Category: Movie Review

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D

silent hill rev

I just have to wonder what the hell has been my luck with crappy 3D movies lately. I forgot the Silent Hill sequel was part of the late 2000’s 3D wave. I admit here, I have no experience with the franchise but I appreciate it’s dark, twisted imagery. That being said, I feel bad for the fans after watching this movie…

Heather’s life has been filled with trauma; her mother died at a early age and she’s plagued with violent hallucinations that relate to the dreaded town of Silent Hill. After her birthday, her father is kidnapped by the insane cult who inhabit the town, and they want her back as a sacrifice to stop Alyssa, a malevolent demon girl they blame the evil on. Heather and a classmate, Vincent Cooper, head to the haunted town to face it’s demons and there own before the Order can bring about the end of the world.

Well, I give the movie this, the score is pretty good even if it is pretty misplaced at times. Other than that, this movie sucks pretty hard. The acting, despite some decent names, is pretty bad; the effects are shotty CGI for the most part; the story is either really nonsensical or really dependent on you seeing the first, but it’s a bit hard to hollow at times. The atmosphere at times is good but the overuse of jumpscares- in which they use a pop tart in the beginning- kills the mood. I laughed at too many scenes I knew I was supposed to be afraid at, and that was before the crappy 3D inches its way into it. In the end, if you need a cheap laugh I might recommend it but otherwise feel free to skip this pooper. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Hostel

hostel

With our decade coming to a close, I want to take a minute to go back and look at the last decade in horror. Saw and Hostel ruled the scene, a scene made up of “torture porn”. Eli Roth, director of Cabin Fever, gave us this hit in 2006.

Two friends, Josh and Paxton are backpacking through Europe with a dude there hanging out with, looking for hot babes, booze, and drugs. During a party, they meet some hot chicks that tell them about a awesome party town with a cheap hostel they can stay at. Everything is fun until there friends start to disappear and the folks around town deny knowing anything about the disappearances. It isn’t long before the friends discover they’ve been tricked into a sadistic network of rich men who pay to come torture and kill people at there leisure. The question is, can they make it out when the whole town is in on the conspiracy?

I have to say, this movie is pretty damn overrated but solid for the most part. The acting and score are fine but the atmosphere and premise are the selling points. There are some pretty nasty gore scenes, but it’s nowhere near as extreme as the sequel will be. The dialogue, like many Roth films, is vulgar and awkward and the pacing is slow to start but it fairly thrilling from the second act and on. The revenge ending is pretty satisfying I admit and the world is pretty interesting and makes you want to know more. In the end, it’s a pretty fair movie but I wouldn’t call it a modern classic as some would so it’s worth watching. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Shark Night 3D

shark night

We love a good B movie here at Saviorgaming so when this stinker from early this decade washed up on Netflix, I couldn’t help myself. Whether it’s the classic Jaws (1975) , the underrated Deep Blue Sea , or the corny Shark Attack 2 I’ve got a soft spot for shark movies, so what does Shark Night bring to the table?

Like many horror movies, we begin with a group of college friends who go to the hot girl, Sara’s cabin on the lake. She hasn’t been to the cabin in a few years or dated a guy either. Well, during a water-skiing run, the friends discover there are sharks in the water. Alarmed by the WTF question of how a bunch of different breeds of sharks got in a southern river, they trust in the aid of Sara’s disgruntled ex boyfriend and redneck friend to help there dying friend, but do the rednecks know more than they let on?

Shark Night is pretty much what you thought it was going to be from the trailers, it’s a pretty funny B movie with some cheap 3D thrown in. The acting is one dimensional and the sharks are pretty poorly CGI but the effects are better than Sharknado. What kills the enjoyment is the over usage of crappy college rock and the Pg-13 rating which cut most of the gore and topless scenes but instead teases you with great set ups for them. Still, the corniness and absurdity makes it a decent  B movie but not a great one. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Kirk Cameron Saving Christmas

evil

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Savior and I this season. We’ve covered many of the usual holiday staples on the blog these past few years, but this year I wanted to try something different. First, I have to get this out of the way, I’m not going to shred this movie for the religious views but the insane way they are presented. I mean there are some pretty crazy ass rants here as Cameron discusses the nativity, Christmas trees, and Santa while trying to teach to a dude named Christian about the meaning of Christmas.

It doesn’t take long before you realize this is a propaganda film, hell, there is a good 10 minute prologue telling you about how Christmas is dying. Cameron and the cast beat you over the head with some really one sided religious messages so get ready for a preach fest and I warn you now, don’t watch this if you’re easily offended. I had fun watching the hilariously bad film-making on display but was creeped out but the utter insanity of some of these rants; the swaddling clothe is a good place to start for those who saw this thing. There is a hell of a lot of filler in this and this probably could’ve been an hour but it’s 80 minutes. If you like hilariously bad movies, I recommend this but if you want a decent Christmas special, look elsewhere. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Glass

glass

I’m sure I’m weird to say Glass was one of my most anticipated movies of 2019. Unbreakable is one of my favorite superhero movies and Split was one of my favorite horror movies of the decade so I was really pumped to see how the trilogy would conclude and I wanted to see the reunion between Dunn and Glass.

The Horde is on the loose, kidnapping and killing young women in his pursuit of saving the broken. David Dunn, now deemed the Overseer, has spent the past 19 years as a vigilante using his powers to keep people safe. He’s been hunting the Horde down while evading the police. After confronting him, both are surprised at the others ability, but are apprehended by a mysterious doctor convinced they aren’t superhuman but rather mentally ill. They aren’t the only one she has captive however, seemingly comatose for nearly two decades is Elijah Prince who is reunited with Dunn and introduced to Crumb. Mr Glass has a plan to unite with The Beast and unveil the existence of super humans to the world. Can the Overseer stop the deadly alliance?

First, don’t go into this expecting a conventional super story. There isn’t a lot of pomp and circumstance, and I can’t say this movie is for everyone. I personally believe it’s a damn good end to an amazing trilogy. The three main leads do a great job but Jackson and McAvoy steal the show. The movie is a decent mix of cross over combined with dual sequels for Unbreakable and Split. The pacing slows quite a bit in the second act but McAvoy thankfully carries what could be a painful slog. I couldn’t help but wish we got more time with Dunn as a vigilante. The fights are pretty cool for what they were. I liked the twists and the ending, being the minority and felt uplifted after. Glass isn’t perfect nor the ultimate trilogy ender and while I can see where a lot of the choices made will piss fans off, I will say it’s well worth a watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Halloween (2018)

halloween 2018 2

A few days ago, I posted a rant during my review of Texas Chainsaw (3D) about horror’s particularly bad track record of sloppy canons. Like TCM, Halloween thought it was better to wipe out it’s lackluster sequels and far from great remakes and start from a new slate, keeping only the events of the original Halloween in canon. No Thorn cult, no Busta Rhymes, and no edgy gargantuan Michael that roams the countryside. Most importantly, Michael and Laurie are no longer brother and sister. So how does the new canon hold itself up?

Forty years have passed  since Michael Myers stalked the streets of Haddonfield on Halloween night. Scarred and silent, he’s stayed in the sanitarium. A pair of bloggers try interviewing him to no avail, reminding him of that night by presenting him with the mask he once wore. Meanwhile we join Laurie who’s life has been ruined by Michael and has dedicated the past four decades to stopping him if and when he would break out, even if it meant the rift in her family life. Her daughter Karen wants nothing to do with her, trying to raise her own teen daughter away from the trauma of there past, while Laurie struggles to stay in there life’s. While being transferred on Halloween, Michael escapes and the bodies begin to pile up, leaving Laurie to face her fears once and for all…

This is the damn Halloween movie I wanted. There is a surprising amount of character drama in this sequel and the characters are done really well but Jaime Lee Curtis steals the show as a broken Laurie hellbent on killing Michael. Old man Michael is terrifying and badass. There is a surprising amount of twists in the story and a surprising amount of humor that weirdly works. The classic score returns but is given new life with new music added that’s really good. I enjoyed the cinematography. Overall, Halloween 2018 is one of the best horror movies I’ve seen in recent years and I highly recommend it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Tenet trailer

It’s been a while since we got a film from Christopher Nolan and as always, it always looks pretty epic. Tenet looks like a good line between intelligent spy trailer and high class Sci-fi  movie with a trailer that doesn’t show much thankfully. I’m fairly curious how it will turn out great and I’ll be glad to check out Nolan’s next film. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Texas Chainsaw (3D)

tc3d

Horror has a really bad habit of messy cannons. Following the chain of endless sequels, remakes, and reboots ( not to mention the strange fusions of them) we started getting movies meant to set the stage and wipe the cannons clean and kick off from the original classics anew. So was Texas Chainsaw worth abandoning Texas Chainsaw massacre 2 and beyond?

Taking place moments after the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre , Sally’s escape from the Sawyer family brings the police down on the cannibals, especially Jeb ( Leatherface). The family convinces him to surrender, but the angry rednecks of the area decide to take matters into there own hands and slaughter the Sawyer family, except  for missing Leatherface and a baby that is taken by the rednecks. Years later, Heather gets a letter that a grandmother she never knew she had and inherited her home, but Heather and her friends learn this home comes with it’s own resident…

I’m going to say right now, this movie is utter ass. It’s not so- bad- it’s good; there is some pretty cringe-worthy shit in it. I can’t say I liked any of the characters and Leatherface isn’t even that intimidating here and has no personality, despite the attempt to make him a anti-hero. The 3-D is pretty cheesy but there isn’t much to really justify calling it 3-D. The effects are meh but the blood is plainly CGI. In the end, you can skip this and watch either the original, sequel, or the remakes. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Free Guy trailer 1

Everything about this movie should probably suck, but damn it looks really funny. I like the premise of a guy trying to be good in a video game; how many of us can say we choose to be the good guy in a game if we can help it? Reynolds is great as a squeaky clean hero in a world of excessive video game madness. I would totally check this movie out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.