Bullying, it's a subject we see a lot of in horror and Some Kind of Hate adds to this a mediocre supernatural revenge horror to this list.

The story follows Lincoln who, after stabbing the boy who has been bullying him for years in the face with a fork, is sent to the Minds Eye reform school where he is bullied even more and accidentally sets lose the vengeful spirit of Moira, a girl who was bullied and killed herself years previous. Moira decides that she will kill the people tormenting Lincoln at Minds Eye in some violent death scenes which is the only real saving grace in this film.

This could of worked so well! which will no doubt be a catchphrase of mine i say it so much in reviews but it is true, the whole subject of bullying a revenge has worked perfectly in the past in films such as Carrie but Some Kind of Hate lacks the story and relys on the violent final stages to bring it back from the bring of shit. The Moira character doesn't know if she wants to be the innocent teen or the crazy girl everyone says she was. Lincoln is your stereotypical  emo brooding tortured soul, similar to the protagonist from The Loved Ones but with less charisma.

I hated everyone in this film, there was no compassion for them when you should feel it. The bizarre sexual self harm scene between Moira and Kaitlin is just oddly placed as does most of the plot of the film.

I lost interested in the film within the first 30 minutes, and even when the action picks up I still didn't really give a crap about who lived or died or about the awful Moira characters actions well until the scene where Moira confronts on the of camp Councillors who witnessed her kill herself, a very sad scene but too little to safe the film. This film was a wasted chance for a good movie, coupled with awful acting being covered up with blood and violence.

A CHRISTMAS MOVIE...IN APRIL!!!! yes that is correct for some reason Universal have decided that it best to not wait till November to release the 2015 Christmas flick Krampus but to release it in early stages of the summer DVD releases..... so here we go.

I missed out on seeing this on the big screen at Christmas but to be honest this is one of those films which is more of a DVD watch than a cinema watch.

Krampus is the tale of a dysfunctional family on Christmas Eve who are being targeted by the shadow of Father Christmas, Krampus and his band of evil minions after young Max rips up his letter to Santa. What we get is an hour and a half of unrelateable characters who you don't give a flying crap about being killed.....well dragged away by frankly the only saving grace of the film, the evil minions. The evil gingerbread men are very funny, the evil dolls and the twisted teddy bear are creepy and the jack in a box monster is fucked up!! if we didn't have them though this film would just be another fall by the way side attempt at a holiday horror film.

The characters let the film down, there seems to be a lack of passion from all involve here which transfers to the screen, and that is a shame considering that the actors in this film are actually pretty good actors.

As a festive film for a festive line up this is an okay film, and I reckon if you watch this at Christmas you could forgive some of its misgivings. This is a pretty good B movie which takes much from films like Critters and Puppet Master which is a good thing but in all honesty there are plenty of other evil Santa films out there...for example Rare Exports...which are far far better.

​THE STORY:
No sooner than landing her new job at a prestigious law firm of her choice, Emily Reed (Carré Otis) is whisked off to Rio de Janero to help close the deal on the acquisition of a hotel.  There she meets a wealthy stranger, played by Mickey Rourke.
 
Now let’s be fair, erotic movies – especially those from the early 2000s – by their very nature are ridiculous trash with no real plot, zero character development and the climactic fuck you’ve been waiting the entire film for is always the most disappointing of all the sex scenes.  That said, with its sensual saxophone led soundtrack along with the bluish tinge to its opening credits, Wild Orchid is under no illusions as to what it is.
 
As we twiddle our thumbs, waiting around for the next person to take their clothes off, it’s difficult to take any of the actors or the script seriously.  Still, not all the dialogue is a complete loss: “From the moment I saw you I suddenly wanted you more than anything, or anyone I’ve ever wanted in my life.”  The line, spoken by Bruce Greenwood’s character, Jerome McFarland, is intentionally unromantic and yet at the same time it unintentionally delivers a disarmingly poignant explanation on what it feels like to lust for something.
 
Carré Otis manages to present herself as delicate and innocent while her lines sound robotic and spoon-fed, putting one in mind of a nicer, daintier version of Paz de la Huerta.  Although I’m sure that today’s audiences would compare Otis and her co-star Mickey Rourke, as well as the depiction of their odd relationship to that of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.  Another pile of erotic bollocks.
 
Much akin to the Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) movie, Wild Orchid is very well made, with good acting talent somehow thrown into the mix.  However, Orchid’s Latin American inspired soundtrack is far superior and much more fun.
 
LAST WORDS:
It doesn’t have Grey’s porn-for-bored-housewives reputation, so that’s one good thing.  By comparison Wild Orchid has a greater sensual feel to it.  It’s certainly 100 times sexier than all that red room tat.  There’s really only one reason to watch an erotic movie, and at least this one doesn’t want to beat your arse black and blue, or stab you to death with an ice-pick!
 

​THE STORY:
From the mouths of the men who brought you Judge Dredd, Future Shock brings you the highs, the lows and the in-betweens of 2000AD, from birth to the present day.
 
They aspired to be punker than punk, using science-fiction to say what action wouldn’t let them say.  Every issue a bold statement cleverly hidden while at the same time staring you right in the face.  Even the backdrop of a certain interviewee segment catches the eye.  With all the mentioning of Britain and the U.S you can’t help but wonder if the colour-scheme arrangement of his books – the old red, white and blue – is either subconscious, or deliberate.  Most likely the latter.
 
One thing that Future Shock certainly delivers, plenty on Judge Dredd, from his conception in 1977 to the big screen.  A wise move on the maker’s part as this potentially appeals to the casual observer – such as myself – as well as a true follower. 
Early concept drawings said to resemble a “Spanish pirate” by one, claim to base Dredd’s helmet on an executioner’s hood.  Although frankly it’s one plastic mouthpiece and a cape away from looking like Darth Vader. 
The subject of Dredd also brings about the funnier moments of this frank documentary when its participants cast a scalding critical eye of the 1996 movie adaption, starring Sylvester Stallone in the title role.
 
What helps the piece along is that there appears to be a shared understanding of past events as we move back and forth between those in front of the camera.  No he said, she said bullshit.  The hatchets have been buried and the apologies have been made, or at the very least they’ve had the time to reflect, as they speak honestly and even admit to their own mistakes of the past.  This is admirable as well as consistent to the descriptions of the straight-talking nature of the workplace and the comic itself.
 
LAST WORDS:
It’s a hard-hitting present shock to discover what can happen to such splendid artwork.  But I suppose the biggest shock of them all is how it took for someone to tell this story.  Still, I’m glad that someone finally did.

​THE STORY:
After disturbing the home of a murderous family in an abandoned film studio, three boys are stalked back to their homes that very night.
 
Sheesh!  Pregnant women don’t exactly have the best of luck when it comes to this deliciously demented duo.  But enough with the Inside (2007) jokes!  (Ba-dum-tsss…)
 
While most of the film’s second act seemingly discards the bloody and violent nature of its opening minutes, it does a decent job of replacing the guts and gore with a suspenseful atmosphere.  Its staccato-style strings punch the nerves during those moments of darkness combined with the bizarre killer’s cruel natured cat-and-mouse games.
 
The separate home invasions of the three boys go together much like a horror anthology.  And although the body count climbs steadily but surely, for the most part the level of gruesome action is inconsistent.  So much so that the first two break-ins play out and cut out like segments of a Creepshow movie.
 
Among the Living does have some original moments amongst a bundle of familiar tricks of the trade, but the dynamic of our villains feels borrowed from Jordan Baker’s 2013 movie Torment, which also featured a family of deformed killers who abducted new members to join their bloodthirsty brood.
 
LAST WORDS:
It’s not original, but it has elements of the bizarre.  It’s not consistent, but that gives it the occasional sense of unpredictability.  There’s tension for those who like suspense.  There’s blood for those who enjoy gore.  Could the state of horror on DVD this year finally be looking up?  Solid horror entertainment.

Midnight Special.....it's the type of film which is an okay watch, a nice little indie sci-fi flick, however i'm shocked it got a UK wide release, especially as films like Trumbo and Youth (both Oscar nominated films) got such a small release.

It is the kind of film I would get through on review disks all the time, or even a showing at the film festivals like FrightFest, which will normally get a DVD/Blu Ray release so I'm not sure if I was disappointed with the film or the cinema experience of watching the film so I will no doubt write a review again after re-watching the DVD release and think differently which does happen on occasion.

The film is a story of Roy, a father on the run from a religious community with his son Alton, who the community , known as The Ranch, believe  has powers from god.  Alton, can pass on images of an event to those who look into the beam of light which emanates from his eyes. Roy has been tasked with getting Alton to a specific place at the right time for the event to happen. Also on their trail are the US Government who are tracking Alton after his garbled words spoken at the Ranch  months previous end up being scripted Government information. Travelling through the night, so to keep is boy safe Roy and old school chum Lucas must face race against time but what is the event?

Midnight Special can be interpreted in several ways. We never seen what those around Alton has shown them, we do not see the exact reasoning why this event is happening, well not until the end but even then there isn't alot explained other than a possible ET like going home scene, but is Alton from another planet or could Alton be an Angel? On watching this I personally would say they boy is an angel, and his event is going home back to heaven with the world getting a small glimpse into the other side, the two layer which Alton explains earlier in the film, which is a beautifully shot scene but.....whats it the reason for it? Why is Alton there on earth in the first place?

Midnight Special has various layers, layers which will unravel the more you watch it no doubt. It felt pretty dragged out at points and felt longer than it actually was, leaving both me and my wife looking at our watches wondering when the film will end.  However it was beautifully shot, well acted by all and overall was...fine, I just maybe would of rather have watched it at home rather than the cinema.

If you have a Cineworld or Odeon limitless card then I would highly recommend having a look, otherwise I would just wait for the DVD release.

DO YOU DISAGREE? LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE FILM IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

​THE STORY:
On  her 18th birthday Jordyn’s life suddenly begins to unravel, as secrets kept from her since she was a baby come bubbling to the surface.
 
What we should have here is the story of a girl whose life falls apart because of the onset of her dark destiny, which causes her to suffer from frequent memory loss.  And at first, what it presents itself as is a highly competent, smooth-paced piece with slick editing and smart imagery.
 
Unfortunately, because of this the movie does almost nothing to put in the groundwork of fleshing out its characters.  Like skimming through the pages of a book, we are left with a mess of coherent and incoherent emotionally disconnected scenes with badly-written dialogue, and a witch who laughs like a wood pigeon.
 
The special effects can be a little distracting.  Almost every frame has heavily blurred edges and the energy discharged when the witches do battle is cartoonish at best.
 
LAST WORDS:
Being made over 2 years ago, it’s painfully obvious that certain parties only saw fit to release it in the vain hope that it could possibly piggy-back off the success of critically-claimed movie The Witch (2015). As I said before, the movie is very well made for what it is, there is just isn’t very much beneath its pretty surface.  

The Oscar season may have passed but the releases of the best from this years awards are now starting to get their releases. Spotlight was one of a few of the Oscar winners I didn't get the chance to cover on its cinema run and it didn't fall flat.

Spotlight is the heart-stoppingly tense true-crime thriller based on the enthralling Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation. Led by Walter ‘Robby’ Robinson (Michael Keaton), the team of investigative journalists at The Boston Globe, known as ‘Spotlight’, pride themselves on their relentless dedication to exposing the truth of society’s ills and bringing the guilty to account.

Spotlight is a very important film, a film which will open your eyes to the sick, twisted and perverted side of religion. A film which is hard to watch at times but lifts the lid of the events surrounding the exposure of the roman catholic church and the sickening cover up of child abuse which spread around the world. The film was a huge eyeopener for me, I knew a little of this story but to see the sickening degree of how far this spread and the cover up from the catholic church in Boston makes me hate religion even more.

Spotlight has an amazing cast all who pull out the stops here but it was  Mark Ruffalo who gave the stand out performance of the the film for me in his role as Mike, whose passion for the truth is so well fleshed out you feel his anger inside your own being. 

Spotlight is a very heavy film, with alot of in depth description of the victims accounts so if this type of subject which makes you uncomfortable enter this film with care. It made my skin crawl at times but there is no way around a film which focus on child abuse. The screenplay was treated with so  much respect, the actors were amazing and the film as a whole was very worthy of the Oscar win. This is a film which will make you tear up, its a film which will open your eyes and a film you should definitely watch.