an easy 8 out of 10, but I could see it being lower for others. It is action light, more of a slow burn, and that doesn't work for everyone. With a pervading atmosphere, little hope, and a threat beyond their ken, this film works by showing the futility of striving against certain elements of the universe. Easily recommended to fans of sci-fi horror, and/or cosmic horror.

Barbarian, the movie review. A good film with a familiar premise, though a different play through than I expected. Also a different role than I had seen Justin Long in before.

 

Barbarian, a review.

    I was unsure what to make of this movie at first. It opens slowly, centring around Tess sitting in her car after pulling up to a house in the rain. She gets out and attempts to get the key out of the lockbox, only to find it is not there. The place looks empty, and she phones the company she had made the booking with, hurrying back to her car in the meantime. At this time, a light comes on in the house, and Tess rushes back to knock on the door. It is opened by a very tired-looking man with a confused expression. The two talk back and forth, and it is swiftly discovered that the booking company for the house has double-booked them. From there on, the pair work out a deal, Keith offering her the option to stay there and take the bedroom. Reluctantly, at first, Tess takes the deal. The pair soon begin talking, and the initial tension between them fades. Eventually, they retire for the night, and we get our first inkling that something isn't right at this house. Tess wakes up in the night to find her door open. She is obviously nervous, and moving across the room, finds Keith asleep on the sofa. As she moves to him quietly, we see something move behind her and a door close at the end of the corridor. This is the first sign of something suspicious going on in this building. Tess wakes Keith, and he is obviously startled. After questioning him, Tess returns to bed, and we flash forward to her waking in the morning.

    Both of them head off to their respective days. Tess head's to her interview, and we see her do well. So well that it looks as though she has the job in the bag. However, when she mentions where she is staying, her new employer seems surprised and unsettled by the information. This is another hint that something is odd about the house and the area. Tess returns to the house and begins looking around, ending up in the basement. She ends up being trapped inside after the door closes behind her. This leads to her investigating and discovering a secret door. A door that leads to another room, a room with a bed, a bucket, and a camera in it. Tess is obviously freaked out by this and returns to the basement proper, looking for a way out. Keith returns at this moment, looking for the key she was supposed to leave for him, and she manages to get his attention. Together, they open the basement window, and Tess passes the key to Keith. He comes to a panicked Tess, and after a few moments, he leaves to investigate this room. Tess waits and then calls to him, he doesn't answer, and she goes to look for him. He isn't in the room, and Tess looks about in confusion, finding yet another door. A door leads to stairs that lead down into darkness. She calls to Keith, and he shouts back, his voice distant and scared. Stumbling through the tunnels, she finds him hurt moments before a woman comes out of the dark and brutally murders him. Then the film flashes to our next protagonist. 

    Justin Long plays AJ. A Hollywood type enjoying his drive until he gets a phone call. And things are about to take a bad turn for him. And it turns out in the long run that he probably deserves everything that happens to him. I've always enjoyed Justin long, as an actor, but this character is one of the sleeziest that he has ever played. AJ is not a good person, but he believes that he is, to such a degree that he cannot see how he treats others.And it will be his downfall. After his new series drops him, and accusations are made against him, he has to liquidate his assets. It turns out that the house Tess and Keith were staying in is owned by AJ. This leads Aj to the house and what awaits him there within. He finds what Tess did before him, and like her he wanders into the dark below the house. Also like her things do not go well for him. 

    The tunnels below the house lead to roughly carved out room and worse. The woman is living in this space and treating her new guests like they are her babies. She even tries to feed them, until Aj freaks out, leaving Tess still trapped in her cage. Until she manages to free herself and the two of them attempt to flee the tunnels separately. We get a flash back to this space to another time, looking to be the 70's by the clothes and cars on display. A man leaves the house that Tess and AJ are below in the future, heading off in a car. We see him buy things for a new born and then stalk a woman, dressing up a gas man and lying to get into her house. After leaving a window unlocked he leaves and returns to the house, and then down to the basement. In the present Aj and Tess aren't doing so well but they manage to escape the house, helped by a homeless man. With Tess hurt they listen to the man's story of what happened to the area, and what led to this woman being born. Moments before she bursts into their place of safety and kills the old man. Fleeing the pair find themselves atop a water tower, where AJ throws Tess off the tower in an attempt to save himself. The woman jumps off the tower after her, managing to catch her though it looks as though she dies in the effort. Of course that isn't the case and Aj finds that out just before he meets a grizzly end. 

    This is a strange and intense film. It gets its hooks into you and doesn't let go. The performances are good, the 'creature' oddly sad and horrifying, and the overall story grim but interesting. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to any fan of horror. I rate it 8 out of ten, and would watch again.