Doesn't quite deserve all the hate...
A group of friends with a long history are pitted against an invading alien force, and they use their special gifts and talents to try and save the world.
Sure it is not the best Stephen King adaptation, but it is far from the worst. Some fairly hammy acting, dodgy CGI and tonnes of cliché Stephen King tropes don't stop this film from being lightweight fun, so long as you are not expecting a work of art.
Damien Lewis is a stand-out, especially when he is being the Mr Gray personality and most of the rest of the cast do well enough, with a little bit of coasting from Tom Sizemore and Morgan Freeman. It is however hard to look past the patronising and mildly offensive portrayal of the idiot savant Duddits, and the ending is completely stupid. But if you have a spare couple of hours there are worse ways to spend time.
B grade film with an A grade cast and a budget somewhere in between.

With the future of the planet in grave danger, some far-sighted builders decide that it’s best for humanity to build a subterranean city into which they can retreat. It’s got to be something self-sustaining as they are going to be down there for a couple of centuries. They do provide exit instructions, but over time they get lost and so nobody knows that maybe it’s time to resurface. Now, though, the engineering is starting to give up the ghost and that means power and food are becoming rationed. The mayor (Bill Murray) is hopelessly out of his depth/obsessed with his own position and the chief electrician “Sul” (Martin Landau) is running out of ideas so it falls to the unlikely pairing of youngsters “Lina” (Saoirse Ronan) and “Doon” (Harry Treadaway) to rekindle the population’s appetite to get some fresh air. Luckily, she has a box left to her by her grandmother and as their jobs involve them clambering around the city’s gubbins, they can begin to explore in earnest. This isn’t something they can advertise - the mayor and his thugs will not brook any disenchantment in their city, even if the lights are all about to go out. Now having to fight a rearguard action too, can they discover a way out - and even if they do, is there anything left? I liked the creative style of this film and the fantasy is well explored and unravelled by the engaging partnership of Treadaway and Ronan amidst a city of colourful visual effects. Murray hams up nicely and there’s just the hint of menace from the Dickensianly monikered “Barton Snode” (Toby Jones) to keep the adventure moving along quickly for a ninety minutes of passages, pipe works and grand scale machinery. If you’re looking for complex psychology here then don’t bother, it’s all simply presented family fayre with a cast that look like they are enjoying telling us a story that looks great and vibrates when it’s meant to.

Pretty good suspense-thriller-horror with Sara Paxton, Aaron Paul, Garret Dillahunt and Tony Goldwyn giving fine performances. Can't say it was exactly 'entertaining' given the SA scene but seeing them get their comeuppance was. I've never seen Wes Craven's 1972 original so I don't know how it compares, but thought it was alright, just won't revisit outside of watching with the new commentary track on the Arrow Video release. **3.75/5**

Lake Ends In The Road.
The Last House on the Left is directed by Dennis Iliadis and adapted to screenplay by Adam Alleca and Carl Ellsworth from the story by Wes Craven (co-producer here). A remake of Craven’s 1972 film of the same name (itself influenced by Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring), it stars Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, Garret Dillahunt, Sara Paxton, Spencer Treat Clark and Martha MacIsaac. Music is by John Murphy and cinematography by Sharone Meir.
During a family vacation, teenagers Mari (Paxton) and Paige (MacIsaac) are viciously set about by a gang led by recent prison escapee Krug (Dillahunt). When bad weather forces Krug’s car to career off the road, the gang, unbeknownst to them, seek refuge in the vacation home of Mari’s parents. When the parents realise what their new lodgers have done, they begin to enact bloody retribution.
It’s pointless going on about remakes of old horror films, they are here to stay and we continue to watch them in the hope that they will strike a chord with us. With The Last House on the Left, remaking it, to me at least, is understandable given the 72 film is not exactly a great classic itself. True enough to say it has that grainy grunginess that was so befitting the decade’s horror movies, marking it out as an unsettling experience without really living up to its “terrifying” reputation. In fact if you put both movies together they still wouldn’t have enough class in them to give Bergman’s movie a run for its money.
So the remake then, all glossy and big budgeted, with name actors in the principal roles, it is by definition routinely packaged for the modern day audience. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that what unfolds on that screen is challenging us, it really does do its job. The pertinent question exists, are you capable of such violence having had violence inflicted on your loved ones previously? What would you do in the same situation that Mari’s parents find themselves in?
We have been privy to what was meted out to poor Mari and Paige, and the impact is most distressing. There is good cause to argue that Iliadis and his production team go too far in grabbing our attention in readiness for the “revenge” factor later on. Certainly I myself was uncomfortable watching it, as I was with the I Spit on Your Grave remake, but it’s about getting a prescribed response, however close to the knuckle it is.
It’s not a film anyone can feel comfortable about recommending, surely? But I know it put me through a gamut of emotions, even making me feel bad about myself the next day. That is quite often the power of cinema, and clearly the banner that Craven and Iliadis held aloft during the publicity tours for The Last House on the Left. Today I give the film an uneasy 7/10, it’s uncompromising and unapologetically violent, but also laced with flaws. On another day I may find myself rating it considerably lower…

This on-again, off-again comedy should probably be funnier than it is but it suffers from the same plague inflicting many comedies today: relying too much on over-the-top, stupid bits.

**Man tends to do crazy stuffs for a woman, but stealing $17m is too crazy.**
The film reminded me 'Pain & Gain', only for inspiring from the real and being the comedy flicks. Other than that there's nothing in common between them. I have been expecting a lot from Zack since 'The Hangover', but it was always the near missed opportunities. I'm not saying this was his much needed breakthrough, but quite enjoyable film.
An honest man who worked long enough as a guard for a bank, was approached by his ex colleague and her men with an offer. Since he was madly in love with her, he could not say no to it, despite he already got engaged to another woman. As planned the heist goes on and once it was done, he was ditched and ratted out. Now on the run, how he responds to it and the following events decides his fate.
Not a great comedy nor a heist film, but it had its moments. The casting was good and it was Zack's show. The rest of them were not into that much, except in the final act. Jason Sudeikis was a bonus. His appearance added more fun. Now I know why Jim Carrey opted out. Owen Wilson's part was not good enough in such a small role, he did good though. Watching it for timepass is fine or even for beyond that seems not a bad try.
_7/10_

I'm a big fan of submarine thrillers, and on the face of it - this should have been good. Gene Hackman is the experienced Captain of the USS "Alabama", sent to sea with a new Executive Officer (Denzel Washington) amidst a crisis in Russia that could result in nuclear warfare. Once on their mission, the two men dance around each other, probing and testing until they get a message to launch their missiles. This is where it ought to have become more interesting. The captain determined to obey orders, the XO keen to verify. Tempers flare and when a rogue Russian sub opens fire on them, things pass a point of no return. Which man is correct, and will they fire or not? Sadly, at this point the drama becomes all to farcical as the tautly directed opening scenarios between the two men become absurdly tribal antics onboard - to the point where the last half hour or so just beggars belief. Hackman and Washington are efficient, but nether really convince before an ending that really let's the whole thing down badly. What could have been quite a thought-provoking drama about just how far people will go to follow orders or protocols when push comes to shove is just wasted. Shame, really.

Probably my favourite Tony Scott film, amidst stiff competition. The acting of both Hackman and Washington, plus the fine supporting cast, is top-drawer, and Scott keeps the suspense up, the film's as tight as a drum. It's rumoured that there were plenty of script doctors, including Quentin Tarantino, but that's no crime--especially when it works. One of my favourite submarine films--it's up there in my books with 'Destination Tokyo' (I haven't seen my DVD of 'Das Boot' yet). It's a great shame that Scott decided to take his life a few years back. He was a much better director than I used to give him credit for. I guess it's true that we don't realize just how good people are until they're gone. This film's essential for war film enthusiasts or those who enjoy suspense films or thrillers: It wouldn't be out of place in the oeuvres of, say, Sir Alfred Hitchcock or David Fincher, and would make a great double-bill with 'Lifeboat' or 'They Were Expendable'.

A mutiny thriller that delivers the goods wholesale.
Russian rebels have seized one of their government's nuclear missile bases and are threatening to attack the U.S.A. A patrolling US nuclear submarine is ordered to fire, but almost straight afterwards an incomplete counter order brings uncertainty. The submarine Captain and the Executive Officer come into conflict as to which order to follow, and thus the subs crew are torn as to which officer is right or wrong.
Directed by Tony Scott, one could be forgiven for thinking that Crimson Tide would be an outlandish ball of explosions and slaughter, thankfully it isn't, as Scott gives us one of the best underwater thrillers going. Scintilating characters are cloaked in dynamic claustrophobia, and this coupled with the ever increasing unbearable tension, makes this a must see for fans of films that are scary because of what might happen, and not because of what many blockbuster film makers actually show you.
This is not a standard good vs evil plot piece, or even a good vs insane cretin film, this pitches old school stickler for the rules Captain Ramsey against the deep thinking common sense purveyor Lt Commander Ron Hunter. Ramsey believes that the completed order, which is basically to blast the Russians before they blast us type thing, should be followed, Hunter on the other hand feels that the second incomplete order must be clarified before any action is taken, because after all this could be nuclear war! The film then twists and turns as the sub is divided into two factions, mutiny is rife, but what will the outcome be? Can the radio be fixed to complete the order? Will it be too late? All these questions are tensely drawn out by Scott to get the maximum impact from what is an admittedly standard global crisis in waiting story.
No shortage of machismo here either, brutishly brilliant is how I find Gene Hackman in this, his Captain Ramsey is the quintessential leader of men. Then there is Denzel Washington as Ron Hunter, eloquently spoken and a voice of reason, his ruggedness coming to the fore as the submarine starts to implode. There are few better sights in 90s cinema than watching Hackman & Washington go at each other the way they do here, starting off as just a fractious relationship, it then explodes into a war of belief and wills. It's through these pair that the film's neutral stance shines bright, what would we do in similar circumstances? Who would we follow? Both men ethically right, yet both men accountable for probable disaster.
This is a wonderful picture, a lesson in tough tension building that is perfectly wrung out by a rousing Han Zimmer score, with the only weak point being a multi written script that tries to fuse pop culture references with technical lingo, something which doesn't quite sit right. However, even that can't hurt the excellently unfolding sequence of events that closes quite brilliantly with a written piece that all of us should take note of. 9/10

This doesn’t happen very often, but I actually read their book this movie was based on. I enjoy both. There were a couple of changes I noticed, but I wasn’t offended by them. With one it seemed they had Captain Kidd escape a jam with a speech rather than an explosion, and it worked for me.
This is a quirky western and, as such, often ridiculed by western movie fans. It isn’t a classic in my book, but if it came on while I was eating (we multi-task by combining meals with movies), I wouldn’t feel the need to lean down to pick the controller up off the floor to change channels. I would let it run.
I wasn’t surprised to see a few racist reviews on IMDB, but one comment on this website raised my eyebrows. Signs of the times, I guess.

One of the MOST boring attempts at making a Western by a Top shelf actor to date.. Hollywood really needs to come to grips with fact they NO longer have what it takes to make these kind of films...and havnt for a few years now...
Now continue on with the worlds dieing films, or Zombies, or female assassins, or better yet the ANTIFA genre of destroying neighborhoods and hating this country... The whole anti white male genre is a real boomer... but they need to stay away from Westerns... seriously.. For starters... your fresh out of masculine leading men that will work on a crappy script....
Ya this is one genre that is lost to the arts

Tom Hanks and Director Paul Greengrass have combined to create a truly moving and memorable western which is one of the best films of 2020.
Hanks stars as Captain Kidd; a former Confederate Captain making his way in occupied Texas in the post-Civil-War era. Kidd travels from town to town reading various newspaper stories of interest to gathered locals who are too busy or unable to read the news and look forward to his lively interpretations of news of interest on a local and national level.
On his way to his next location; Kidd comes upon a fair skinned blonde girl wearing Native American clothing and speaking a tribal dialect he does not understand. The fact that their cart has been overturned and a lone male is hanging from a tree leads Kidd to uncover the tragic history of the child.
According to documents he discovers in the wreck; she was taken during a raid and her parents and sibling killed. The tribe that raised her was subsequently killed leaving her an orphan twice over. As such; the girl named Johanna (Helena Zengel); is to be taken to a nearby town and remanded to a local agency for transportation to an Aunt and her husband over 600 miles away.
Kidd sees it as his duty to take her to the nearby town which is confirmed by some passing Union soldiers who occupy the area during the Reconstruction era much to the scorn of the locals who are stinging from losing the Civil War.
Things do not go as planned as Kid is told that the authority in charge of such cases is away for three months so he must either wait or deliver the girl himself.
Thanks to the help of a former soldier under his command, Kidd sets out on the road to Dallas and then to the very dangerous areas beyond as he attempts to take Johanna to safety.
Along the way the two will face danger, challenges, and bond on a very memorable journey.
Hanks is very solid in the role and his character is compassionate yet complex. There is a reason for his generosity and he attempts to make peace with the pain and regret in his life by trying to do what is right and coming to terms with what has plagued him.
The film moves at a steady pace and does not have many extended action sequences but when action does arrive it is central to the story and never seems gratuitous.
Zengel is a great pairing with Hanks as the young German actress will be one to watch going forward. She is able to convey so much without an abundance of lines and you can clearly see how well she and Hanks clicked.
The visuals of the film are scenic as the audience really gets a look at the rugged beauty of the land and life during this era. It was fascinating to see what Dallas and San Antonio looked like in the 1860s after knowing them as the modern cities that they are today.
There is much to like about the film and I am eagerly putting “News of the World” on my best of 2020 list and I truly hope this film gets the recognition it deserves come awards time as it is truly a wonderful and inspiring film that is cinema at its finest.
4.5 stars out of 5

Boring watch, won't watch again, and do not recommend.
After watching "Irrestitable", I should have known better than to give this a try, but I was hoping the stars being the actual candidates would make it better, but it's still about nonsense politics and social manipulation.
If you like the actors, then you might get a bit out of it, but you could also just watch other good things they're in.
Politics isn't fun for me, and there are a few absurd jokes that land, but for the most part it is a lot of work to setup jokes that just do not land.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/clifford-the-big-red-dog-spoiler-free-review
"Clifford the Big Red Dog holds cute, emotional moments that will tug at any pet lover's heartstrings, as well as the usual sweet messages destined to younger audiences, but it all comes at the cost of creating a deceptive, fake-looking world.
CGI Clifford surprisingly looks decent, but inserting a digital dog in real sets while interacting with real people, leaves the viewers with a weird feeling that never quite goes away. Unfortunately, the dog isn't the most artificial element of the movie.
Besides being expectedly childish, incredibly formulaic, and exaggerated in every possible way, the characters and the main narrative are far from looking, sounding, and being authentic.
In the end, it's a disappointingly hollow adaptation that kids will inevitably love, but adults will find it hard to endure."
Rating: C-

BEST MOVIE EVER!

Great movie!

This is my least favorite out of the present series. I found the guys more annoying than anything.

"_Being alone in the world is the root of all suffering._"
I appreciate that Ryan found his way to make blockbusters, but I would love to see him make a few more movies like this. It is funny, but dark, and some reveals that are pretty smart.

'The Voices' is a very dark comedy from graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi. It tells the story of a man named Jerry (Ryan Reynolds) who works in a bathtub factory. Jerry continuously sees a psychiatrist (Jacki Weaver) as he tries to live a normal life whilst dealing with his mental afflictions. He decides to pursue his office crush (Gemma Arterton) but soon finds himself in a murderous situation when she fails to reciprocate his advances. Jerry's schizophrenia means that he hears voices specifically from his pets who give him help and advice.
Satrapi directs the piece with a surprisingly heartfelt and empathetic way. The lack of colour and light (such as when Jerry is on his limiting medication) contrast really well with the scenes where the main character is free and feels at peace. There are very graphic scenes of murder which highlight the brutality of his actions reminding the audience of the morality of Jerry's actions. The music is also very fitting and turns drastically into a horror-themed score when the drama switches.
The screenplay is funny in a lot of places. Before I watched the film, I thought I would find similarities with HBO's 'Dexter' as it deals with a likeable killer whilst also being humorous. But, after watching, I feel that the film owes a lot to Mary Harron's 'American Psycho' as it shares similar themes of delusion and indulgence. However, the dialogue was a bit forced at times and I usually find myself cringing when watching a British actress (in this case Gemma Arterton) having to read lines written in a very stereotypical way.
Ryan Reynolds is fantastic as the main character and really makes the audience feel for his character. Reynolds completely embodies the main character's innocence and is a genuinely nice man. Even more impressive is the fact that Reynolds also performs voices for his pets which include a Scottish cat and a Texan dog. I had a slight problem with other members of the cast who I felt were not quite up to the standard that Reynolds set although Jacki Weaver was great as his psychiatrist and Anna Kendrick did a good job at playing his love interest.
Overall, I feel that 'The Voices' was a surprisingly good film. It was funny and very well acted. 'The Voices' is a little hidden gem that a lot of people who are fans of small and strange indie comedies would love.
★★★★

"A Cinderella Story" has become an iconic franchise, with the version starring Hilary Duff standing out as a standout favorite. While Duff's portrayal alongside Chad Michael Murray brought a modern twist to the classic tale of Cinderella, subsequent installments in the franchise have failed to live up to the same standard.
The franchise seems to be struggling to recapture the magic of the original film, instead resorting to unnecessary side stories and deviations from the core Cinderella narrative. It appears that attempts to replicate the success of the Walt Disney and Roger and Hammerstein versions have fallen short, leading to a sense of fatigue and irrelevance surrounding the franchise.
Despite the star power of Selena Gomez in "Another Cinderella Story," the film failed to reach the heights set by Hilary Duff's portrayal. Similarly, Lucy Hale's "A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song" was criticized for its lackluster execution and departure from the essence of the Cinderella story.
"Sofia Carson's "A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits" attempted to capitalize on dance elements reminiscent of "Grease," but ultimately fell flat, marking a low point in the franchise. Laura Marano's "A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish" was deemed the weakest link in the series, solidifying the downward trend in quality.
As the franchise continues with new installments, the lackluster reception of recent films has dampened enthusiasm for further entries in the series. Viewers may find it challenging to engage with future releases given the disappointing trajectory of the franchise.

**Oscar for Best Duo Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite**strong text****
The movie tries to convey the horrors of injustice, investigation, and rulings under the pretext of emergency laws and terrorism, but the details of these laws make us laugh by today's standards, even not when the film was shown in 1993. The film exposes us to the shock that the terrorism law at this time could have exposed any innocent person for 7 days without charge, and I believe that it is still present in many countless countries on the globe.
The film talks about the true story of the Quartet of Guildford and the Seven of Maguire, a very painful human rights story whose chapters begin with the arrest of the Irish young man Gerry Conlon in England and accusing him, along with three others, of carrying out a terrorist attack to bomb a bar in Guildford.
Although Jerry is reckless and has criminal tendencies already, but through the events of the film we realize that Jerry and those with him are innocent, but the investigation and interrogation process shows that it has many impurities and corruption in how to accuse these innocent people.
In the Name of the Father, on the surface, talks about justice and the feeling of oppression in the face of injustice. The events of the film are dramatic, revolving around other topics, the most important of which is the relationship between the son and the father and how it develops, as well as how an ugly place such as prison can constitute an opportunity for Jerry to mature in a way that would not have happened if he had not been subjected to injustice.
The multiplicity and diversity of the dimensions of the film, in addition to manifestations outside the capabilities of the planet in two scenes and the performance of two actors, who gave the film great importance and a special place for me.
If there was an Oscar for best acting duo, the Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite partnership would have given them blindfolded.
The character of Giuseppe Conlon has no faults. Even the story of his name, which allowed a wonderful scene to be told, was charming and incredible. He had a strange state of coherence in light of the circumstances in which he was, and in light of his background full of downwardness, which made him follow the rules and laws strictly so as not to violate the law. This flatness made his son Jerry view him as a weakness. But when Jerry realized when he tested himself in facing the same challenges his father faced, he saw his father, Giuseppe Conlon, gain ground and respect in every situation.
This movie is incredibly wonderful. It dazzled me and made me follow the events without getting bored.

**A low-key, much-forgotten but well-executed film.**
This movie is totally forgotten these days. Well, actually, if you're not native or very close to Ireland, I think the very existence and action of the IRA seems like something that ended many years ago, and it doesn't. It was a recent thing, and it still has marks on people and society. The film focuses, in particular, on the case of the “Guildford Four” and the “Maguire Seven”, which was a group of people who were accused of a bomb attack and of collaborating with the IRA, later proving to be if they were all innocent. The acquittal, however, came too late for the family patriarch, who died in prison. The accused were, almost all, related to each other, family or friendship.
I don't know the facts very well, although I did read something about the attack and the real case the film was based on, in order to better prepare myself to understand the film and be able to talk about it. As far as I can tell, the film obviously took a lot of liberties to make the story more appealing and dramatic, but nothing that is shockingly out of line with what happened.
Daniel Day Lewis was still relatively young here, but he was already showing signs of great talent. He is a focused actor and very responsible with his work, who dedicates himself to what he does and commits himself to the character. And we can see how he adapts to the character, and makes it real and believable and human. I also really enjoyed Pete Postlethwaite's work. I think it's particularly notable the way he allowed himself to age in order to play an older, physically impaired character.
Technically, the film is very worthy in its effort to portray the ordeal to which the convicts were subjected, and it does so in a very convincing and credible way. The choice of sets, filming locations and costumes contribute a lot to this. The film works very well on the environment and psyche of the characters, resulting in a dense drama, which may not please those who want a lighter film, but which works very well. The opening credits were well-introduced, even though I don't like the theme song.

**In the name of INNOCENCE !!**
Sometimes i say to myself **this can't happen to me** for the simple reason that it sounds really unfair to be happening..But watching a movie like this changes all perception of right and wrong, fair and unfair.. Only thing that can be fair in this world is your **HEART** !!
Though **Daniel Day Lewis'** character is not your typical role model from the start, you know that the Heart within isn't black (more so from a scene just before he says 'In all my godforsaken life, I've never known what it was to kill somebody until now')..The transformation of Day Lewis' character from a man who wasn't responsible enough to take care of himself to a man who vows to fight for his father's name is brilliantly heartwarming!
It just pains me to see how cruel 'WE' as a species can be to not accept our mistakes, even when we know that it can make someone's life miserable than HELL!!
In all the movie is good till the time you don't think of it as someone's life being played out in front of you.As soon as you realize that,it transforms into something you cant just think of as just another brilliant movie.Instead your heart goes out to the people who actually had to go through all this..
Well directed, superbly acted, brilliant,heart breaking and heart warming at the same time !!
Those who found it beautiful can go for Hillary Swank's 2010 movie **Conviction** as their next choice of another heartwarming 'eye treat' !

I really thought this movie would be horrible. It was actually a funny and entertaining movie. I swear Will Ferrell can make anything funny. He's one of my favorite actors.

Frustrating watch, won't watch again, and can't recommend.
This might be one of the stupidest movie concepts I've ever watched. Not to mention its routed slightly in homophobia which seems like they're doubling down on a problem that men's figure skating is already dealing with.
I'm not into skating, but I can't imagine anyone who is into skating is going to be excited or enjoy the jokes at their expense, so I'm a little lost at who the audience is for this unless it's "people that hate figure skating" and I don't see them watching a figure skating movie.
A lot of the jokes just fall flat, and it's not like they don't know who to structure jokes throughout the story: the villains actually have a well constructed arc, just not a great quality to it.
The characters are mostly unlikable and chaotic, the movie is literally telling them to stop it for half the movie, and by the time it stops I don't care what the characters do until the end.
The best bit was the romantic story arc which was heavily polluted by the rest of the story.

The Forest was certainly an interesting concept but was very poorly executed; riddled with unnecessary jump scares as well as simply being poorly directed the film just flops. The ending left much more to be desired as well. On the bright side, Natalie Dormer is some great eye candy.

I would rather peel a raw onion and squeeze the juices into my eyes than watch recent horror movies coming out of Hollywood at the moment. WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE NO IMAGINATION AND JUST RELY ON CHEAP SHITTY JUMP SCENES WITH WANK PLOTS?!
Okay. GRR.
Random lady gets a casual phone call advising her sister has gone into the suicide forest and it’s been 48 hours so she’s presumed as a suicide and they’re not going to look for her. Absolutely fuck all background into any character at this point so I don’t know them from Adam.
The twin sister goes out to find her sister in Japan and instead of heading right to the mission, goes for some sushi and is that arsed about her quest is more bothered that the fish she’s been given is raw. Fuck off. In her dreams she sees a ghoul child in her tent which is cheap jump #1 and to me, fuck all relevance to the audience as we still have no background which to me, is vital when you want someone to be truly on the edge wondering what’s happening.
Obviously the main as a blonde, her twin who’s gone to apparently kill herself is dark haired and gothic looking as we clearly don’t want to be too stereotypical do we. Flashbacks contain her sister giving her a vase and saying “Grandpa’s in there” so blondie opens it, revealing he is not and laughs heartily. What a laugh. She finally starts having a deek for her sister at a local place (no idea what it was as I had sort of switched off by this point) and the woman indicates her sister is downstairs. Blondie walks down to the basement of corpses and in true fashion to what we see so far is more offended by the smell than the fact her sister could be one of the rotting deceased found in the forest. Surprised she’s not taking a fucking selfie at this point.
She meets a guy in a bar and after telling him her life story ignites a “cheers” over a beverage, cheers to what love? The fact your twin is probably hanging off a tree? He ends up taking her into the forest with an experienced ranger, after a painful journey (for me not them) they find sisters tent and she wants to stay, fair enough. She’s happy to find the tent…. alarm bells. An empty tent in the suicide forest, are you thick?
When she sees her first shit ghoul, she tells the guy who she was warned off (cassanova from the bar) in a dead dramatic way, “I saw this girl last night…” as she clicked cassanova was who she was warned off the best she could come up with when he said “what did she say?” was “she said something in japanese.” Seriously. SERIOUSLY. You could have made up something like, she wanted to knife me and fuck the remains.
The rest of the movie is probably too pitch black to see anything as they’ve gone for the angle of it’s really dark so lets just have random people who look like Chucky pop up occasionally.
Ending makes no sense, the plot is incredibly weak and I am angered yet again by the sheer shit that’s being released onto cinema at the moment.
Aokigahara is interesting, it’s real and in reality; fucking terrifying. How can you mess up this movie so badly?
No.
2/10

I gained absolutely nothing from this experience bar the knowledge that Natalie Dormer makes for an attractive goth.
_Final rating:★½: - Boring/disappointing. Avoid if possible._

The backbone of _The Forest’s_ conception is probably more fascinating than the horror film in which the narrative is based upon. Some may be familiar with the backstory of the “real” _Forest_ and its disturbing legendary reputation. Of course the reference is reserved for Japan’s Aokigahara Forest (a.k.a. “Suicide Forest”) at the geographical base of Mount Fuji where historically this has been the morbid albeit visually stimulating resting place for that country’s despair-ridden segmented population to gravitate in hopes of ending their lives among the smothering trees and twisty hiking paths. Although the Aokigahara Forest (also nicknamed “The Sea of Tress”) acts as the last tranquil location for those desperate souls that want to meet their spiritual Maker it also doubles as a scenic and sumptuous tourist attraction for outsiders that embrace the essence of such a colorfully green, wooded paradise. So given the compelling inspiration for such an intriguing and real-life model of a Japanese posh and plentiful tree trunk haven of exceptional beauty and mystery then why does The Forest not resonate with the convincing chills and thrills of a harried horror showcase meant to capture the true scary decadence of the Aokigahara Forest’s mystique?
The motivating myth behind the genuine hysterics of an Asian region that distinctively boasts the world’s second largest destination for suicidal tendencies should have been the selling point for this plodding, predictable doom-and-gloom chiller. Instead, The Forest cannot seem to distinguish the light from its treacherous trees while delivering a hollow. horror-made shell of ghostly paranoia that never really musters up any majestic titillation beyond its basic boo-link manufacturing. _The Forest’s_ winning formula, as it seems, is to rely on flashbacks in its step-by-step storytelling, exhaustive close-up shots on the film’s photogenic lead Natalie Dormer from TV’s “Games of Thrones” (playing put-upon Sara and her twin sister simultaneously) and needling through the conventional creepy impulses that the movie routinely trots out in suggestive suspense mode.
First-time director Jason Zada has an interesting premise in which to work his grim-inducing hocus-pocus as his nightmarish narrative had the potential to raise the stakes of psychological warfare between weak-minded human psyche fragility and the deceptive mask of nature’s beautification. Zada and screenwriters Sarah Cornwell, Nick Antosca and Ben Katai never fluidly marry the concept of despair and detachment with the ominous histrionics of the ghoulish Aokigahara Forest folklore. The saddened study of loss and hopelessness in an exquisite and mystifying woodland of wonderment is sacrificed for a serviceable chiller that sputters in its generic sense of dread and devastation.
Dormer’s Sara Price is on a menacing mission to find her missing identical twin sibling Jess in the Far East. Jess had decided to take a trip to Japan. The word got out that poor Jess was last seen frequenting the notorious Aokigahara Forest–certainly not an encouraging sign for both the country’s natives and visiting outsiders deeply intrigued by the Timberland of Terror. In addition to Sara wandering about to locate the absent Jess she must reconcile her personal demons and confront the ghosts–both the ones in her worried mindset and the evil-minded forest’s creation–as she seeks out her disappearing twin. Sara is against all odds to find her missing sibling in a wooded wasteland of hopelessness. Importantly, Sara must overcome her inner fears of depression, disillusionment and disorientation and poking around in the infamous Aokigahara is not helping matters in the least.
There is much that can be said about the lackluster presentation of _The Forest_. For starters, Dormer’s startled siren Sara is supposed to be the fearing female presence with a decent lifestyle back in the States although still tackling her traumatic baggage from a questionable upbringing. The audience does get the uncanny bond that Dormer’s twin sibs share in both triumph and tragedy. No doubt that Zada tries to position the emotional and mental bridge of his look-a-like pretty protagonists and tailor a sordid background of frightening forethought that especially consumes the erratic Sara. Yet with all the set-up in place (Aokigahara’s spooky backstory, imperiled sisterhood, etc.) Zada seems to struggle in incorporating any convincing sizzle that can propel The Forest into a cultural creepfest that really tantalizes.
Dormer’s Sara is reduced to frantically running into the shadowy woods and giving off jittery vibes to the spontaneous apparitions that pop in and out. Surprisingly, _The Forest_ never seizes the moment to embrace the inherent value of the Aokigahara’s deadly hypnotism for life-ending finality. Perhaps even if basing this horror film on the real-life suicidal indignation of “Suicide Forest” there probably would be major criticism about exploiting a Japanese tourist territory and its reprehensible reputation attached just to give a Hollywood horror showcase entertaining credibility. Still, this potential controversy might have given The Forest an upgrade in its otherwise mechanical and sluggish execution.
_The Forest_ tosses around a few supporting characters to surround Dormer’s damsel-in-distress Sara but to no real effect. Japanese tourist guide Michi (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) and journalist Aiden (Taylor Kinney) join Sara in her quest to track down Jess. Michi, using common sense, abandons the remaining twosome after learning that Sara insists on sticking around the forbidden forest as the darkness of night approaches. Thus, this gives Aiden a fighting chance to intimately cozy up to the determined Sara while covering an expose on the tedious travels through the scenic but sinister woods. Of course, the introduction of the Yurei (the harrowing woods-based spirits that supposedly influence the suicidal urges of its doomed visitors) is in full force to badger the beleaguered Sara as they reinforce her embedded delusions.
Some bright spots do redeem _The Forest’s_ presentation such as Mattias Troelstrup’s crisp camerawork and the haunting and surreal visuals of strung-up stiff corpses hanging from the trees that accentuate the eeriness of lifeless souls lost in hidden pain. Otherwise, Zada’s thin and jittery payoff is nothing more than a toothless trek through the pseudo petrified _Forest_.
The Forest (2016)
1 hr. 35 mins.
Starring: Natalie Dormer, Taylor Kinney and Yukiyoshi Ozawa
Directed by: Jason Zada
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror/Psychological Thriller
(c) Frank Ochieng 2016

Cool story, but I think it would've worked better as a psychological movie instead of a horror movie.