Happy Death Day 2U (2019) – A ’31 Days Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

Happy Death Day 2U (2019) – A ’31 Days Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
I was a massive fan of the original Happy Death Day – a smart idea, well executed that played it as much fore fun as it did for fears.  A quickly turned around sequel doesn’t always guarantee it will be able to replicate the success but, er, happily, I can report that Happy Death Day 2U is great fun.  A bit more sci-fi than horror focused, this Blumhouse produced sequel turns the crazy up to eleven and, through a very clever introduction, sets up its pace and tone which takes it closer to Primer levels than Friday 13th.  The cast are fun (again) , the direction solid and the film doesn’t hang around.  Well recommended.

Best Bit: The opening

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Happy Death Day, Primer, Get Out

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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MA (2019) – A ’31 Days Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

MA (2019) – A ’31 Days Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Blumhouse has a sickening good track record of modestly budgeted but highly successful horror films.  From Happy Death Day, Halloween and The Purge films (and many, many more) the name Blumhouse tends to denote at worst a highly watchable film. At best… well just take a look at the Oscar nominated Get Out.   MA is no different – another original, fun and highly watchable horror thriller from the uber horror studio.  Hatched from a conversation with lead Octavia Spencer where she told director Taylor she was “sick of only being offered the same role and never getting to be a lead”, MA is pretty messed up… even by Blumhouse standards.  But it’s also a lot of fun.  That said without Octavia Spencer at its core the film would be very different – her performance is fully unhinged and all the more enjoyable for it.  She rates at least an 8 on the Jack Torrance scale.  So  fan of Blumhouse, horror or just well paced sub 100 minute films… then MA is for you.

Best Bit: Old flame

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Happy Death Day, Get Out, Truth Or Dare

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Us (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

Us (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Following the Oscar winning Get Out, Jordan Peele returns to the horror genre once again with Us – a film so hard to describe without giving spoilers that I’ll just say that it’s about duality and scissors.  Look I was never fully on the Get Out hype train. I enjoyed it but it certainly didn’t hit home for me like it did with others and I thought the last third was pretty derivative. Us, also loved by critics, is another good but not great horror film that has moments but overall doesn’t quite hold together.  You may feel different but for me it seems like Peele is making horror films for those with minimal track record in the genre.

Best Bit: The Neighbours

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Get Out, The Strangers, Identity

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Happy Death Day 2U (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

Happy Death Day 2U (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
I was a massive fan of the original Happy Death Day – a smart idea, well executed that played it as much fore fun as it did for fears.  A quickly turned around sequel doesn’t always guarantee it will be able to replicate the success but, er, happily, I can report that Happy Death Day 2U is great fun.  A bit more sci-fi than horror focused, this Blumhouse produced sequel turns the crazy up to eleven and, through a very clever introduction, sets up its pace and tone which takes it closer to Primer levels than Friday 13th.  The cast are fun (again) , the direction solid and the film doesn’t hang around.  Well recommended.

Best Bit: The opening

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Happy Death Day, Primer, Get Out

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Sorry to Bother You (2018)- A Quick Capsule Review

Sorry to Bother You (2018)- A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Okay so to explain Sorry to Bother You would be pretty hard without some pretty big spoilers. That said if you think along the lines of Get Out then you are not a million miles off.  And much like Get Out, Sorry to Bother You arrives with great hype.  Also like Get Out, Sorry to Bother You probably doesn’t quite warrant it.  A pitch black social commentary without any subtly, it’s a good ride but ultimately it asks more than it answers.

Best Bit: The toilet

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Get Out, Idiocracy, Blindspotting

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Blog: 17 Unexpected Things you didn’t know about your Favourite Horror Films

Blog: 17 Unexpected Things you didn’t know about your Favourite Horror Films

by Phil Hobden Other Cr*p

Did you know that the radiologist’s assistant in The Exorcist was a convicted murderer who dismembered and killed gay men in the late ’70s?  or that the Babadook became a a gay icon and was even the symbol for Gay Pride month in parts of America?  Here’s a list of our Our 17 unexpected horror facts…

 

  1. The Exorcist (1973)

Paul Bateson played a radiologist’s assistant in The Exorcist. He was a convicted murderer who dismembered and killed gay men in the late ’70

 

  1. Alien (1979)

The actors were not informed that the xenomorph was going to explode from Kane’s chest. This enabled genuine reactions from the cast. Veronica Cartwright even passed out

 

  1. Psycho(1960)

It was the first movie to ever show a toilet being flushed

 

 

4.     Poltergeist (1982)

Four of the cast in the original film died within six years of the film’s release data. One of those was Heather O’Rourke (the girl in the gif) and because of this, the belief that the film was cursed arose.

5.     Night of the living dead (1968)

The Night of the Living Dead was shot in black and white. This means that they didn’t have modern film challenges to make the fake blood look realistic. When Karen Cooper (Kyra Schon) takes a bite of her dad’s flesh, she’s actually biting into some leftover lunch.

6.     The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Anthony Hopkins was only on camera for just under 25 minutes. He was barely in the movie but he still took home the Oscar for Best Actor that year.

7.     The Shining (1980)

The carpet is the same design in The Shining and the second floor landing of Sid’s house in Toy Story.

 

8.     The Amityville Horror (2005)

The cast and crew of The Amityville Horror kept waking up at 3 am while filming. That’s the same time the original murders took place.

 

9.     Split (2016)

James McAvoy broke his hand while filming Split in 2016. The incident occurred after he hit a door that he thought was fake. It was actually solid metal.

 

10.  The Conjuring (2013)

During filming, Vera Farmiga experienced several instances of paranormal activity, including finding claw marks on her thighs.

 

11.  Get Out (2017)

It’s no secret that Get Out has many references about American slavery. The teacup is symbolic to slave masters that summon house slaves using teacups.The use of a silver spoon can be seen as meaningful because of the term “born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth”.

 

12.  The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Jules kisses the wolf head on the wall. The wolf’s tongue was covered in powdered sugar to make it look dusty but also to make the scene more tolerable for Anna.

13.  Saw (2004)

Saw was actually inspired by a news story. The idea came about when James Wan saw a news report that described a man who would break into people homes and tickle the feet of sleeping children.  Once the man in question was caught, he revealed that he was forced to do it by someone else & was sent a jigsaw piece. This is where the idea of the jigsaw killer forcing characters to do unthinkable things flourished.

 

14.  Halloween (1978)

Due to its limited budget, the prop department used the cheapest $2 mask they could find in the costume store.  That mask happened to be of the Star Trek actor William Shatner. They spray-painted the face white, teased the hair out and reshaped the eye socket.

 

15.  The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick created all 500 pages with the words “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. Kubrick didn’t go to the prop department with the task and instead he used his own typewriter to make the pages.

 

 

16. Candyman (1992)

Real bees were actually put into lead actor Tony Todd’s mouth while shooting the finale.

 

 

17. The Babadook

The Babadook is a gay icon. It started at the end of 2016, when a Tumblr user started a thread about how he thought the Babadook was gay. The joke lead to the Babadook becoming a symbol for Gay Pride month in parts of America.

 

 

For related articles click HERE

Podcast: The Smoking Lamb #097 – A Quiet Place, Ghost Stories

Podcast: The Smoking Lamb #097 – A Quiet Place, Ghost Stories

by The Smoking Lamb The Podcasts The Smoking Lamb Podcast

It’s The Smoking Lamb Movie Podcast. A weekly, no-holds-baa-aa-arred, and R-rated look at the world of movies.

On this episode: Join us in our Horror-ish themed episode as we discuss two new released Horror films in; Ghost Stories and A Quiet Place. We also go over our Top 5 Movie Characters Who Would Make Horrible Dads.

Check it out and BLEAT THE WORLD and don’t forget to follow up on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

#TheSmokingLamb #MoviePodcasts #Podcasts #FilmPodcast

 

The Best & Worst Of 2017 – Motion Picture Maniac

The Best & Worst Of 2017 – Motion Picture Maniac

by Motion Picture Maniac A Blog Motion Picture Maniac Year In Review

Remember when the disappointment that was 2016 ended and we all toasted to 2017 hopefully proving to be better? Didn’t exactly meet expectations did it? Last year many of our favourite celebrities passed away, this year many of those left have turned out to be sex offenders – go team. But anyway, just like last year I’ve had to stretch my film lists out from top 10’s to top 20’s, which could be seen as a good thing, an indication that there were enough good films to warrant a longer list but then, you remember, the same goes for the bad list.

What can I say; this year was long and depressing, the year before it was long and depressing and, realistically, the next year will probably be long and depressing also; happy days! So here we go, the best films of the year and… the other list, along with some other fun considerations because why not? Of course there were some well-regarded films I was unable to see like Call Me By Your Name and Brigsby Bear and I do hate that I missed them but hey, what can I do?

 

Best Films Of 2017

  1. Dunkirk – (Film of the year, a perfectly shot single feature length action sequence rife with lethal intensity, brutal sound design and gargantuan production value; all of which transpire to do justice to real life heroes)
  2. Blade Runner 2049
  3. Wind River
  4. A Ghost Story
  5. Wonder Woman
  6. Loving Vincent
  7. Thor: Ragnarok
  8. Song To Song
  9. War For The Planet Of The Apes
  10. Mother
  11. American Made
  12. It Comes At Night
  13. Lego Batman
  14. John Wick Chapter 2
  15. Logan
  16. Battle Of The Sexes
  17. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
  18. It
  19. The Disaster Artist
  20. Atomic Blonde

 

Honourable Mentions

The Beguiled

The Killing of a sacred deer

Detroit

Double date

Only the brave

T2 Trainspotting

Okja

Get Out

Baby driver

Spiderman homecoming

 

Special Sympathy Mention:

Justice League

 

Worst Films Of 2017

  1. The Shack – (Worst film of the year, one of the most morally bankrupt, self satisfied, arrogant and offensive pieces of propaganda garbage I have ever seen in my life, it’s not just bad, it’s hurtful and dangerous)
  2. The Bye-Bye Man
  3. Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
  4. Unforgettable
  5. Everything, Everything
  6. Girl’s Trip
  7. The Snowman
  8. Flatliners
  9. The Zookeeper’s Wife
  10. The Sense Of An Ending
  11. Hampstead
  12. Unlocked
  13. The Emoji Movie
  14. The House
  15. Daddy’s Home 2
  16. CHiPS
  17. Bitter Harvest
  18. Overdrive
  19. Transformers: The Last Knight
  20. Fifty Shades Darker

 

Dis-Honourable Mentions

Geostorm

The Star

A Bad Mom’s Christmas

The Space Between Us

Wish Upon

Fist Fight

Table 19

The Book Of Henry

Snatched

Rings

 

 

15 Favourite Action Sequences

Pretty much everything in “The Air” – Dunkirk

Silo Hostage Rescue And Subsequent Battle – Justice League

No Man’s Land – Wonder Woman

Bifrost Bridge Battle – Thor: Ragnarok

Stairwell Fight – Atomic Blonde

Helicopter Swatting – Kong: Skull Island

Hocus Pocus – Baby Driver

The Battle Of Crate – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Drill Sight Massacre – Wind River

Art Gallery Shootout – John Wick Chapter 2

Aero Baby Rescue – Fate Of The Furious

Throne Room Slaughter – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Steppenwolf In Themyscira – Justice League

K VS Luv – Blade Runner 2049

Opening Sequence – John Wick Chapter 2

 

 

Favourite Villainous Performances

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Ciaran Hinds as Steppenwolf – Justice League

Jamie Foxx as Bats – Baby Driver

Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster – Thor: Ragnarok

Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise The Dancing Clown – It

Sylvia Hoeks as Luv – Blade Runner 2049

Will Poulter as Krauss – Detroit

Woody Harrelson as The Colonel – War For The Planet Of The Apes

Ruby Rose as Ares – John Wick Chapter 2

Robert Carlyle as Francis Begbie – T2 Trainspotting

 

 

Best On-Screen Couples (Romantic, Bromantic Or Otherwise)

David and Walter – Alien: Covenant

Thor and… his Hammer – Thor: Ragnarok

K and Joi – Blade Runner 2049

Hobbs and Deckard – Fate Of The Furious

Billie-Jean and Marilyn – Battle Of The Sexes

Greg and Tommy – The Disaster Artist

Rocket and Baby Groot – Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Wolverine and X23 – Logan

Batman and Superman – Justice League

Bryce and Kincaid – The Hitman’s Bodyguard

 

 

Special Awards

Best Opening Credit Sequence: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Best Use Of Music In Correlation To The Visuals: Blade Runner 2049 – “Sea Wall”

Pottymouth Of The Year: Robert Carlyle – T2 Trainspotting

Most Interesting Style: TIE – Loving Vincent/A Ghost Story

Best SFX: War For The Planet Of The Apes

Most Immersive Camera Movements: Justice League

Funniest Line (Intentional): “I’m gonna knock your teeth so far down your throat you’re gonna stick a toothbrush right up your ass to brush em” – Fate Of The Furious

Funniest Line (Unintentional): “Blow into the hole gently, I’ll do the fingering” – Alien: Covenant

Captain Obvious Award: Josh Duhamel, Transformers: The Last Knight – “Look, it’s a big alien ship”

Guilty Pleasure Of The Year: TIE – xXx: Return Of Xander Cage/Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Notable Face-Palm Of The Year: Fakest Sneeze Of All Time – The Bye-Bye Man

Done and dusted, recalling and sifting through the stuff I liked about the year was great fun, doing the same for what I didn’t like bloody hurt. Oh I wonder what the next year will hold, not just regarding the movies but the politics, the sociology, the very backbone of public opinion… who am I kidding, it’s gonna suck, it’ll all suck and we should probably all just save time by taking turns gleefully leaping into a giant deadly shit hole to boil and desolve to death.

 

Happy New Year.

Motion Picture Maniac 

Phil’s End Of Year Awards 2017

Phil’s End Of Year Awards 2017

by Phil Hobden Quick Review Year In Review

So 2017 is almost over and it’s that time a year again where everyone reflects back on their best and worst films of the year.  So we’ve covered our best and our worst films of 2016, so before we look at the films coming up in 2017 here’s my ‘Alternative’ End of Year Awards for 2017…

 

The Most Entertainingly Bad Film Of The Year Award…
Geostorm

 

The Gerard Butler Award For Consistently Making Entertainingly Terrible Films
Gerard Butler (Geostorm)

 

Surprise of The Year Award…
That Any one’s left standing in Hollywood after the year of deaths and scandals…

 

Performance Of The Year Award…
Mark Kermode AGAIN… for his still oddly favourable reviews for his friends movies (see Murder On The Orient Express)

 

Just Fuck Off and Die Award…
Michael Bay & Transformers. Just stop. Now.

 

Least Deserving Commercial Bomb of The Year (Maybe EVER) Award…
Blade Runner 2049

 

Shit so I still can enjoy these films right, even though their lead/producer/co-star was a pervert/bully/ sex offender/Insert Crime Here Award
Baby Driver, Swimming With Sharks, Pulp Fiction, X-Men 2, Toy Story… agh almost ALL my favourite films.  God damn you Hollywood.

 

Come In Your time is Up Award…
Zack Snider. You made two good films. EVERYTHING else has been deeply average. TIED with Harvey Weinstein – your a cunt Harvey pure and simple.

 

Trailer Of The Year Award…
Logan Redband Trailer

 

Let Down of The Year Award…
Hollywood.  A seething industry of low lives and scum.

 

Yes it’s Good. But come on people its also a bit Emperors new clothes…
Get Out

 

Low Budget Straight To DVD Surprise of the Year!
Shot Caller

 

The ‘YES!  See We don’t Always Fuck Up Award’
DC/Warner Brothers. They Made a Good Film! (Wonder Woman)

 

Fuck! We Spoke Too Soon Award
DC/Warner Brothers for Justice League

 

Let Down of The Year Award Part 2….
George Romero NOT coming back as a Zombie when he died.

 

Cameo of The Year Award…
Tim Curry’s original Pennywise The Clown in the 2017 version of IT.

 

The Prove That ‘You Can Come Back from Horrible Shit’ Award (Aka The Future Kevin Spacey Award)
Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge, Daddy’s Home 2)

 

The Oscars only like REALLY famous dead people award for missing out other stars who died Award…
 Garry Shandling, Florence Henderson, Alexis Arquette, Doris Roberts and Robert Vaughn

 

The Proof That Award Shows Suck Award…
Snubs (Didn’t wins or Not Nominated) for I Daniel Blake,  Hunt for The Wilder People, Sing Street, Hell Or High Water,  Jake Gyllenhaal, Kubo And The Two Strings, Silence, Amy Adams and many more

 

The Poof That Award Shows DONT Suck Award…
It’s La La Land… No Moonlight… No Titanic… No it’s me. The awards themselves offered few surprises, The Oscars even less, but the best picture cock up at the Academy Awards was pure gold!

 

The Audience Wins! Award.  2017 Sees LESS remakes/Reboots than ever before. Some still sucked.
Flatliners, The Mummy

 

Not ALL remakes & reboots suck Award…
IT 2017. Just awesome.

 

Yup we just made it for the money award (aka The Sequels Suck) Award…
Transformers Age Of Extinction

 

Films That SHOULD have been on my 2016 List’s but I Hadn’t Seen…
The Edge Of Seventeen, The Girl With All The Gifts, Train To Busan, Deepwater Horizon, Kubo & The Two Strings, Sing Street, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, 13th,  I Daniel Blake

 

 

Next time: Phil’s Look at 2018 and a look back at my 2017 predictions…