FILM REVIEW: Debug

Debug is a 2014 Canadian Sci-Fi Horror film written and directed by David Hewlett. If that name sounds familiar to you it is because David played Dr. Rodney Mckay in Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis and in Stargate Universe. Seriously he was 50% of the reason for watching Atlantis the other half was probably Rachel Luttrell’s abs because damn.

The film stars Jeananne Goossen, Jason Momoa, Jadyn Wong, Adrian Holmes, Sidney Leeder and Adam Butcher. Debug is distributed by Signature Entertainment and was released in the UK on 3^rd November 2014.

PLOT

Six young computer hackers sent to work on a derelict spaceship, are forced to match wits with a vengeful artificial intelligence that would kill to be human.

WHY I WATCHED

I just decided to take a chance but the fact that Jason Momoa (Stargate Atlantis, Game Of Thrones, don’t mention Conan) and Jadyn Wong (crushing on since Scorpion) meant it was definitely worth a gamble. I do love my B movies they are hard to do wrong though of course it does happen.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I do love B movies I’m not sure why anyone would not like them. This is a good example of the genre a decent amount of action more than a bit of gore the story is an interesting take on the old trapped in a scary house set piece of most horror films. The Sci-Fi element makes things interesting a revamp for the modern age with it being set on a vast space ship. The size of the ship doesn’t make it feel any less claustrophobic and the hacking elements are interesting. The virtual reality stuff cranks up the horror elements too which is a nice step.

It is hard to talk about Debug without having a discussion around the fan service present in the film.

Fan Service: a term originating from anime and manga fandom for material in a series which is intentionally added to please the audience and usually refers to gratuitous titillation.

In this case I can definitely point to some fan service of the racy/sexual kind. Of course this is not unheard of for horror films and it is handled well here of course it isn’t hindered by the fact that the lead Jeananne Goossen is a stone cold fox and the other actresses are gorgeous as well. Between Jadyn Wong in a T-shirt and panties and Sidney Leeder with very little of anything on there was something for anyone who appreciated fit young women. Of course noting that there is a discussion to be held about where all the pecs and sixpacks were so fans of the male form could have their turn.

So now with that aside let’s consider the film as a whole it is a great distraction for a night in with friends and definitely worth taking the time to check out. The gorgeous actresses on show don’t hurt either. So Sci-Fi fan? Horror fan? Check this film out.

FILM REVIEW: The Human Race

The Human Race is a 2014 horror film directed and written by Paul Hough. It is set to be released in the US on the 21 June 2014. The film stars Paul McCarthy-Boyington, Eddie McGee and Trista Robinson

PLOT 

Veronica suddenly finds herself in a surreal and horrifying marathon race. The rules are simple: If you are lapped, you die. If you step off the path, you die. Many will start but only one may cross the finish line alive.

WHY I WATCHED 

Trailer porn plain and simple. Those who often read my stuff know that as a rule I like to stay well away from trailers though that does mainly apply to trailers for TV episodes which only serve to ruin the interesting spins that happen more than you think on TV. I think I found this particular trailer when I clicked an embedded YouTube video somewhere.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I was confused at the beginning, which I blame on the trailer it leads into thinking this film is more straightforward than it actually is. Not being straightforward I think is a good thing especially given the subject matter and the film certainly holds your attention while you try to figure out exactly how things fit together.

The characters in this are an interesting bunch they are fleshed out enough that you start playing favourites despite yourself because describing most of these people as likable would be somewhat of a stretch. Still though by the time things really get cooking, most likely you will have one or two people you want to see more of if not someone you want to see survive. The Human Race does a lot with a little, proving effectively that when a film keeps things type the budget doesn’t have to spiral out of control.

The plot allows the film makers to keep things reasonably small but still with a wide enough scope that you don't feel the story is dragging or not going anywhere. I don’t want to go into the details of what happens suffice to say it is gory and poses the usual questions about what people outside of society, outside of normal rules will do when given the chance and the results are bloody. The Human Race is a horror film with an interesting twist and an engaging plot more than worth your time and certainly one for the horror fans to take note of even.

FILM REVIEW: Carrie (2013)

Carrie (2013) is a 2013 horror film based on the story by Stephen King, there was an earlier film adaption starring Sissy Spacek. The film stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore and was released in the US on 18^th October 2013. It was directed by Kimberley Peirce and written by Lawrence D Cohen and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

PLOT

A reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White, a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

WHY I WATCHED

I can barely remember Carrie but there isn’t a lot to remember when you think about it, the plot is concise it is the scares that bring you to the theatre. I’m a fan of Chloe Grace Moretz and when I did the sums I figured it was hard to do this remake badly so I took the plunge.

WHAT I THOUGHT

Does what it says on the tin is probably the easiest way to sum things up. What this film succeeds in doing is taking a plot premise in this case revenge and dressing it up in a believable way. For instance it was just hard watching ‘the’ scene where between Carrie’s ignorance and the cruel streak of the girls around her the darkness inside and her powers are formed.

One of the most interesting things is the boyfriend of the popular girl, Sue who is actually a pretty stand up guy and calls her out on the prank and is initially very against the whole prom date but then when he agrees he treats her properly. Sue’s apology is more from a place of guilt than anything.

We need him to balance out the bitchy, evil and crazy that is most of the other characters in this film. We feel sympathy for Carrie but she is far from normal thanks to her severely messed up childhood and as the finale of the film shows she carried a darkness too.

The final act of the film from Prom onwards is pretty spectacular though I don’t think I would call it scary, tastefully gruesome? Yeah but nothing that is likely to give you nightmares, no that would be more likely from the opening act than of the final one. The effects are wonderful and draw you in just like they should in brief moments it could be compared to Chronicle which blew my mind.

All in all I would say if you have seen the original Carrie it is worth taking a look at this one, it offers something unique and well-made not just another lazy remake, if you have never seen Carrie then you should check this out as a Horror not likely to trouble those of a delicate disposition and hey there’s Chloe Grace Moretz so you might as well get on board with that hype train because she is destined for huge things.

FILM REVIEW: Last Kind Words

Last Kind Words is a 2012 Mystery/Thriller film directed by Kevin Barker and starring Brad Dourif, Spencer Daniels and Alexia Fast. It was released on the 24^th March 2012.

PLOT

17-year-old Eli has just moved with his family deep into the backwoods of Kentucky to work on the isolated farm of a local recluse. Inexplicably drawn into the strange forest that lies beyond the farm, Eli encounters the beautiful, sweet and mysterious Amanda, seemingly the perfect girl. But with the discovery of decaying bodies hanging from the trees, he realizes that the forest - and Amanda - are harboring some very dark secrets. Suddenly, Eli is living in a waking nightmare where the lines between life and death are scrawled in blood, and there is no escaping the terror from beyond the grave. [taken from IMDB].

WHY I WATCHED

I have been following Alexia Fast since I saw her when I took a chance on Triple Dog (which is AWESOME). I saw her on this when I looked it up on IMDB and decided that there are worse ways to spend an evening especially if you have a thing for redheads.

WHAT I THOUGHT

Well I have to say I was not sure what to expect as anyone who does IMDB surfing from time to time even when they look at films they know realise that the descriptions can either be cryptic or just plain wrong. In the end this one actually keeps pretty close to the description which thankfully leaves enough to the imagination to allow you to keep interested in the things that are going on.

The acting is fine and doesn’t pull you out of the moment with awkwardness the plot is pretty dark and just gets darker when you start with an abusive alcoholic and go from there to finding dead bodies but even with all that stuff there is a touching story too which I will leave for you to find.

For fans of old school horror there is the always good for a creepy guy role, Brad Dourif and for most of the rest of us there is Alexia Fast who I last saw in a small part in The Secret Circle which only ran for a season. Those are the big names involved with this particular project.

I certainly won’t be spoiling the ending but for me I will just say I was a little taken aback by the ending. That is all you will get nothing more from me on that. So in closing I would say that the film is worth a lot but know you what you are letting yourself in for a dark tale that just gets darker.

FILM REVIEW - Dead Souls

Dead Souls is a 2012 Horror Film that premiered on the Chiller Network. It is based on a book by Michael Laimo that was first published in 2007.

PLOT

For eighteen-year-old Johnny Petrie, the dilapidated farmhouse in Maine meant a way out. When the letter arrived saying he had inherited an estate from a man he'd never heard of before, Johnny knew he could finally escape the hell of living with his religious zealot mother and drunken father. He didn't realize that the hell he was moving into would be far, far worse.

The previous owner of the estate was Benjamin Conroy, a man obsessed with securing eternal life for himself and his family--even if he had to kill them to do it. Conroy's ultimate ritual, a perverse ceremony of blood and butchery, went hideously wrong, denying him the immortality he sought, leaving him and his family dead. But now that Johnny has arrived at the house, Conroy's spirit will have a second chance....

WHY I WATCHED

If you are a regular follower of my blog ramblings then you might know that I am a huge fanboy  of one Magda Apanowicz, a young Canadian actress I first saw in one of my favourite Sci-Fi shows Kyle XY. She played Andy Jensen who ended up as Josh Trager’s girlfriend and a close friend of Kyle himself.

Magda Apanowicz also starred in the ill fated Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica which charted the beginning of the Cylon menace. Needless to say that show was great but the slow, slow start and the mid-season break were not helpful. So in the end Magda +horror film sounded like a winner to me and therefore here we are.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I was impressed by this offering from the Chiller Network who I knew absolutely nothing about before I started hearing about Dead Souls. What you get is a solid horror film that doesn't skimp on plot or interesting characters. With horror films it is too often that you end up choosing one of what you want from gore, an interesting plot or three dimensional characters. You get all of that here and more.

The two leads are believable and interesting I almost instantly bought into their stories and their eventual chemistry. The story moves along at fair old rate even the initial flashback giving you the background stays brief enough to be interesting and more than gory enough to make you wince.

Dead Souls is an excellent horror film that manages to skilfully skirt all the traditional horror pitfalls. What we get is a great film with a plot that keeps you interested and more than enough scares to have you throwing your popcorn all over your living room.