5th Annual N&G 31 Days* of Halloween (2023)
- Thread starter LeeVing
- Start date
zomgbear
Well-Known Member
curious about this remake. I loved the original cube- I actually discovered the Cube series by watching Cube 2 on Sci-Fi a long while back and didn't hate it. I went back and watched Cube 1 after and thought it was much better. I hated Cube 0 though - so... its a rough trek ahead.The sorry state of Cube 2: Hypercube has kept me from racing to finish the trilogy with Cube: 0, but I figured it's worth giving the Japanese reboot a shot in the meantime. Cube (2021), a Screambox Original, is competent, but makes the mistake of treading too closely to the original's necessary establishment and struggles to offer much else.
A ragtag group wakes up trapped in a deadly maze of cubic booby-trapped rooms and must try to escape with their lives.
It's fine, which makes it better than Hypercube, but I feel like they could have done a lot more with characterization (on a script level) to capture the engaging dynamic of the original ensemble.
(Screambox has proven a valuable platform for its price—one of the more affordable of the bunch. They're raising their fees on Oct. 2 to $6.99 per month or $59.99 for the year, so now's a great time to join before the hike. As a sponsor of the seasonal HoopTober challenge over on Letterboxd, they've got an active free month trial/promo for new subs available. There's plenty of new content slated for both Sept. and October including a RoboCop docuseries.)
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Hemotep
Well-Known Member
19. Play Dead (2022)
I had low expectations, but this surprised me. The plot is kind of thin, but it's fairly unique and the tension has a nice build. Another low budget film that makes the most out of what they have and made a quality movie. I can understand why others would dismiss this, but it really does have a lot of elements that I was impressed with.
I had low expectations, but this surprised me. The plot is kind of thin, but it's fairly unique and the tension has a nice build. Another low budget film that makes the most out of what they have and made a quality movie. I can understand why others would dismiss this, but it really does have a lot of elements that I was impressed with.
zomgbear
Well-Known Member
4. Last Shift
I liked this one. Pretty impressed considering it's a low budget horror and is pretty generic with jump scares but does it well. There's some really cool scenes in it. The vibe of it reminds me of Silent Hill a bit - where it's a bit psychological and you don't really know what's happening for sure. I think the movie would have been better if they delved into the protagonist's backstory on why she could potentially be an unreliable narrator. She's a bit one dimensional but i'm just nitpicking.
It has an interesting backstory coming to life as it progresses. I did not expect the ending so it surprised me. I recommend giving it a shot!
EvanBenner
Well-Known Member
It's on my HoopTober list for sometime between Sep. 15–Oct. 31! It recently got remade by the same creators as Malum. Sounds like it's still decent with budgetary gloss.
4. Last Shift
I liked this one. Pretty impressed considering it's a low budget horror and is pretty generic with jump scares but does it well. There's some really cool scenes in it. The vibe of it reminds me of Silent Hill a bit - where it's a bit psychological and you don't really know what's happening for sure. I think the movie would have been better if they delved into the protagonist's backstory on why she could potentially be an unreliable narrator but i'm just nitpicking.
It has an interesting backstory coming to life as it progresses. I did not expect the ending so it surprised me. I recommend giving it a shot!
zomgbear
Well-Known Member
Wow i had no idea he remade it already! I had Last Shift on my list for a while now. I watched a video or something that really recommended it and it sounded interesting and i'm glad I gave it a shot. Will probably eventually watch Malum to see what he changed.
EvanBenner
Well-Known Member
-__________________-
I've officially made it through the dregs of the Conjuringverse. Folks weren't lying when they put La Llorona and The Nun at the bottom of the list.
I will say one good thing about this—the set design was strong. Probably the only thing about this that wasn't an afterthought, but a good set alone does not a good story make.
I've officially made it through the dregs of the Conjuringverse. Folks weren't lying when they put La Llorona and The Nun at the bottom of the list.
I will say one good thing about this—the set design was strong. Probably the only thing about this that wasn't an afterthought, but a good set alone does not a good story make.
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AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
The Pope's Exorcist
I was surprised this was as good as it was, based on a real person its always a crap shoot on how they handle that. All in all it was a really good possession story, great effects, Crowes performance and the horror visuals make it a good October movie.
My one complaint is the very end, I think they dipped into the cheese a little too much giving it a Van Helsing/Demon Hunter feel, literally with just a few lines, which came across a little corny and forced in my opinion, although, what I've heard is Father Amorth, who this is based on, was a character, so maybe it's right on the money, lol. Definitely worth the watch
I was surprised this was as good as it was, based on a real person its always a crap shoot on how they handle that. All in all it was a really good possession story, great effects, Crowes performance and the horror visuals make it a good October movie.
My one complaint is the very end, I think they dipped into the cheese a little too much giving it a Van Helsing/Demon Hunter feel, literally with just a few lines, which came across a little corny and forced in my opinion, although, what I've heard is Father Amorth, who this is based on, was a character, so maybe it's right on the money, lol. Definitely worth the watch
EvanBenner
Well-Known Member
Surprisingly, Annabelle Come Home is among the best the Conjuringverse offers.
Annabelle has been on the up and up since her dreadful debut. What started as a throwaway has quite possibly become the glue holding the universe together—and this one hardly even involves the Warrens as more than bookends.
After improving the original's storytelling with Annabelle Creation, screenwriter Gary Dauberman added "director" to his roles for this third entry—a debut feature no less. Perhaps that's what helped lend a noticeable playfulness to this movie.
The story here revolves around the Warren's daughter Judy, her babysitter, and her babysitter's uninvited friend. Judy faces a crisis of familial confidence when exposed to an article that casts her parents' reputations as true paranormal investigators into doubt. It's clear that her relation has made life difficult with other kids at school. Is any of what her parents do real?
Drawn to the Warrens' supernatural connection, Daniela imposes herself on her friend's babysitting gig for selfish spiritual reasons. Her snooping inadvertently unleashes the painstakingly contained Annabelle from the Warrens' pandora's box of a relic trove, and all hell breaks loose.
This fun installment uses its themes well, much to the benefit of the frightening imagery and suspense. There's very little by way of cheapo jump scares, making this a consistently engaging watch.
Dauberman notably had a role in the screenplays for several films I despised (IT, IT: Chapter Two, Annabelle, and The Nun), but the Annabelle sequels have shown real promise. Lately, he wrote and directed the new Salem's Lot adaptation that was slated for release in September of last year, got delayed to this April, then inexplicably disappeared off Warner Bros.' release schedule. Though trepidatious, I do hope we get to see that output.
Annabelle has been on the up and up since her dreadful debut. What started as a throwaway has quite possibly become the glue holding the universe together—and this one hardly even involves the Warrens as more than bookends.
After improving the original's storytelling with Annabelle Creation, screenwriter Gary Dauberman added "director" to his roles for this third entry—a debut feature no less. Perhaps that's what helped lend a noticeable playfulness to this movie.
The story here revolves around the Warren's daughter Judy, her babysitter, and her babysitter's uninvited friend. Judy faces a crisis of familial confidence when exposed to an article that casts her parents' reputations as true paranormal investigators into doubt. It's clear that her relation has made life difficult with other kids at school. Is any of what her parents do real?
Drawn to the Warrens' supernatural connection, Daniela imposes herself on her friend's babysitting gig for selfish spiritual reasons. Her snooping inadvertently unleashes the painstakingly contained Annabelle from the Warrens' pandora's box of a relic trove, and all hell breaks loose.
This fun installment uses its themes well, much to the benefit of the frightening imagery and suspense. There's very little by way of cheapo jump scares, making this a consistently engaging watch.
Dauberman notably had a role in the screenplays for several films I despised (IT, IT: Chapter Two, Annabelle, and The Nun), but the Annabelle sequels have shown real promise. Lately, he wrote and directed the new Salem's Lot adaptation that was slated for release in September of last year, got delayed to this April, then inexplicably disappeared off Warner Bros.' release schedule. Though trepidatious, I do hope we get to see that output.
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