Terrifier & The Babadook. (movie reviews)

As Halloween is almost upon us, here's two spine-chilling reviews of recently watched movies ...

So … I’m going to start with Terrifier. If you’re a fan of terror caused by silent clowns you will enjoy this. Check out my review of the remake of IT here. The plot – well it’s not rocket science.

A television journalist named Monica interviews a severely disfigured woman, the lone survivor of a massacre. Monica mentions the assailant, known only as “Art the Clown,” disappeared from the morgue but the woman emphatically asserts that she saw him die. Later, Monica mocks the woman’s appearance while talking on the phone in her dressing room. The disfigured woman attacks her and gouges out her eyes, laughing maniacally.

Time jump backwards. It’s Halloween night, loads of people are drunk and dressed up; Art the Clown starts his rampage of horror and chopping; concentrating on two annoying girls but diverting his silent attention towards anyone he gets in his way. And that’s as far as the plot really goes. But that doesn’t matter. You don’t watch horror movies for amazing and creative plots, you watch them to have the pants scared off you and what ensues will do that. Art, the silent mime-clown is played brilliantly by David Howard Thornton, the violence is realistic and creative and most certainly not for the fainthearted; there is one scene where a character is chopped up and it is visceral, unique and a hand-in-front-of-your-eyes for a lot of viewers. Me, look, No Hands!.

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Check out this fantastic interview from David here, you can tell he really loved playing the role, of course not being afraid of clowns helps. 

The movie has a 71% rating from Rotten Tomatoes so for a horror movie that’s ranking really well. For me it’s definitely one of the scariest movies that is clown based anyway and certainly surpasses both versions of IT (movies not book obviously).    

I’m going to slash and chop an 8 out of 10 planets for Terrifier. One of the scariest movies I’ve seen in ages.

Next ...

The Babadook is a 2014 Australian supernatural psychological horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent in her directorial debut. And what a debut. Just wow. I loved the premise of this story.

Amelia Vanek is a troubled and exhausted widow who has brought up her six-year-old son Samuel alone. Sam begins displaying erratic behaviour: he becomes an insomniac and is preoccupied with an imaginary monster, against which he has built weapons to fight. One night, Sam asks his mother to read a pop-up storybook called Mister Babadook. It describes the titular monster, the Babadook, a tall pale-faced humanoid in a top hat with taloned fingers who torments its victims after they become aware of its existence. Amelia is disturbed by the book and its mysterious appearance, while Sam becomes convinced that the Babadook is real. Sam's persistence about the Babadook leads Amelia to often have sleepless nights as she tries to comfort him. She destroys the book but it reappears the following day and new, more disturbing words have also appeared.

What follows is the normal, strange goings-on you’d expect from a movie like this, doors opening, shadows causing you to jump but the more interesting part is how Amelia starts to lose her mind and she eventually starts seeing her dead husband who wants to take their son, implying he is a conjuration of the Babadook. The rest is a tornado of possession, attacks and eventually Amelia standing up to the Babadook. The ending is fantastic (but you have to watch it, no spoilers here).

I have the bluray and the extras are brilliant, the interviews and art work are fascinating, well worth a watch. Most of the time I pay little attention to the extras but in this case they are a must. I loved the soundtrack and the childlike story was haunting. The scratchy voice that Sam uses when he reads the lines of the book are chilling, you will remember them for ages.

YOU CAN’T GET RID OF THE BABADOOK … DOOK … DOOK

When the movie was released in 2014 it didn’t get much traction but following the limelight the Sun Dance Festival shone upon it, it’s now soaring in popularity and, strangely enough, is now seen as a gay icon - after Netflix apparently grouped it with LGBT titles - or so the urban legend says! (The verdict is still out for me on this claim).

Either way, it’s an amazing debut from Jennifer Kent  and I’ll be looking at what else she has done. I’m giving The Babadook a 9 out of 10 planets (the extras garnered and extra planet). Original story, great directing and acting with a brilliant soundtrack and great ending. Nuf’ said.

John the Captain Ryan.

Tickets for Fireworks in Wexford

Firstly, a huge shout-out to a very talented photographer - Mr. Pat Sheridan. He takes amazing photos and you can find his website here 

(photo - Pat Sheridan)

I absolutely love the fireworks and everything else happening during the Wexford Festival Opera.  It's a great time to be a Wexfordian.

Even if you don't attend the opera there is a huge number of things to do. Check out the Wexford Fringe Festival HERE for some stuff going on. Most events are free to attend and the exhibitions are the highlight for me.

I always love the well gathered, curated and displayed exhibition that Denis Collins puts together and sure, you go into the gallery for 5 minutes and come out two hours later (2 Lower Rowe Street). 

Anyway, down to the nitty-gritty. The amazing firework display will be starting around 7.40pm tomorrow evening, 19th October 2018. 

The quay and bridge will be closed to traffic from 17:00-20:30, diversions will be in place and there will be heavy disruption to traffic during these times.

Oh ya, there are NO TICKETS.

See you all there

John The Captain Ryan

Noah Can’t Even by Simon James Green (Book Review)

Skittles and Haribo will solve all problems.

This is a hilarious book, following the exploits of Noah Grimes (absolutely no resemblance to Rick & Carl Grimes), his father abandoned him and his mother, his mother embarrasses him at every opportunity, especially with her Beyonce tribute act, school is horrible, his best friend Harry just kissed him and his shoulder to cry on – his Nan – is losing her mind.

He actually reminds me of myself because he worries about everything, is always trying to figure out how to be just a little less unpopular, and he hated PE, just like me.

This book is witty, fun, fast paced with enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages. Really, that’s not a cliché; I read the book in about 36 hours. (I’m reading When everything feels like the movies by Raziel Reid at the moment and it’s not nearly as compelling). The author Simon James Green is a very talented person, he has written for TV, worked back stage on the Westend and you can just imagine Noah trouping out on stage in an Agatha Christie production. Green claims the book is somewhat biographical and his writing style of short sharp sentences, manic train of thought and a book that just flows so quickly is a joy to read.

With great news last summer (2017) that Noah Can’t Even might be bound for the big screen, hopefully following in the footsteps of Love Simon which is being released in March 2018, I hope this book stays on recommended LGBT reading lists for many years to come.

There is a sequel due this summer – Noah Could Never – and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

I definitely have no hesitation in recommending this young adult book, to both young adults and old adults, it’s a gem, easy and fun to read. (There are a few suggestions to s-e-x but as Noah is even afraid to say the word, there's nothing it it that teens shouldn't read). I give Noah Can’t Even a 10 out of 10 planets. 

Other LGBT books I have reviewed are

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan HERE

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde HERE

When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid HERE

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli HERE

John The Captain Ryan

Venom (Movie Review)

Venom is a great re-imagining of another Marvel classic. 

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Another trip to the Arc Cinema in Wexford, where the staff are lovely and the premises are spotless and comfortable (and wheelchair friendly to boot).

This has been a much awaited movie and whilst getting mixed reviews I really liked it. The criticism, some of it warranted (unoriginal storyline, Disnefied down to a 15 cert & Venom character not being bad enough) still doesn't detract from the main positives of the movie for me.

  

But to start with ... the plot:

Journalist Eddie Brock begins looking into a shady businessman, whose experiments into alien symbiotes (i.e. creatures that have to bond with another being to survive) are putting innocent people in danger. However, in the course of his investigations Brock becomes infected with one of the symbiotes, quickly realising it possesses sentience and striking a deal with the creature now sharing his body – well kind of. They become VENOM. But you have to say that in a husky voice in your head.

In a formulaic manner, they attempt to quash the evil and win the day. This is where the movie lets us down. The original character of Venom wasn’t such a good guy so Marvel fans are annoyed and rightly so, I think the creators, so used to bringing us stories of good vanquishing evil, didn’t know what to do with the Venom character so fell back on the usual movie trope. However, the sci-fi and fantasy nerd is a much more discerning movie goer, we’ve shown how we don’t necessarily want the usual movie trope, Sin City and Deadpool come to mind so the creators dropped the ball here.

 

HOWEVER ... DUM DUM DUM ... If you are not an aficionado of the Venom comics or Marvel universe this will not matter to you. Without this prior lore knowledge the story line is fine and as Venom is a stand-alone movie, you need not have seen the other 100 movies based in the Marvel Universe to enjoy it which is another plus.

The comedy is very good and lightens the movie somewhat. The scene when Venom says hello to Brock when he is brushing his teeth is laugh out loud stuff and the timing is also brilliant. Before Brock figures out what is happening the conversations in his head are hilarious.

The Cast.

Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock, and he also voices the symbiote, effectively playing two different interlinked roles in the same movie. He does a brilliant job and the start of the story where he is coming to terms with his new parasite is very funny, although it does take too long getting anywhere.

Michelle Williams also stars as lawyer Anne Weying, Eddie’s girlfriend, who becomes a different version of Venom herself in the source comics. There will be a sequel, although it will be the story of Carnage rather than a Venom 2 (I think) but I’m looking forward to more of Anne’s story.

Rounding off the main cast Riz Ahmed plays villain Carlton Drake, the real baddie who wants to destroy the earth. Another plus to note, Marvel/Sony has  again considered representation and not whitewashing the whole cast. 

The Nitty-Gritty

The music is amazing with Eminem dropping the soundtrack. Even the end sequence (you will watch because you need to see the final scene) marries the soundtrack with some fab artwork – kind of like a symbiosis of Venom tentacles and Rorschach drawings. Cool stuff.

(source)

The special effects are stunning and the fight sequences are brilliant – exactly what we have come to expect from Marvel, still outshining DC by a mile. There is a chase sequence which is great, Venom on a motorbike and the baddies all driving massive black suburbans. 

Whilst the chase scene is a really entertaining and fast paced addition, it’s a little bit unbelievable that a motor bike couldn’t get away from a few 4 wheel drives. In reality of course in a city full of traffic the motorbike is king. But it is a cool bike so what the hell – it’s a Ducati Scrambler, here are its stats. I WANT ONE!

Chase scenes are much more realistic when proper bikes are used and if you’re a bit of a motorbike fan like me you appreciate when directors use real, honest, proper fast bikes in their creations. One of the most exciting chase scenes to ever grace our screens, IMHO are in The Matrix Reloaded – Trinity on the Ducati 996 – at its time and still the 996 is one of the fastest most viciously accelerating bikes to every be built. The 996 has propelled numerous riders to victory of the years. (read more here)

Tying it all together in a nice little bow

I’m going to tentacle hurl an 8 out of 10 planets at Venom. Even though the movie has problems with the storyline, you’ll still come out of the cinema with a smile on your face that will overshadow the bad bits and you’ll remember the funny bits especially. It was too slow getting into the meat of the story, but, in its defence, it’s hard to tell the origin story in a shorter time. With nearly 40 minutes left on the cutting floor which would have made the movie an 18 cert, I hope we get some of them back in an Directors Cut on the bluray release. This could probably propel the movie to a 9 or even 10 out of 10.

John The Captain Ryan

My top reviews of the year - Top 12

So, I’ve been blogging for a little more than a year now and have reviewed loads of things. Thanks to the Western Regional Section of the LAI and the Rudai 23course I’ve gotten off to a great start and published over 100 blogs so far. I’ve reviewed loads of books, movies and TV series. It would have been cool if it were a top 10 list, but it turns out I gave 12 reviews a 10 out of 10 planet, so here is a round-up of the best of the best:

I have to start with Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda(Book Review). This is by far one of my fave reads in the last year, an amazing book written by Becky Albertalli telling us of the story of Simon, how he is as normal as most other teenagers with the same problems and – oh ya – he’s gay.

 

Quote: "Your real friends will not have a problem when you come out and if they do, well they weren't true friends in the first place. You can go and find some better ones"

 

This is closely followed by Love Simon, a seminal movie for the LGBT community, the first proper – big budget – big production of a young teens coming out story based on Albertalli's book.

 

Quote: "You get to exhale now, Simon ... You get to be more you than you've been in a very long time”

  

Deadpool 2 (movie review) is the fab sequel from the Marvel Universe; it's possible the odd occasion where the sequel is better than it’s predecessor.

Quote: "the soundtrack, it's just amazing. Songs like Celine Dion's "Ashes", Dolly Parton's "9 to 5," and even "Tomorrow" from Annie accompany some of the movie's most violent scenes, making for a delightfully weird playlist.  Weird yes, perfect also yes "

  

History is all you left me  (Book Review) is an amazing book dealing with love, loss and rebuilding one's soul. The author Adam Silvera is great, check out all the other titles he has.

Quote: "The short sticatto sentences are brutal and honest. In one paragraph we learn so much about Theo. The last sentence is just perfect. Sums up the whole book really. It’s been one month since you lived. It’s a beautifully written story of grief, rebuilding and hope. A must read"

The supernatural horror - The Lodgers (Movie Review) - was amazing and to see something filmed in my home town of Wexford is great. An awesome screenplay by talented writer David Turpin makes this a must see. 

Quote: "When you see the interior parts of The Lodgers, the closest movie I can compare it to is Crimson Peak. Seriously, the visuals and feel of the crumbling building stack up against the multi-million-dollar creation of recent Oscar winner Guillermo Del Toro" 

Noah Can’t Even  (Book Review) is one of the funniest reads I've gotten my mitts on in ages. Another must read by the very talented Simon James Green

Quote: "Skittles and Haribo will solve all problems"

 

 

Ant-Man and the Wasp (movie review) is another great movie from the Marvel universe. A great plus is that it is stand-alone and can be viewed without extensive knowledge of all the Marvel movies over the last few years (of which there has been way way too many)

 

 

Quote: "The fight scenes are awesome, the special effects are brilliant but more than anything the story, dialog and interactions between the characters are really funny"

 

 

As part of the Rudai23 course I was doing, here's a blog on using the App Quik which allows you to make a video/photograph slideshow with a soundtrack 

 

 

Quote: “ It was really intuitive and with no instructions one could use it straight “out of the box”

 

 

 

Logan (movie review)

 

One of my fave ALL time movies, Logan is the story of (Wolverine) and Charles (Professor X), in this time-line they are the only two superheros left in the World.  Patrick Stewart (who might return as Captain Picard) proves yet again that he is one of the best actors to ever grace the screen. We also cannot discount Hugh Jackman - possible the Greatest Showman on Earth, only gets better with age.

 

I also speak about the "Disneyfication" of movies in this review. 

Quote: "Stewart is amazing, portraying the role of an old man losing control over his mind with poignant understanding and realism"

 

 

 

I came across this gem of a book in work and just had to add it to my blog - Declaration of the Rights of Boys & Girls.

 

 

 

Quote: "The illustrations are fun and cheerful, girls having the right to be dirty and boys having the right to wear pink ... the book does a fantastic job of spreading a message of equality without being preachy or insulting to anyone’s faith ... It is quite frankly a book that every child from the age of 3 should have on their shelf"

 

 

 

Last year we saw the remake of IT by Stephen King, hitting our screens with mixed reviews but I loved it.

 

 

 

I talk about remakes and then review IT. The second part is due to be released in September 2019.

Quote: "Final Verdict:  A massive success that will instil a fear of clowns for generations to come"

And finally, my first podcast (but hopefully not last) I reviewed 3 movies together with Black Panther getting the highest marks. All I can say is it's an awesome movie and of course #Representation Matters

That's me all done. Please like and follow me on FACEBOOK to keep up to date with all my blogs.

Thanks for reading and thanks for all the fish.

John The Captain Ryan