**Your talking to a MAJOR Korean Film fan...Looong before Parasite.. Ive literally been mostly watching Korean films (FAR more than American content) the past several years... so I dont like saying this but this wasnt one of there better ones.. and I KNOW it has to do with the genre.... I am about as Zombied out as one can get...Train to Busan was a excellent film tho... Just wasnt crazy about this tho**

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @
https://www.msbreviews.com
Train to Busan is one of my favorite South Korean films ever, and I firmly defend that it's one of the best zombie apocalypse movies of all-time, maybe even the best. Therefore, I couldn't help but feel incredibly excited about another installment set in the same world. It's not a direct sequel to the original's story, but it seems to be placed just after the pandemic began. Unfortunately, it ends up being a huge disappointment.
Despite the jaw-dropping stunt work and the extremely intense action sequences, the reason why Peninsula's predecessor works so well is due to its focus on the characters. By giving them a compelling development and a strong emotional bond, the zombie outbreak becomes instantly more effective because of our immense concern for everyone involved. Every technical element is dialed up to its maximum, transforming the film into an emotionally devastating, heart-wrenching story.
Yeon Sang-ho tries to follow a shortcut to achieve that same emotion of his previous movie, dooming this "sequel" from the very beginning. Every relationship feels forced, and the supposedly heartbreaking decisions/events are a complete target miss. Even the action scenes fail to live up to the original's level due to excessive CGI in ridiculous car chases. Every fifteen minutes, a major logical issue arises, and some characters are either straight-up dumb or unbelievably smart for their age/experience. Peninsula takes the realistic environment established by Train to Busan and fictionalizes it way too much.
Rating: C-

Peninsula came amidst extremely high expectations for being the sequel of one of the best zombie movies ever. This movie is completely unrelated to its prequel, _Train to Busan_, so you can watch it even if haven't seen the first one. The plot follows another group who fled from Korea in a refugee boat to Hong Kong. Fast-forward 4 years, the surviving members of the group return to a deserted Korea to ransack the abandoned money. A task that should be easy, but Incheon is not as deserted as they thought it would be.
With a lot of action scenes and good visual effects, Peninsula failed in the casting of the support roles. The main actors are pretty good, but the acting of the foreigner (that is, non-Korean) characters is laughable. Also, parts of the plot and some actions scenes are highly implausible, to say the least.
However, Peninsula is still a very good movie, ranking high in the "Best Zombie Movies" list. It didn't live up to the expectations from _Train to Busan_, but perhaps the bar set by the prequel was just too high.

**Summary**
I had decently high hopes for this, given it is my favorite genre and Train to Busan was pretty good. However, this was a major disappointment.
**The good**
The plot, set four years in the future from Train to Busan and decent build-up with ok back story to most things going on. General atmosphere is also nice.
**The bad**
Giant plot holes, some so large and obvious it is almost impossible to enjoy the movie.
Vehicle CGI, especially the physics. It is so bad my dead dog would make it better. To make matters worse these scenes make up for an unreasonably large portion of the movie. I got seriously angry watching it, and I love zombies and car chases.
The violently over dramatic ending. This is comedy level shit, even if the rest of the movie was good, this would have destroyed it.

Admittedly, Yeon Sang-ho's enthusiasm is infectious and, while 'Peninsula' is never as exciting as its source materials, it is kind of fun in an agreeably dumb, unpretentious way. But if Sang-ho wants people to keep stealing from him, he's going to have to stop stealing so blatantly from others.
- Jake Watt
Read Jake's full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-peninsula-an-action-packed-but-brainless-follow-up-to-a-horror-classic

Barbarian is a great horror movie, both in style and writing. It captures the viewer right from the beginning with a cinematography that manages to subtly portray the house as creepy in one scene and cozy in the next. The whole presentation is masterfully done and abruptly shifts multiple times throughout the story.
The actors, and Georgina Campbell in particular, are consistently great. This is one of those movies that manages to become scarier by "tricking" smart and in part relatable characters into helpless and intense situations instead of relying on slasher cliches. Barbarian really keeps you on your toes with unexpected twists and only the final quarter includes a number of regular horror movie tropes.
Overall great writing, cast and characters. The movie is scary, exciting, gross, disturbing and even a bit funny at times. I can highly recommended this to any fans of the genre.

Tess (Georgina Campbell) books into an airbnb to find it already booked by Keith (Bill Skarsgård). The plot then develops in a series of unexpected ways and keeps you guessing throughout. This is proper old school Chainsaw Massacre style horror/thriller. Very tense and fast moving. It's better the less you know so stop reading and start watching.

GO INTO THIS MOVIE _**BLIND**_. Do not read anything, watch the trailer, etc. Just go along for the ride.

When "Tess" (a rather prone to over-acting Georgina Campbell) arrives at her airb'n'b she discovers that it is already occupied by "Keith" (Bill Skarsgård). Both are meant to be there - some dodgy booking admin - and so after a bit of a shaky start, and a bottle of red, they agree to share for the night. Next morning, on the hunt for some toilet tissue, she encounters a secret room in the basement that looks like it's been used for nefarious purposes. When her new friend comes home, he goes exploring and next thing, we discover a network of tunnels inhabited by... To be fair to auteur Zach Cregger, there is quite an impactful degree of claustrophobic horror to this but I am afraid I wasn't convinced - right from the start - with the plausibility of the whole thing. Whom, in their right mind, would discover what she does and then go off exploring, on their own, without taking some fairly elementary precautions? The drama and peril here is sort of forced upon us despite any natural alarm bells we might have saying "I don't think so". Anyway, it turns out that "AJ" (Justin Long) owns the house and when he turns up to find it still bestrewn with their luggage, he joins in the hunt in the tunnels and the pace hots up a little as escape becomes the imperative against a foe who makes "Gollum" look like Claudia Schiffer. It is quite a watchable affair, I did quite enjoy it, but I struggled with the realism of the scenarios and maybe just because I'm a scaredy cat, I wasn't ever really persuaded! Fun, though - and certainly at the better end of the recent releases in this often underwhelming genre.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/barbarian-spoiler-free-review
"Barbarian deserves all the hype it received so far! Zach Cregger's unique storytelling in the horror film will leave any viewer baffled, transforming a generic premise into a truly captivating, suspenseful, thematically rich story where the definition of a "good person" is brilliantly explored.
It plays around with the audience's anticipation, especially with fans of the genre already used to the unfolding of formulaic arcs, through exciting twists and sudden tonal changes.
Georgina Campbell stands out from the rest, but all the players are important in embodying the idea that "appearances can be deceiving".
Mandatory viewing - go in blind."
Rating: B+

**While for many horror fans, Barbarian might be compelling and unique, I found it decent but more strange and uncomfortable than scary and not as remarkable as others seem to think.**
Barbarian had heavy hype and big expectations before I checked it out. And while it didn’t blow my mind, I can see why many film aficionados would rate it more highly. It had a fresh Jordan Peele-type feel to a story that has been done many times before. I enjoyed the different stories coming together and the obvious nods to tropes of people ignoring clearly dangerous situations and red flags. However, while it had some fun elements, I wasn’t as impressed as many reviews suggested I should be. Definitely not a bad movie by any means, but some of the horror is just strange, and the creature is so bizarre that it’s less scary and more awkward at times.

I like Justin Long, he was fantastic in Jeepers Creepers but Barbarian is uninspiring, to say the least. Not that that is the fault of the actors.
Without giving too much away, Barbarian feels a little like The Hills Have Eyes, meets Psycho, meets Quasimodo. The problem here is the scripting and handling. Its takes far too long for this story to get off the ground, it has weird, nonsensical plot holes and the reveal comes far to early.
Whats left almost feels like a second film. It leaves only a reiteration of the essential earlier plot line with a few wrinkles, as the film moves towards its rather icky, conclusion.
Of course, any sense of fear and tension, built up subtly in the first part of the film, is dissipated too. You know what's coming.
In summary, this film feels like it borrows from other horror flicks, in the worst possible way, leading to a disjointed but predictable viewing experience that's neither all that scary or even terribly interesting. The only thing propping it up, is the acting, which is of a high standard. Yet, as I've said more times than I can count, that on its own, is not enough.

_Barbarian_ is such a twisted and incredibly unique film. Going into this film, I thought I had a pretty good indication of how this was going to go down and was ready for a fun cheesy horror film that follow a pretty generic pattern, but boy was I wrong. Almost the entirety of the trailer was just the first act, and it left me seriously stumped at where this movie was going.
That sense of unknown really added to the thick tension that this movie brought throughout. There is a paranoia that occurs with both the audience and the main character. You never know who to trust, even if they give you all the indications that they are trustworthy.
In today's horror cinema, it is rare to see a movie so reliant on building tension rather than just jump scares galore. Not to say that this film does not have any jump scares, but they are there to enhance and bring a crescendo to the long scenes of tension and dread.
Overall, the acting was brilliant. Georgina Campbell was fantastic. Bill Skarsgård was a bit awkward at times, but I do think that was by choice, as his actor was a kind awkward sweetheart. Justin Long stole the show. His character added a bit of lightness and someone who the audience can really root against.
The movie does slightly fall of the rails in the third act, it does not take away from the experience that is Barbarian. In fact, I think it almost enhances the film as something truly unique.
**Score:** _87%_ |
**Verdict:** _Excellent_

**Running Man with a dash of Facebook**
Running Man with a dash of Facebook, and not much more. Maybe more the book Running Man, less the Schwarzenegger thing. But essentially, it's that story - bits of which have been filmed numerous times.
The logistics and the logic in this story don't add up. Unclear rules and chaotic action scenes permanently maxed-out on violence make it impossible to either feel the danger, or compassion with the protagonists during the battles.
And outside the battles, there is not much suspense either, nor acting possibilites, nor dialogue, let alone character development. Even the technobabble is off.
Oh, and the CGI at start is sub-par, even for its day. (Hint: If you can't afford to do it with good CGI, use physical effects instead.)
If you want your fix on "action without too much brains", watch something like Hardcore Henry; if you want something somewhat clever and entertaining on the topic, read the book "The Running Man".
This movie is a waste of time.

The beginning and the end of this movie is really the only good thing about the movie. Everything else is just a crew chasing around a ghost girl trying to figure out what happened to her. Pretty boring.

Besides **THAT** epic death scene, this movie is mildly entertaining.
It has flaws and a terrible story, which I admit the reveal was amusing.
If you like terror on the seas but amusingly bad to riff on, this’ll be the movie.
That opening scene is memorable for a reason though and basically overshadowed the rest of the movie.

Another second viewing flick, wasn't a big fan the first time and basically thought the same now. There are some fun cheesy moments here and there but kind of like Thirteen Ghosts (same director), has some interesting ideas that don't amount to much. Course, I'm also not much of a fan of supernatural horror movies as they play fast and loose with the rules. **2.5/5**

Ghostly happenings on a decades-lost lost ocean liner
RELEASED IN 2002 and directed by Steve Beck, "Ghost Ship" revolves around salvagers finding a mysterious ship in the Bering Sea that's been lost for four decades and they intend to claim it, but things go from strange to worse as they board the eerie vessel and try to tow it to harbor.
The cast is strong, headed by Gabriel Byrne. Emily Brown appears as a 12 year-old girl. Julianna Margulies looks fine but they don't do enough with her. Francesca Rettondini is also on hand. Let's just say the low-budget "Ghost Voyage" (2008) is better in the area of women.
Still, the ship sets are excellent and it certainly seems like they shot the film on a real vessel. Interestingly, the Antonia Graza of the movie is a replica of the Andrea Doria. Other positives include: The refreshing score with “Not Falling” by Mudvayne thrown in for good measure; a nice haunting atmosphere at sea with one creepy scene reminiscent of the excellent “Dead Calm” (1989); potent visuals of the formidable vessel looming over the tugboat; plus some good thrills, notably one of the greatest horror scenes in the history of cinema in the prologue, no kidding. There's also a decent revelation thrown in at the end.
If you like this one be sure to check out the aforementioned "Ghost Voyage," which is a TV movie. "Ghost Ship" was released to theaters and obviously had a bigger budget, but that doesn't mean it's better, just that it's more polished.
THE FILM RUNS 91 minutes. WRITERS: Mark Hanlon and John Pogue.
GRADE: B

I remember thinking this was good as a child... I was wrong.
_Final rating:★½: - Boring/disappointing. Avoid if possible._

Wetter than a fishes bathing costume.
It’s a pretty unadventurous title that matches the content of the film. Directed by Steve Beck and starring Gabriel Byrne, Desmond Harrington, Ron Eldard and Julianna Margulies, plot finds a salvage crew discovering a long lost passenger liner out in the remote Bering Sea. With the laws of the sea stating that they can keep what they find, they are delighted to find gold on board. But it’s not long before strange things start to happen.
It starts of real well with a bloody and gruesome prelude, the production design is super and everything is in place for a chiller out there in the foggy waters. Unfortunately what we actually get is a predictable series of clichés cribbed from better movies of the past, none of which capable of eliciting a genuine scare. The makers think that having a bombastic techno score accompanying the dramatic moments will make them appear more shocking. It doesn’t, while the cast are ill served by direction and writing.
Horror 101 for beginners. 3/10

Effortless charm and chemistry, that still actually feels realistic despite the ups and downs. If you liked the first two you will like this one too.
8/10

Eddie Murphy does just about everything here, except make me laugh, in this unsophisticated romp that makes the "Carry On" films look like Ingmar Bergman. To be fair he's adaptable - thanks almost entirely to the skills of the Oscar nominated make-up team (33 folks get credited!) - as he plays the eponymous geek, his own larger-than-life wife "Rasputia" and his adopted Chinese dad "Wong" who runs the orphanage into which he was unceremoniously dumped as a baby. When fellow orphan "Kate" (Thandiwe Newton) returns to their hometown, he is desperate to rekindle their childhood friendship but he's gonna have to deal with his own wife and her fiancé "Delon" (Cuba Gooding Jr). Whilst all of this is going on, the orphanage takes centre stage as "Rasputia" and her hoodlum brothers have designs on the place that is going to makes matters even more awkward for "Norbit" and his romantic plans with "Kate" who is looking to buy the place, too. Can he save the day and get the gal? It might've looked good on the drawing board or perhaps Eddie Murphy just surrounded himself with people ill-prepared to just say no, but after about five minutes it's clear that this is for his die-hard fans only. It reinforces just about every stereotype going but not in a funny way. It's all written as if the audience were supposed to be eight years old watching a pantomime with fake boobs, wobbly bits where there shouldn't be and, well you get the drift. On the plus side, it doesn't hang about and the action comes quick and fast but to be honest, I found myself cringing way more than smiling, let alone giggling. Johnny Depp just about got away with wearing purple in "Wonkaland" in 2005 but it doesn't work for Murphy here at all. Nor does anything else. Puerile and vulgar, sorry.

Best Movie

> When the singing bird flies away from the nest...
Looked like a normal drama, but I had a lot of laughs in the first half. And it was a completely opposite in the second part where it touched me deeper. It has been months I haven't had tears in my eyes for a movie. This was an excellent family movie with lots of good things about life and family in it. This was the closest one I ever got to one of my recent favourite music-drama from the Canada, 'Gabrielle'. There's no major comparison between the two, but similar movies with different characters and settings. The theme wise it was another version of 'Billy Elliot' for sure.
This was not about your typical rural family. It was a rarest where they are going to witness the next stage of the life's journey as a united family as well as individually. Being a member in a deaf family, especially when everyone somewhere, somewhat depends on you is a task needs devotion. But when you realise you are gifted with something valuable, what will you do and how your the family reacts. That's what the story is and illustrated with excellent bunch of characters.
Like I said earlier, the end scene will test your emotional level, but hard to hold it back, especially you are a kindest in nature. If you are having it with a numerous disturbances and lost concentration, then it will become an ordinary movie. One of the reasons for the mean people to say 'I'm a grown up man'. Does not mean men won't cry, but some they just hide it, that's all. In a such occasion when you are uncomfortable showing your emotions, then I recommend you go for it alone and have a good time.
> "Being deaf does not excuse everything."
It is not unusual for a movie to have the flaws, some will be neglectably small, but some will be strongly visible. It was the sign language that leaves a blank page as an invisible dialogue that we never get. I had a tough time understanding some parts of the movie. Instead, understanding the lines that said with gestures, I managed to follow the situation of the story and the scene. It would have been the same even it was an English language movie, hardcore subtitle would have been a better solution.
In the middle, the narration failed to keep up the momentum. Barely any interesting stuff occurs. It was a time when in the storytelling to take place a leap. Apparently only for that instant, but once you complete your watch, it does not seem much affected portion in the film. Interesting, the story began to break into multiple and tried to move in all the direction. Election campaign, brother's crush on his sister's friend, like that. But cleverly held back to the one line for the sentimental conclusion.
Does not feel like it was the first film for the lead girl Paula. She might have missed the title in 'The Voice' competition, but she has won an award for her lovely role in this movie. I am not a French nor English nor from the other Euro zone, and I don't know the songs from the movie, but loved them all. The lyrics were so good, especially that final song. A highly recommended movie for the families.
9/10

A heartwarming yet surprisingly bleak masterpiece of hope and despair.

In post war Rome, money is very tight for "Antonio" (Lamberto Maggiorani) so when he gets a chance to earn some extra cash, he grabs the opportunity. Snag is, he needs his bike to do the work and someone has just pinched it. Together with his young son "Bruno" (a superb Enzo Staiola) he sets out on the near impossible task of tracking the thing down! What ensues are a series of escapades as the father and son team encounter a range of equally war ravaged citizens - some more helpful than others - on their mini-quest. It's an interesting study on humanity this, centred around something so apparently pedestrian as losing a bike, but the cascading impact of that event on their lives and their relationship as well as with the profound effects on their livelihood and self respect are expertly laid out by De Rica, who draws us gradually into their series of adventures. The simplicity of the story also engenders an opportunity to look at the poverty endured by many sections of the citizenry (those who sit through the mass so they can be rewarded with a bowl of soup rather than worrying about any redemption of their soul, for example). The performance from the young Staiola is excellent. He plays the role of the young boy with considerable natural skill - his character has no real idea of why this bike is so important, nor of why it's loss is causing his father's behaviour to vacillate - but like a loyal puppy, he continues to help out, even saving the day at one stage. The settings in this ancient city add considerably to the sense of despair - ruins (old and new) - and at times they make you wonder of life here has really moved on so much from Roman times. The pace of the film is very well measured, the script is not devoid of a bit humour, even joy, now and again and the momentum builds steadily to a conclusion that is remarkably poignant and that left me with a smile on my face. Question is though, does he find his bike???

When in Rome... keep an eye on your bicycle! Or else it might be stolen and you'll find yourself fruitlessly searching the streets of Italy, as the father and son do in this classic Italian film. Lamberto Maggiorani, as the desperate, out of work father, and Enzo Staiola, as his frustrated young son, play off each other nicely and a nice pace keeps things interesting. It's heralded as one of the greatest movies ever made, but personally I don't quite see why. It's a good story none the less, and it kept my attention. There's a very satisfying dose of irony at the end.

**By: Louisa Moore / www.ScreenZealots.com**
“Don’t Worry Darling” isn’t the massive mess that so many predicted, but it does suffer from a few major problems. The script (written by Katie Silberman) lacks grace and polish, one star’s questionable acting skills is amplified by the other lead’s performance, and Olivia Wilde‘s direction is noticeably weak. But there’s still something mesmerizing about this feminist-tinged film and its commentary on the supposed ideals of a patriarchal society.
Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) live a charmed life in the experimental utopia known as Victory. The town is exclusively for employees of the top-secret Victory Project and their families, and it’s truly the most perfect place in the world — or so it seems. Company CEO Frank (Chris Pine) is the visionary behind it all, a stylish, confident leader whom the men all want to emulate. He provides everything the town’s residents need, asking only for loyalty and obedience in return.
Victory is a place that embodies the idyllic 1950s life, where the women cook and clean, dress to perfection, and spend their free time day drinking, lounging by the pool, and gossiping with friends. The men fulfill their role in this society too, by going to work at the mysterious headquarters and returning like clockwork in the evenings. It’s a don’t ask, don’t tell type of community, until Alice begins having strange, nightmarish visions. She begins to explore the more sinister side of Victory, hoping to eventually expose what’s really going on beneath the facade of domestic bliss.
The plot is one that’s been done before, and there isn’t much by way of originality. What makes the first part of the film so successful is that the story is told from the point of view of the women in town. By presenting the narrative through the lens of an army of happy homemaker wives, there’s an ominous tone throughout — especially when the ladies in town turn to self-harm in order to take back control of their lives.
Alice is a strong female character, and Pugh proves yet again that she’s one of the most exciting talents working in Hollywood today. Much is asked of her and she is up to the task of doing the heavy lifting here, especially in her many scenes with Styles. To put it bluntly, Pugh acts Styles under the table and then some. I believe the film would have been more successful with a more talented leading man.
When the ending finally comes through a long drawn out reveal, it’s a letdown that feels like an episode of “Black Mirror.” If you examine some of the film’s earlier scenes, the story doesn’t feel quite as airtight as it should.
The themes are excessive and overdone, presenting the conservative male ideal of relationships and life. It’s a chilling statement about women’s rights and responsibilities, and men’s desire to control and dominate. The timing for this message couldn’t be more perfect with the tumultuous political climate that’s spreading around the world. As a woman, I appreciate the sentiment of “Don’t Worry Darling” and the feminist lens in which its presented, but I just wish the film had been more successful overall.

Pretty cool, I wasn't expecting the reveal of what's really going on towards the end. Wish it leaned into the horror / unsettling aspects a bit more.

**Don't Worry Darling has a lot going for it, but its script keeps it from being more than a pretty coat of paint on a mediocre story told several times before.**
Don't Worry Darling is a new take on The Stepford Wives. Same basic story with some fantastic cinematography, great costuming, beautiful visuals, and committed, top-notch performances from the cast. But all that is lost in a script that gets stuck on coming up with as many ways as possible to show its characters' slipping sanity rather than telling a complete story. The plot twists were pretty easy to guess, and the finale ended abruptly without providing any conclusion or resolution for the character. With all the bright spots this film had to offer, the sloppy story squandered all its high points leaving me let down and a little bored even with an exciting climax. With that said, I'm still trying to figure out what could have been done to make this story more compelling. The Stepford Wives concept has been done several times before and seems always to fail to find a way to end with a satisfying resolution.