MOVIE REVIEW: THE EMPTY MAN

 

On the trail of a missing girl, an ex-cop comes across a secretive group attempting to summon a terrifying supernatural entity.

Director: David Prior

Cast: James Badge Dale, Marin Ireland, Stephen Root, Ron Canada, Robert Aramayo, Joel Courtney, Sasha Frolova

Release Date: October 22, 2020

Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror

Rated R for violence, disturbing images, language, some sexuality and nudity

Runtime: 2 h 17 min

Review:

The Empty Man is surprisingly engaging horror film that echoes The Ring with dashes of A Nightmare on Elm Street.  David Prior lets his film’s mystery unfurl organically allowing it to slowly wrap you into the central mystery.  There are a few tantalizing hints dropped here and there to keep you engaged.  Thankfully this horror film doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares with only a handful used for maximum effect.  As the twist and turns reveal themselves and the characters make for a fun watch.  James Badge Dale leads the film, initially stoic but he loosens up as the film moves along.  As the audience’s proxy he’s a believable and likable lead even with the film’s dark tone.  The rest of the cast is made up of recognizable character actors and fresh faces which let the story be the central focus.  It’s to the film’s benefit that the mystery is good fun and it’s wrapped up in a solid and satisfying way.  This film marks the final 20^th Century Fox release after the Disney merger.  The Empty Man has been quietly released during the current pandemic with little to no fanfare, it’s a shame since it’s a well made film that will likely become a hidden gem once it hits VOD and Bluray. 

B

MOVIE REVIEW: 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is an action thriller based on the 2014 non-fiction book written by journalist Mitchell Zuckoff with the Annex Security Team. The film depicts the harrowing true story of the attack on a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012, which killed four Americans. After the assault begins, a U.S. Special Ops team are sent to the annex to protect those still trapped within the compound. Directed by Michael Bay, the film stars John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, and Pablo Schreiber. ~ Tom Ciampoli, Rovi

Director: Michael Bay

Cast: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale, Max Martini, Toby Stephens

Release Date: Jan 15, 2016

Rated R for strong combat violence throughout, bloody images, and language.

Runtime: 2 hr. 24 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a surprisingly mature and somewhat restrained effort from bombastic director Michael Bay.  It still has many of the hallmarks of most of Bay’s work but it’s not as garish as it’s been in his most recent films.  Bay doesn’t take any time before he throws the audience into a series of well choreographed action sequences which make up the better part of the films runtime.  The characters don’t get nearly as much time as they deserve to get properly fleshed out and what little characterization there is falls into some well worn clichés.  It’s a shame Bay didn’t spend more time with some of these characters because John Krasinski and James Badge Dale are game with their performances.  You get the feeling that if they had a bit more to work with we might have had something more meaningful.  As it is Bay gives us a solid auctioneer that feels like a modern day Alamo on more than a few occasion.  It’s a tad overlong and some clunky dialogue hampers some of the slower sections.  Even though it’s an imperfect film it still qualifies as one of Michael Bay’s best films in recent memory.

B-

Cindy Prascik’s Review of World War Z

Dearest Blog, today it was off to the cinema for World War Z.

Folks, the zombie apocalypse is upon us, and it's left to Brad Pitt to turn the tide.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

Surprise, dear reader(s), I have actually read the book on which this film is based! The Great Gatsby? No. World War Z? Yes. If anyone's looking for me, I'll be off killing myself for the good of the species.

World War Z is a so-so zombie flick, but a pretty darn good dramatic thriller. Everything is presented in such a grounded way that, had filmmakers elected to use a term other than "zombie," it could have been another Contagion. Tension stays high throughout, and--though I've heard complaints that it's too slow--my attention never strayed. The living dead are appropriately creepy and, as fans will have noted from the trailers, can not only run but climb, a significant change from the usual zombie lore. Sorta made me want to sprint for the car when it was all said and done...just in case!

Brad Pitt is effective in the lead, though the role is hardly taxing. Fans of The Killing will note that Mirielle Enos smiles more in a film about the end of the friggin' world than she does in her weekly TV series...what?? The remaining cast is serviceable, if not remarkable, with the closest thing to a standout being Daniella Kertesz. The kids are a little annoying, but aren't on screen enough that it much matters. Personally, I was delighted to see David Morse and The Hour's Peter Capaldi in small roles.

The strangest thing about World War Z is what it's missing: blood and guts. We've become accustomed to The Walking Dead and its tendency to get up close and personal with zombies gnawing on human flesh, or Daryl Dixon putting an arrow through a walker's eye and splattering brains out the back of its head. You'll find virtually none of that in WWZ, which elects to keep the camera on the person wielding the gun/sword/axe/baseball bat/whatever, as opposed to actually showing a zombie's head getting smashed into a billion pieces. While I'm not saying making the film a gratuitous splatter-fest would have been the better artistic choice, I will say the extremely tame language and lack of any significant gore does leave the movie lacking an edge it probably could have used.

Regular reader(s) will know that vampires are my "thing," not zombies; in fact, if not for the presence of Mr. Pitt, I'd probably have paired my weekly Star Trek screening with Monsters University rather than with World War Z. I also found the book painfully dull, so, while I figured the movie had to be at least somewhat better, my expectations were moderate at best. I'm happy to report I was pleasantly surprised and liked the film much better than I anticipated.

World War Z runs a steadily-paced 116 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense, frightening zombie sequences, violence, and disturbing images." It bears little resemblance to the book on which it's based, but that's not necessarily a bad thing! Of a possible nine Weasleys, World War Z gets six and a half.

Until next time...




OHMYGOSH, IT'S THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!!

MOVIE REVIEW: WORLD WAR Z

Brad Pitt stars as an ex-United Nations employee racing around the globe in a bid to halt a worldwide zombie pandemic in Marc Forster's sprawling adaptation of Max Brooks' bestselling novel of the same name. James Badge Dale, Matthew Fox, and David Morse co-star in this Paramount Films production. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Marc Forster

Cast: Brad Pitt, James Badge Dale, Ludi Boeken, Matthew Fox, David Morse

Release Date: Jun 21, 2013

Rated PG-13 for intense frightening zombie sequences, violence and disturbing images.

Runtime: 1 hr. 55 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Horror

Review:

World War Z, the book, is one of the smartest slants on zombies I’ve ever read. The amount of research that Max Brook put into his heady novella is extensive and well thought out. I personally think the best way to adapt the book faithfully is via a mini series. Of course that won’t happen. The film version bares little resemblance to the book and if book readers can detach themselves from that fact they might be able to enjoy it. It’s a generic but occasionally thrilling blockbuster. Brad Pitt is pretty much the only character that matters throughout. There are other ancillary characters but honestly they don’t matter outside of window dressing. Pitt is tasked with saving the world because he works for the UN doing, um, well something. Either way its Pitt’s show and thankfully he’s one of the few actors strong enough to carry a film like this. The plot littered is logical holes but thanks to his commanding, paternal presence you can overlook them, for the most part. Marc Forster does a solid job in the director’s chair. He crafts some impressively tense sequences throughout. This film is a relentless yet sterile PG-13 funhouse ride filled with big action set pieces. Even the airplane sequence, which I still found rather silly, works. It also confirmed my longstanding theory that Brad Pitt could survive an airplane crash solely based on good looks and charm. Unfortunately, like some rides, its ends abruptly with very little pomp and circumstance almost like it was out of breath and motivation. It’s all easily digestible and forgettable.

B-