Day 286: Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)

One of the most frightening series in my opinion was Hellraiser especially when the first film was released. The concept of the film alone freaked me out never mind that Pinhead (original was Doug Bradley) freaked me out as well. With that being said, I decided that for today’s film, I would check out the latest in the series Hellraiser: Revelations. Nico (Jay Gillespie) and Steven (Nick Eversman) are best friends that are about to runaway from home and head to Tijuana, Mexico for some unadulterated fun and pleasure. All of the fun comes to an end when they become the owners of a puzzle box that when opened brings experiences that are not know to man. The two disappear and leave their families wondering what happened until one shows up out of nowhere and all hell breaks loose. The film also stars Steven Brand (The Scorpion King) as Ross Craven, Tracey Fairway (A Hologram For The King) as Emma Craven, Sebastien Roberts (One Way) as Peter Bradley, Sanny van Heteren (Unknown) as Kate Bradley, Devon Sorvari (Gilmore Girls) as Sarah Craven, Stephan Smith Collins (NCIS: Los Angeles) as Pinhead, Jolene Andersen (Syrup) as Female Cenobite, Daniel Buran (Major Crimes) as Vagrant, and the film was directed by Víctor García (Return To House On Haunted Hill). To see the rest of the review, please click here to go to Moshpits and Movies. 

Day 238: A Hologram For The King (2016)

There are certain actors in Hollywood that when you see their name attached to a film, it’s more than likely that you’re going to pick it up. Tom Hanks (Bridge Of Spies) is definitely one of those actors and hence the reason I chose A Hologram For The King for today’s film. Alan (Hanks) is a failed US salesman that made the ultimate mistake with one company in his past. Things are falling apart for Alan as he is going through a divorce, he has to find a way to pay for college for his daughter, and he has a small lump on his back. In a last ditch effort, he goes to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to present a new technology to the king in hopes that it will save him. What he actually finds there is not what he expected when he took the chance. The film also stars Alexander Black (Tim) as Yousef, Sarita Choudhury (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1) as Zahra, Sidse Babett Knudsen (The Duke Of Burgundy) as Hanne, Tracey Fairaway (Enough Said) as Kit, Tom Skerritt (Top Gun) as Ron, David Menkin (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) as Brad, Christy Meyer (Snowden) as Cayley, Megan Maczko (The In-Between) as Rachel, Khalid Laith (The Devil’s Double) as Hassan, Amira El Sayed (Schleierhaft) as Hana, and the film was directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run).

Before I get into the review of the film, the one thing that I want to get out of the way is that I loved the cinematography. Yes, there is a lot of amazing shots of the desert and what not, but one of my favorite scenes comes towards the end of the film. There is a scene where Tom Hanks is underwater and it just looks absolutely amazing. According to Rotten Tomatoes the critic consensus is, “A Hologram for the King amiably ambles through a narrative desert, saved by an oasis of a performance from the ever-dependable Tom Hanks.” I would have to agree with the critics because it is a rather enjoyable ride through a culture shock. You see Tom Hank’s character grow from someone who doesn’t know the customs of the culture to eventually someone who understands the way their world works. He has to travel around the red tape and navigate his way through their world, but he gets the job done. One of the relationships I loved seeing in the film was the bond of friendship that developed between Alan and his driver Yousef. It starts off a little shaky because Alan just treats him like a crazy driver, but the relationship that soon develops is great and full of comedic gold. One of my other favorite aspects from the film is the soundtrack believe it or not. It features music from The Talking Heads, Chicago, Electric Light Orchestra, and more courtesy of Yousef for the most part (minus The Talking Heads track, that seems to be the overall theme of the film). I really enjoyed watching the film and I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Mr. Hanks. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.