Seance: A Boarding School For Mature Students

I have been very impressed by the prior work of Simon Barrett, he was involved in the creation of two of my favourite films of all time The Guest and You’re Next; however, in both cases he also had Adam Wingard as backup. Here Barrett is on his own, with this being his directional debut and it becomes clear very early on just how much Barrett needs his fellow mumblecore pioneers like Wingard, as this film begins to fall apart.

So before getting into all the reasons the film doesn’t work I want to give it praise for what it does well. The twist, that I won’t spoil here, that comes in towards the end of the film is actually surprising and I didn’t see it coming, it flips the film on its head which makes it infinitely more interesting.

The issues with this film mainly come from how cliché a lot of it is, all the teen angst/ mean girls stuff is incredibly played out from the beginning; and it is more than a little weird that all these ‘teen girls’ at this boarding school are actually late twenty/ early thirty year olds in real life- it makes the film somewhat unbelievable.

Furthermore, I did not find this film scary. The supernatural element feels again familiar and poses nothing new for genre fans or even those who watch more than one horror film a year: I found the scare set ups to be incredibly obvious as well.

Overall, very generic and mediocre.

Pros.

The twist

It is relatively well paced

Cons.

The supernatural element

The scares

The mean girls story cliches

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MA: Never Party With Someone Double Your Age

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This film started with all the promise in the world, the idea of a middle aged woman who lures teens back to her basement to party has all sorts of troubling undertones. However, it is from there that this film starts to struggle.

The threat and the horror of this film are very human, yet that can only go so far, maybe if the writing was better, alas. We quickly get into a very overly familiar story of an unpopular girl who is picked on by the popular kids and then wants revenge, with some poisoning of your kid to keep them dependent on you thrown in there for good measure. From about the first third in I could accurately tell what was going to happen.

I don’t know what blackmail Blumhouse have on Octavia Spencer, but clearly it must be sizeable to get her to walk away from beloved TV shows and award winning films to star in this; a by all means average horror effort.

Overall, the film has promise, but then doesn’t do anything with it.

Pros.

A strong premise

A few good scares

Cons.

Overly familiar

Octavia Spencer deserves better than this

Not all that scary

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Digging To Death: A Great Upper Body Workout

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I found this film funny, whether that was intentional or not remains to be seen but viewed as a horror comedy this film is a roaring success. I would say as is often the case this film tended to favour the comedy over the horror, and I didn’t end up finding the film at all scary.

There were a few tense moments that punctuate the film, but for the most part the tension is quickly lost, and silliness returns; this does become grating after a while as you want the film to at least take itself seriously slightly.

Something I will give this film a pro for is the look of the corpse, I enjoyed the low-fi approach they took with it, and thought the corpse looked quite striking and effective. We definitely could have used more of the corpse within the film.

The acting was all fine, nothing really to write home about, but serviceable enough that it didn’t become a problem or distracting.

Overall, a lot of fun, I hope for the film’s sake that it wasn’t trying to be a straight forward horror film, if that is the case then I would have to readjust my score as it is not scary at all.

Pros.

The humour
The ending

It is entertaining

Cons.

It is not scary

The tone is a little uneven at times

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The Doorman: Ruby Rose Needs A Better Agent

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

The unlikeliness of Ruby Rose actually being able to overpower and physically best guys twice or sometimes even three times her size is never lost on me. Watching Rose as a cold calculating villain ordering foot soldiers to their death is far better and more believable than watching her trying to take on the action hero role herself.

This film is a clear Die Hard rip-off, and for most of the film it doesn’t even try to hide it. Rose’s character is ex-military, so of course when some vague ‘European’ baddies show up and try and take over the hotel that her dead sister’s Husband and kids live at she expertly manages to take them all down and keep everyone save.

The premise is beyond familiar, and we get back to the idea of this being a rip-off, however it feels more like a spoof. Whoever is Ruby Rose’s agent should be fired as they keep getting her these really generic action roles, that might help her to build a certain image, that of an action star, but at the same time show just how poorly she plays theses type of roles- it is double edged.

Moreover, the sub-plot regarding the fact that Rose’s character and her dead sister’s husband had an affair, and it is implied they still have feelings for each other, is icky and makes both of the characters deeply unlikeable.

Overall, hopefully someone in Hollywood will start making better decisions with their money and we will get less films like this.

Pros.

It is short

Cons.

Rose

The premise

It is generic

The icky subplot

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Wrath Of Man: Leave Your Lights On For Jason Statham

5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Recently I have been suck in somewhat of a purgatory when it comes to finding good films to watch, try as I like I keep ending up watching average films, or films that are good but also deeply flawed. However, just when I was starting to lose faith, I watched this.

For most of his filmography I have been a big Guy Richie fan, and this film was yet another hit for me. Jason Statham I am more mixed on, sometimes he can be good, other times he is woefully miscast here however he is great.

There is just something that works about this film, there are no glaring issues with it, and it had a smile on my face from start to finish. I thought the pacing was tight, there were no dips in interest or engagement, the action was strong with the shootout at the depot being a particular highlight and the tension was well maintained over the course of the film.

Moreover, I surprisingly also found this film to be very funny- deliberately. Yes, when I put this film on I did not think it would have lighter moments it seemed a very dark tale, but the tone does balance this, and allows for a few one-liners that help the film to stay enjoyable and not get too dark; and these lines are also quite funny.

Overall, it is nice to see Statham and Ritchie back on form, this film clearly illustrates the best of both men and makes for one of the more entertaining watches of the year so far.

Pros.

The action

The tension

The jokes

The cast

Statham

Cons.

None

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Candyman: The Candyman Can

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I remember watching Candyman Farewell To The Flesh as a child and being scared out of my wits, it was this remembrance that caused me to go back and watch the first film recently and also to prep for the new sequel that is on its way.

So this film feels very unique, in a Clive Barker-esque way. Though Barker didn’t write the film, it is based on one of his stories and he was involved as a producer, this is clear to see as his finger prints are all over this film. Anyone familiar with Barker’s other works will be able to see what I mean; it is something special that is hard to put into words- the plot and style of the film reflect this.

Moreover, this film features one of the all time masters of horror himself: Tony Todd, which in my book is always a bonus point. We don’t get to see a lot of Todd throughout the film, though his presence is felt. However, the few scenes we do have with him are all very strong and he presents the character with a certain otherworldly, ethereal energy that is hard to look away from.

The characters outside of Todd’s villain are all fairly lacklustre, and the story itself is very familiar-especially if you are a genre fan like me. In my opinion the framing of the lead for Candyman’s crimes was perhaps the weakest part of the film as it has been seen so many times before across the genre and it was entirely predictable.

Overall, strong but not without flaws.

Pros.

Barker’s influence

Tony Todd

The style

Cons.

The lead was very meh

The storyline was predictable and weak

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The Unholy: Modern Miracles, Seeing Isn’t Believing

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I have been waiting for this film for some time, with perhaps too high expectations.

I am a big Jeffery Dean Morgan fan and his last foray into horror The Possession was terrific, this only caused me to get more excited for this film prior to seeing it. Before I get into some issues I had with the film, I want to state that Morgan and his performance is a bright spot of the film and he leads this film with a gusto.

My issues with this film come from its themes and messages, the film can’t seem to decide on what sort of tact it wants to take with regard to religion. At times the film is very critical of organised religion, especially Catholicism, but then at other times it is very much into embracing it. I would have preferred the film to take a hard line and focus more on the issues of organised religion from a horror stand point, but the film bends in the end. It is for this reason I don’t like the ending.

I think the horror of this film works and it did leave me chilled, however some of the effects don’t look good and the film as a whole looks a little cheap. The film is better and crucially scarier when slight things are happening rather than full on sequences where the demon/witch is moving around.

Adding to, this film features an annoyingly large amount of really repetitive jump scares that it should have cut out as they are neither scary, nor well done.

Overall, a decent if flawed horror film.

Pros.

It is unsettling

Jeffery Dean Morgan

The criticisms of organised religion

Cons.

The ending

The jump scares

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My Salinger Year: White Privilege Is Alive And Well

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Everything about this film screams pretentious. The very idea of a struggling writer trying to make their way in New York City whilst also being given a fabulous job opportunity that they don’t value and continue to seek out more to satiate their own ego is a cliché- and sadly it makes up the entire plot of this film.

The problems of our lead, who just wants to write but can’t seem to get anywhere, not only very pedestrian but they also feel hollow. The whole film reeks of the sort of privilege that comes around when you don’t have to worry about the day to day problems and can instead just focus all your time into complaining about not having your dream life- unrelatable.

The reason this film gets the score given, is because of Sigourney Weaver: make no mistake without Weaver I would have given this film less. Whenever Weaver is on screen the film momentarily comes alive, and you are reminded of how great she is and how you miss her not being in more things; what it would be to go back to the mid to late Eighties to Weaver’s peak.

Overall, if this film can’t see how the average viewer would struggle to relate to it, then it is even more pretentious then I thought.

Pros.

Weaver

Cons.

The rest of the cast

The clear privilege

It is a cliché

It is boring and uninspired

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Four Good Days: A Frank And Uncompromising Look At Addiction

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This is a harrowing film, but one that I think is an important watch: the film does not shy away from showing you the horrors of addiction and the impact it has not just on yourself, but those around you. As I was watching this film I often found myself being moved to emotion by the events on screen whether that was sadness, joy or frustration- crucially it made me feel.

I think both Glenn Close and Mila Kunis are terrific here, with the latter really showcasing her skills as a dramatic actor. I think the bond between these two characters feels so real that you easily believe they are mother and daughter. Furthermore, you can see the scars and hurt in their relationship and how despite both doing things they regret, they also to be there for and support each other.

This film is obviously a very bleak watch, yet one that I found inspiring. Though the struggles and issues raised in the film are deeply upsetting, I found the ending of the film helped to not send you into a pit of despair: whilst also managing to show that addiction is a struggle you fight for your whole life even after you get clean.

Overall, a very strong and effecting dramatic piece.

Pros.

Kunis

The ending

The bond/ emotions

Cons.

A few light pacing issues.

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Cruella: When Is This Film Set Does Anyone Know ? PS. That Is Not The Seventies

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Disney’s live action remakes will never get any love from me: they are an effort in baiting nostalgia and milking the past to make up for modern day creative failings- worse yet it seems to be working for them. Anyway, I went into this film with low expectations, the trailers didn’t inspire hope, however, after watching it I find myself mixed.

The biggest pro I can give this film is for Emma Stone’s performance. Stone manages to lose herself in the role, and truly become the character. I liked the fact that they didn’t go out of their way to make her sympathetic or even likeable most of the time, with that helping her feel more villainous and more like the character we would later come to know.

However, that is where the pros for the film grind to a halt. My biggest issue with this film was its style. From a design perspective this film is schizophrenic never really being able to decide what tone or even era it was going for- it is jarringly off putting.

Moreover, the plot and story of the film are laughably far fetch, with the film giving up on trying to explain itself midway through, thus creating so many plot holes that you begin to lose count.

Finally, there are plenty of characters in this narrative that serve no purpose and are redundant. Case in point Cruella’s childhood friend/reporter, who’s whole character arc is that she follows Cruella around and takes pictures; she has no character beyond that, nor does she have a need to be in this film at all.

Overall, not worth the price of admission wait until it is free on Disney +

Pros.

Emma Stone

Mark Strong

Cons.

The odd tone

The inconsistencies

The era/ and the fact the film can’t decide when it wants to be set

The logic

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