Did you know that there are roughly 66 days until my favorite holiday of the whole year is here. That holiday I am talking about is Halloween and during the month of October, we have 31 days of Halloween (31 Days of Horror movies). I just couldn’t wait until then and I have one that I think everyone will enjoy for today. Today’s film of course is the much talked about horror/thriller Don’t Breathe. Alex (Dylan Minnette), Rocky (Jane Levy), and Money (Daniel Zovatto) are three friends that live in the slums of broken down Detroit who are desperate to get out of that city at any cost. You may not agree with their method of choice as they rob houses that are monitored by Alex’s dad’s security company. One day, they decide to rob the house of the blind man (Stephen Lang) after they hear about settlement money, but that could prove to be the dumbest thing they have done yet. The film also stars Emma Bercovici in her first role as Diddy, Katia Bokor (World War Z) as Ginger, Sergej Onopko (A Good Day To Die Hard) as Trevor, Franciska Töröcsik (Swing) as Cindy, Christian Zagia (El cojunudo) as Raul, and the film was directed by Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead).
Spoiler Alert: There may be information contained in this Article that could potentially spoil the plot of the film so continue with caution or do not read any further if you do not want to know. Let me just say to all of you out there that this is one intense freaking movie and it’s not your typical horror movie. There’s no supernatural being, monster, or masked serial killer that comes after you. It’s a blind serviceman who uses his sense of hearing to figure out where you are in his house which is just as much of a fortress as the house in The People Under The Stairs (without the freaks). When the hunt is on, it becomes one heck of an intense film that leaves you unknowingly screaming, “you’ve got to be kidding me.” One of my favorite scenes in the film is in the basement when he cuts all of the lights sort of like a welcome to my world bitches. That is one of the most intense sequences and hunts of the film. Then there is some information that you discover towards the end of the film that is just one very disgusting and two kind of twisted. I won’t give that part away, but wait until you see it for yourself. All of the performances in the film were very good and its a relatively small cast as it focuses on the three and the blind man primarily. Stephen Lang is one heck of a twisted and persistent SOB int his film that he is definitely one of my MVP’s of the film with the other going to Jane Levy and Dylan Minnette. I cannot wait for October, but you definitely shouldn’t wait that long to see this film. What are you waiting for, go see it. I am giving the film an A- for a final grade because it was definitely my favorite horror film of the year so far.
I am a huge fan of independent filmmaking for the reason that I feel you are allowed to be more creative then if you were working for a big studio. I also feel that sometimes Indie films can be better and that is why I chose to watch Band Of Robbers for today’s film. Band Of Robbers re-imagines our classic tale of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn by making them adults and bringing them to today’s world. Tom Sawyer (Adam Nee) is a bumbling cop who can’t seem to let go of the idea of buried treasure that he and Huckleberry Finn (Kyle Gallner) have been chasing since they were kids. Finn has just been released from prison and is looking to go straight until Tom convinces him that the treasure is still out there. The two will embark on one heck of adventure that we surely will not forget even if it means breaking the law! The film also stars Matthew Gray Gubler (The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou) as Joe Harper, Hannibal Buress (Daddy’s Home) as Ben Rogers, Melissa Benoist (Supergirl) as Becky, Daniel Edward Mora (Harsh Times) as Jorge, Stephen Lang (Avatar) as Injun Joe, Eric Christian Olsen (Fired Up!) as Sid Sawyer, Johnny Pemberton (21 Jump Street) as Tommy Barnes, and the film was directed by Aaron Nee and Adam Nee.
As far as the film is concerned, I actually thought that the film was very enjoyable to watch. It wasn’t one of those films that was laugh out loud funny, but rather that it was an enjoyable to watch kind of funny. A lot of the content in the film was kind of predictable at times, but you didn’t mind that with this film. I loved how they divided things up into chapters, but sometimes the titles of the chapters kind of gave away what was going to happen in that sequence. Kyle Gallner in my opinion is an underrated actor who doesn’t get enough credit which is just my opinion like I said. I thought he was terrific, but the real star of the show was definitely Adam Nee who kind of plays this guy who is unwilling to let go of his childhood because what was going to be a great moment then escaped him. So, he has a hard time letting that go because he is afraid of regret even if it means getting his friends in trouble along with him. That is essentially the element that I loved about this film because we all sort of hang on to something that we didn’t get to accomplish because we were forced to grow up. Well maybe not all of us! Hannibal Buress is awesome, Matthew Gray Gubler was a great addition to the team, and Stephen Lang was great as the infamous protagonist Injun Joe. The film is available right now on Netflix as we speak and I think it’s worth checking out. That is why I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.
Just about every month, I have watched a different animated film so I decided to keep it going by watching another one for the month of April. The film I chose for today is called The Nut Job and it’s one that wasn’t done by Disney or Sony. The film follows Surly (Will Arnett), a squirrel who never seems to get anything right in his life and to the point that everyone in the park hates him. One day after a routine heist of nuts goes wrong, Surely is banished out of the park and all of the creatures in the park are left with no food to survive winter. A store that is being disguised as a nut store, but really is a front for a ban heist is opened nearby and Surly will try everything he can to pull off the biggest heist to regain the trust of the park. The film also stars Liam Neeson (Taken) as Raccoon, Brendan Fraser (School Ties) as Grayson, Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up) as Andie, Stephen Lang (Avatar) as King, Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids) as Precious, Jeff Dunham as Mole, Gabriel Iglesias (Magic Mike XXL) as Jimmy, Sarah Gadon (Enemy) as Lana, and the film was directed by Peter Lepeniotis Gotta Catch Santa Claus).
What is the great thing about all or most animated films these days? Every great or good character has a comedic relief sidekick that keeps the audience glued and kids laughing. In this film, it would have to be Buddy The Rat who is constantly there to help his friend Surly no matter what. The one thing about this film that I really liked is that every character is very likable even the villain Raccoon (voiced by Liam Neeson). This was definitely an interesting and funny animated film for one that wasn’t made by either Disney Pixar or Sony, but it didn’t have a heck of a lot of laughs. It was definitely entertaining and it didn’t bore me, but it just didn’t have a lot of those funny moments in it like some of Disney’s films. I wondered why Psy’s music and song Gangham Style was attached to this film and it’s because it was funded by a bunch of different Korean producers hence the appearance he makes as an animated character. I was also surprised to see that Jeff Dunham voice acted in this film because I thought he only did the puppet gigs, but he was great as the mole. This is definitely a film that will more than likely fun for the kids and it will teach you the lesson that no matter how much of a screw up you think you are you can always redeem yourself. The film is available right now on Netflix as we speak so check it out. I am going to give the film an B for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 