Category Archives: thriller

The Quake Grabs On and Never Let’s Go

drama, foreign films, suspense, thriller, , , ,

Directed by John Andres Anderson, The Quake begins in 1904 when an earthquake with a 5.4 magnitude on the Richter scale shook Oslo. Its epicenter located in the Oslo Rift runs directly through the Norwegian capital. Quakes from the rift happen daily. Geologists cannot be sure, but arguments indicate that we can expect major future earthquakes in this area. When the major earthquake happens, nobody can say for certain. The density of people and infrastructure in Oslo is significantly more vulnerable today than in 1904.

The impressive cast includes Kristoffer Joner,Ane Dahl Torp,Kathrine Thorborg Johansen,Jonas Hoff Oftebro, and Edith Haagenrud-Sande.

According to Anderson he realized the facts about the earthquake were true, “The notion of a Norwegian earthquake movie was immediately somewhat absurd. Norway is actually the most seismic active area in northern Europe. In 1904 there was a major earthquake hitting the Oslo-region. This type of incident will happen again. And no one can say when.”

In 2015, The Wave was proof of a Scandinavia film, even on a limited budget, gives Hollywood competition in that genre. “They’ve had a monopoly and been supreme on the so-called ‘High Concept’ movie,” explains Anderson. “And at the same time also add a bit of Scandinavian flair to it. Even in the most faithful genre film, one should never sacrifice character drama. And neither did we want to with The Quake.”

The Wave and The Quake are produced by the same production company lead by Martin Sundland.

Anderson talked more about the important of never sacrificing character for drama. He sees them as instrumental to whether we as audience observe the disaster – or actually experience it. “Because if you’re not experiencing it, it doesn’t matter how spectacular scenes we manage to create. While delivering edge-of-the-seat-thrills, the development of the characters and the ties between the members of our family is always at the core of The Quake.”

The movie follows Kristian, played by Kristoffer Joner, a struggling father, trying to come to grips with what he has been through before this film. His daughter Julia, played by Edith Haagenrud-Sande, is desperately seeking her father’s care and attention. The love of Kristian’s life is Idun, played by Ane Dahl Torp. And all of them their lives completely changed by what Anderson calls “this merciless, brute and blind force of Norwegian nature.”

The movie is as physical, character-driven spectacle just as Anderson intended. He puts the audience the heart of an Oslo being torn apart, feeling the impact of these forces on the family who are trying to keep it together. The movie takes you on a riveting ride – emotionally, visually and finally full-on thrilling action. .

The movie never lets up, and it is constant action, harrowing situations with all odds against them, yet they overcome the obstacles to, yet, face another dire circumstance. Keeping me on the edge of my seat through the movie is a fantastic and remarkable way to see a movie.

Joner looks familiar because he’s starred in The Revenant and Mission Impossible: Fall out.

Anderson’s first time as a director, he started as a camera assistant for cinematography legend Sven Nykvist. He worked as a Director of Photography for many years on notable Scandinavian films such as Department Q: Conspiracy of Faith and Buddy.

The movie is in Scandinavian with English subtitles.  

“Hostile” Backstory Defines the Horror Worth Seeing

horror, science fiction, thriller, ,

Written and directed by Mathieu Turi, Hostile takes place when a worldwide epidemic pretty much killed most of the population on Earth.

Those few who survived the epidemic struggled every day, trying to find food and shelter. With that, a creature, unlike them, proves that they are not alone. The beast is super creepy. Take a look at the poster and Blu-ray/ DVD cover. You get a good idea of what this thing looks like in the movie.

Juliette, played by Brittany Ashworth, is driving on her way back from a scavenging mission. She experiences a terrible accident. She is trapped in her car, with a broken leg, in the middle of an unforgiving desert. That is not the entire story. There are a couple of stories within the story itself.

As you can see in the two movie clips, Ashworth’s acting skills shine as she tries to deal with and outsmart the creature. The story is about how she must survive the dangers of the post-apocalypse world while a strange creature prowls around her car.

Another part of the movie is a love story told in flashbacks while Juliette tries to survive the car crash and creature. The story is between her and a Frenchman named Jack, played by Gregory Fitoussi. The love story is a bit slow and twisted to the horror-thriller and science-fiction aspects of the movie. All in all, I think horror fans will like watching this movie because it is not your usual horror movie. There is even a nice twist at the end.

Turi’s directing credits include two shorts and another feature called Meander, which is in pre-production at this writing. He paid his dues in the business, working on sets as assistant director of several movies.

Higher Power is a Trippy Sci-Fi Journey

4K Ultra HD, fantasy, science fiction, thriller, ,

Directed by VFX artist Matthew Santoro, Higher Power is a visually rich sci-fi thriller. The movie stars Ron Eldard and Colm Feore.

Santoro makes his directorial debut with the story of Joseph Steadman, played by Eldard. Steadman suddenly finds himself under the command of a mad scientist, played by Colm Feore.  The mad scientist is on a mission that will alter the fate of his family and the world.

Because of the scientist, Steadman becomes equipped with new superpowers. But, he remains under the thumb of the seemingly omniscient scientist, and Steadman does all he can to protect his daughters from the man who bargains with their lives. The scientist’s warped mind overshadows his mysterious quest meant to save all of humanity. When the Universe decides what it wants, it’s pointless to resist. With his family’s life at stake, Joseph Steadman finds himself the unwilling test subject of a maniacal scientist in a battle that could save the world or destroy it.

Santoro uses his professional background in crafting an impressive movie filled with special effects. He directs a stunning a world of supernatural abilities and consequences. Santoro immerses you in the movie like a trippy journey. Spending most of the time going through the experiences of the main character, Steadman, as his life is engineered and disfigured to turn him into something stronger. I wasn’t sure what to expect watching this movie. It’s quite different from other movies that are similar in character. Higher Power is a refreshing concept with a trippy story.

The acting is decent and the story starts off slow. But, hang in there because as the story unfolds the movie becomes a rocket ride in which a reluctant man must overcome his past in order to find his higher power. The ending makes watching the movie worth it.

The movie clips show a good deal of what the movie emulates.  The special effects are awesome but basic. Only someone like Santoro can pull it off.

Don’t Grow Up Horror of Becoming an Adult Zombie

horror, science fiction, thriller, ,

Directed by Thierry Poiraud, Don’t Grow Up, is not your typical young adult story. It’s almost brutal and disgusting. The unique movie is a horror movie that might mesmerize horror fans because it brings a whole new level of horrifying.

If you are a horror fan, you might be familiar with Poiraud’s  Goal of the Dead. Like Dead, Don’t Grow Up flourishes in a world of terror where the possibility of survival is limited.

A group of teenage delinquents living in a youth center wake up to find themselves all alone with no one to watch over them. The teens celebrate their newfound freedom by partying, playing loud music and visualizing a life without guardians.

After the excitement fades, they decide to leave the group home for good. Upon arriving in the nearby town, they find the streets deserted, and in a post-apocalyptic state. Now, the real story brings us to the outskirts of London, where six teens find themselves without supervision and immediately take to making the most of their new privilege. No longer limited to the space of their detention center, they explore the inner city with Liam, played by McKell David, as their self-appointed leader.

After Liam’s girlfriend, played Natifa Mai, walks off after an argument, she has an aggressive confrontation with the group’s supervisor that leaves her wounded. Discovering that the attack is not isolated and is the result of a widespread epidemic that leaves children and adolescents unaffected, the group must defend themselves against manic adults, paranoid children and, ultimately, their own maturity.

The few adults they do encounter all seem to be infected by a mysterious epidemic, making them blood-thirsty and psychotic. They try to discover a way to survive against the zombie-like adults while helping the destitute children. In order to survive, they realize the importance of growing up and taking responsibility. They need to band together and find a route to safety. These zombie adults are nothing like the kind you typically see of late. These are fast and can think on their feet, which adds even more to the horror.

The undercurrent that some of the teens are older than the others and those older will turn into zombies before the others. The unspoke words are subtle and savage with each other. Hence, the movie’s fitting title – Don’t Grow Up.

The Blu-ray includes behind the scenes with director Thierry Poiraud, “Making of Don’t Grow Up,” and I found it interesting following the director’s perspective of the movie. There is another feature, you get a behind-the-scenes look at the cast and their characters.  

 

 

 

Extraordinary Mission Brutal and Raw

action, foreign films, police drama, thriller, , , ,

From Alan Mak and Felix Chong, co-writers of The Departed and director of Infernal Affairs, the movie follows Lin Kai, played by Huang Xuan, in Extraordinary Mission. The movie is razor sharp with intense lighting that heightens the tension in each scene.

The movie takes place in Hong Kong where crime is center staged. Lin Kai is an undercover officer delegated to break through the Twin Eagles drug cartel. The story moves fast and the shots are tight. I never found my thoughts wandering.  The subtitles were tough to follow at times because the movie moved fast with raw intensity.

Yihong Duan plays an impressive cartel boss and a firm conviction in his ruthlessness.  Seeing both Xuan and Duan in scenes together was like watching a full charged emotional push-and-pull. Their scenes were not just a cat and mouse game.  It was brutal and raw.

The movie takes a turn that I was not expecting. Xuan acting talent shines when Kai is coerced into gradual drug addiction while attempting to locate the cartel’s production base.  Being strung out on drugs creates more complications when Kai realizes Eagle has been plotting a violent revenge against his supervisor Li Jianguo, played by Jiadong Xing, for over a decade.

The ending is brutal but fun to watch.  The creative minds of Mak and Chong is a vision you don’t want to miss.

James Patterson’s Zoo: Third & Last Season

book, drama, television, thriller, , ,

Zoo: Third Season from CBS is the last season for the drama series based on the novel written by James Patterson and Michael Ledwige.  The story takes a jump forward and is set 10 years after the animals were cured and humanity was left sterile.

The season follows Abraham, played by Nonso Anozie, who is now a doctor and is helping Clementine, played by Gracie Dzienny, find her father Mitch, played by Billy Burke. The huge plot point is Mitch is being held in suspended animation in a secretive location.

The year is now 2027 and the world has reached a tipping point. The human population continues to dwindle due to a sterility problem and devastating threat rises in the form of the hybrids. These hybrids are an army of unstoppable lab-made creatures who are hell-bent on destroying mankind. Although the team has become estranged over the past decade, they are forced to overcome their differences and reunite when they learn that Mitch is alive. As the planet’s future hangs in the balance, the team must race to stop the hybrids and their creator – a shadowy figure with a startling connection to the team’s past.

Another change of events is Jamie, played by Kristen Connolly, is now a successful author trying to find “The Falco” and what is left of the Shepherds. Still, there is Jackson, played by James Wolk, and Logan, played by Josh Salatin. Both are trying to hold the hybrids at bay. As I went through the DVS I discovered that all the characters work super hard to overpower and wipe out the hybrids. At the same time, they are an urgency to find a cure for sterility.

The third season DVD arrives with deleted scenes and a gag reel that complements the whole package as the final season of a series that started off like a rocket ride and slowly fizzled as the storyline became scattered.

2:22

drama, suspense, thriller, , ,

Directed by Paul Currie and starring Michiel Huisman, Teresa Palmer, and Sam Reid, the movie follows air traffic controller Dylan Branson, played by Huisman, where two planes almost collide after a blinding flash of light paralyzes him for a few seconds.

As a result, Branson is suspended from his job, and he becomes cognitive of repetition of sounds and events in his life at exactly the same time every day. Guess what time that is? The title of the movie, 2:22.

The underlying pattern soon builds and draws him New York’s Grand Central Station daily at 2:22 p.m. He meets up with a woman who works in an art gallery, Sarah, played by Palmer, disturbingly complicated by her ex-boyfriend Jonas, played by Reid. Still, Dylan must break the power of the past, and take control of time itself.

Every day, on the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal, Branson sees a businessman at the ticket counter reading a newspaper, a couple kissing, six school children, and a pregnant woman standing under the famous clock. It’s not always the same businessman, but it’s always the same pattern.

Earlier in the day – other patterns play out and haunt Dylan – a plane flies overhead, glass shatters, car screeches. It becomes clear to Dylan, and to Dylan alone, that these supposed random series of events, in this busy, noisy city, are not so random.

This is the enigma of 2:22.

How this movie plays out is crucial to whether or not the movie will be enjoyed, and Currie describes it best, “2:22 is about the fear of love. It’s also about the past that can secretly haunt us all. It’s a story about a guy who is trying to protect his girl at all costs, against time itself. Time is both Dylan’s ally and his enemy.”

The movie isn’t perfect and some may find it hard to enjoy, but it is a good attempt at a complex topic about taking control of time both the past and the future.

A Kind of Murder

book, drama, murder, mystery, thriller, ,

Directed by Andy Goddard, who spent quality time directing Downton Abby episodes, A Kind of Murder follows an obsessed crime novelist, played by Patrick Wilson, who is married to a suicidal wife, played by Jessica Biel. The movie is suspenseful, fascinating along with a captivating storyline that includes twists and turns like an old-fashion movie.

With such a talented cast, I was surprised that the movie’s tempo was slow and not as engaging as it could have been like the novel the movie is based. The novel by Patricia Highsmith, who also wrote other popular psychological thrillers such as Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley.

The movie follows a crime novelist obsessed with an unsolved murder case begins to fantasize about committing a crime of his own. His marriage is an unhappy one, and his desire to be free from his beautiful but damaged wife becomes an obsession. But when his wife is found dead the lines blur between innocence and intent, forcing the question who, in fact, is the real killer?

The movie is a thriller and has a story that should be engaging, but somehow it fell flat in the third act.

Mechanic: Resurrection

action, drama, sequel, thriller, ,

mechanicresDirected by Dennis Gansel, the action-packed, thrill ride is the best way I can describe Mechanic: Resurrection because the movie takes off right at the get-go. Bullets spray and jaws get smashed with the starring power of Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop, an assassin who makes each of his targets’ deaths look like accidents, whose calm retirement is shattered when a former employer requires his services.

The movie also stars Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones, and Michelle Yeoh.

The movie follows Bishop as he returns as the Mechanic in the sequel to the 2011 action-thriller. When the deceitful actions of a cunning but beautiful woman, played by Alba, force him to return to the life he left behind, Bishop’s life is once again in danger as he has to complete an impossible list of assassinations of the most dangerous men in the world.

Mechanic: Resurrection includes five behind-the-scenes featurettes looking at the development of the sequel, scoring the film, a breakdown of the Malaysian prison break sequence, and in-depth interviews with Michelle Yeoh and Jason Statham.

Tommy Lee Jones arrives but for not long. He still adds a lot of fun, which I enjoyed because he is a veteran and makes it look so easy. Jessica Alba looks good like a trophy. I just wish her character had more depth, but that is Hollywood for you. All in all, the movie is fast paced with tons of action and totally no-brainer entertainment. Any Statham fan will want to see this movie because it reeks action fight scenes only Statham knows how to do best.

The Hunger Games 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack

4K Ultra HD, action, movies, thriller, , ,

3d_rgb_hungergames4kultraocrd Lionsgate released the epic singularity franchise, The Hunger Games series on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, which includes both Blu-ray and Digital HD. All in all, it is an amazing product for such a gripping story.

As most remember, Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, who took the world by storm with a four-film cumulative worldwide box office of 3 billion cash flow.

Fans can see the movies with four times the resolution of Full HD and High Dynamic Range (HDR) that delivers the brightest, most vivid and realistic color and greatest contrast from 4K Ultra HD.  However, similar to other 4K movies I have reviewed, the whole movie’s vivid, realistic color and contrast are not consistent. I find in the hand-held camera scenes of these 4K movies, the technical potential is limited, if not a bit shaky.

Don’t get me wrong. Checking out Lionsgate’s catalog 4K titles, I am impressed with the products so far. It makes watching movies at home so much better with the Dolby Atmos track sounds, which are incredible because it utilizes every speaker.

Now the quality of the look is a bit unforgiving because the effect is over the top.  Noticeably, in the first half of The Hunger Games. The colors are saturated and nearly grainy.  Watching the scene when the District 12 team is eating before the games is a good example where the colors, black levels, and overall clarity are below standards for the quality hype.

Disappointingly, just about every scene at The Capital looked saturated. When the movie arrives at the Games, I was impressed and in awe over the rich details of the overall setting in the forest and the way everything looked pristine.  It made watching the 4K version worth it.

One thing that didn’t help the 4K, as mentioned earlier, was the shaky-cam style.  In the first mad dash for supplies in the games, the camera was all over the place and the 4K clearness was like a second thought to the scene.  Even though about half the movies technical quality didn’t appear any better, if slightly worse, the other half of the movie is a pristine, vibrant upgrade and fun to watch.

The 4K version special features offer extras, which includes a commentary with Stephen Mirrione, Sheena Duggal, and Lon Bender. Even though they are not the stars or director, their passion for the movie come through, creating a worthwhile commentary.

3d_rgb_hgcatchingfire4kultraocrdDirected by Francis Lawrence, Catching Fire 4K

Ultra HD had the same technical issues I mentioned in The Hunger Games 4K Ultra HD.  The scenes in the training room and outside are clear and pristine like a gemstone. The crystal clear and the 4K upgrade really stands out.  Yet, the scenes in The Capitol, mostly most CGI, are saturated and almost blurry at times.  I noticed there is a bit more of an upgrade compared to The Hunger Games. I am curious as to why that is so.

The audio sounds perfect like the first film. The Dolby Atmos track is a wonderful upgrade and sounds faultless.

The 4K Ultra comes without exclusive features, but the package includes a copy of the Blu-ray.

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