Divergent (2014)

Divergent

IMDB rate: 6,9

Genre: Adventure

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Kate Winslet  

Ever since the first Hunger Games movie was released there arose a new trend of movie type: The young adults in a broken world type. All coming from young adult books, and all coming in quadrilogy's (I'm not even sure it's the right word). The four part series are the new hype, three movies aren't good enough anymore. The strange thing about this is, all the books are trilogies. Ever since the last Harry Potter movie it became a thing to split the last book in two parts, even though the book is just as thick as previous books (the Hobbit exaggerated this even more by making a trilogy from one thin book). While it seems like an odd thing to do, I don't necessarily mind since I pretty much LOVE these type of movies. I'm a big fan of the Hunger Games, read all the books but still need to see Mockingjay part 1. I've seen The Maze Runner which was equally amazing, and now I watched the movie Divergent. 

I love post-apocalyptic movies, and these type of movies are somewhat post-apocalyptic in an interesting way, each in their own sort of way. At first I did not know what Divergent was about, I knew there was a big hype about it but for some reason I thought it would be something like Twilight. Not really sure how I came to that thought, but I was definitely wrong about that. Ever since I watched Divergent two weeks ago, I couldn't help but watch it again this week. I wouldn't say it was the best movie I've ever seen and I certainly don't think it's better than The Hunger Games, but it's definitely intriguing and an amazingly interesting concept. 

Here's what Divergent is about:

Set in a futuristic dystopia where society is divided into five factions that each represent a different virtue, teenagers have to decide if they want to stay in their faction or switch to another - for the rest of their lives. Tris Prior makes a choice that surprises everyone. Then Tris and her fellow faction-members have to live through a highly competitive initiation process to live out the choice they have made. They must undergo extreme physical and intense psychological tests, that transform them all. But Tris has a secret that she is Divergent, which means she doesn't fit into any one group. If anyone knew, it would mean a certain death. As she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly peaceful society, this secret might help her save the people she loves... or it might destroy her.

Overall, Divergent isn't much appreciated by film critics, and I admit that there are many things wrong with it, but I'm just a real big fan of how people, and in these types of movies the government, react in a broken world (dystopia). In The Hunger Games there are the districts, who eventually will stand up against the government (the Capitol). In the Maze Runner it's somewhat more simple because it's just about a bunch of boys being surrounded by a maze. But in the end of that movie you see that it's in a broken world as well, which we probably learn more about in the next movie (or just read the book). In Divergent there's 5 different factions, all with their own specialty, and of course, in the end it's about rebelling against the controlling government. It's an interesting and refreshing take on how people react towards different situations. 

I think the acting is pretty good in this movie, never seen Shailene Woodley before but I think she acted pretty good in this movie. Very cool character as well, love how she grew till that badass girl. Also loved the chemistry between her and actor Theo James. Great couple. It was also cool how Kate Winslet played the bad guy in this movie, suits her well. 

Perhaps the story is a bit silly, but if you look past that it's a pretty cool movie with lots of great action and touching drama. I really enjoyed the movie, I don't really get why most people have so many problems with it. Something what was also notable was the music, normally I'm absolutely not a fan of the type of music that Junkie XL (he's Dutch as well by the way) makes, but it fitted the movie perfectly. If you're a fan of movies such as The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner I certainly would give Divergent a chance. I definitely had fun watching it! 

Oh, and sorry for the non-horror related review :).

My rate: 7/10

The Maze Runner (2014)

The Maze Runner

IMDB rate: 7,4

Genre: Adventure, Post-Apocalyptic

Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Kaya Scodelario

This time not a horror review, but a review about a movie I saw in the cinema recently, The Maze Runner. I actually had no idea what this movie was about, I took a quick glimpse at the IMDB page but decided not to watch the trailer since often the trailer spoils everything awesome. I actually haven't read the book yet, but I'm definitely planning to, this mainly because I hope it clears up some confusing parts of the movie. At the moment there are 5 books, so I'm expecting that there will be just as many movies. I'm pretty interested in reading those books actually, since the movie was pretty interesting as well.

Here's what it's about:

Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies. A new boy arrives every 30 days. The original group has been in "The Glade" for two years, trying to find a way to escape through the Maze that surrounds their living space. They have begun to give up hope. Then a comatose girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change. There are some great, fast-paced action scenes, particularly those involving the nightmarish Grievers who plague the boys.

I thought it was a nice movie, I really enjoyed watching it even though there are quite a few flaws. First of all, the boys say they've been there for 2-3 years, but if only one boy arrives at The Glade once every 30 days, it would mean there are 38 boys tops. Since a lot of them died according to them, it would mean there should be even less people. Also, when Thomas walked into the maze, why not just wait at the gate? Even when that part of the maze would change, they could run away to the end of the path I would think. Instead they just walked around the entire night with the possible danger of encountering a Griever. 

These things are pretty questionable but I was able to not look into it too much, simply because I quite enjoyed the movie itself. The Glade itself is a pretty impressive looking place with big gray walls surrounding a green field, the maze itself is even more amazing looking because you can almost feel the closeness of it. The effects are made incredibly well and the action is quite good. The Grievers look awesome as fuck, making those maze scenes even more amazing. 

The cast young but excellent. Dylan O'Brien plays Thomas, and I was quite impressed with his acting. I knew that Dylan O'Brien plays in that werewolf show Teen Wolf, but I always thought it would be a terrible show so I never payed any attention to it. Because of my assumption I figured he wouldn't be the greatest actor either, but he was quite good. Side note: pretty attractive as well :). Thomas Brodie-Sangster plays a smaller role, but nevertheless quite amazing. I have never seen Love Actually, but I have seen him in Game of Thrones where he's amazing as well. I can go on forever, but the cast is pretty solid. It's young and more impressive than I expected them to be.

The thing that bothered me most was the ending, it was confusing and just seemed choppy. It's like there's still a big part missing from the storyline to make it all seem logical. I suspect that most of it is being saved for the sequel though. By the way, when the girl came up in the elevator, was I the only one that thought she would be in a massive group rape? Since they're all young teenage boys, stuck there for quite some time already... 

Even though the movie had a few flaws, I really enjoyed watching it. It's slightly comparable with The Hunger Games, which I love by the way. The Maze Runner is entertaining and definitely worth a watch. 

My rate: 7/10

Review: Los últimos días (The Last Days) (2013)

Los últimos días

IMDB rate: 6,0

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Thriller

The Last Days is hardly a horror movie, but it is an interesting post-apocalypse movie. In The Last Days there's suddenly an invisible virus going around that causes great fear at everyone on the planet to go outside. Basically it's an extreme form of agoraphobia. 

Beware, there are a few spoilers below.

A mysterious epidemic spreads across the planet. Humanity develops an irrational fear of open spaces that causes instant death. Soon, the world population is trapped inside buildings. As Barcelona descends into chaos, Marc sets off on a quest to find Julia, his missing girlfriend, without ever going outside.

Now with invisible viruses it's difficult to keep you're attention to a movie I think, especially with this movie since we've only witnessed one case that did go outside with his extreme agoraphobia. It's pretty much in the beginning of the movie and the guy was dragged outside. He was resisting so his adrenaline was very high, it wasn't too weird that he was actually scared to death. From this point on we never saw a mutual case again, at least not in the extreme form in which they died. 

The main character in this movie, Marc, only tried to go outside once and indeed he had trouble breathing. So for his mission he goes into the sewers to search for his girlfriend. And when he finds her, she's apparently across the street, where he can't reach her through the sewers. So he's forced outside, and while he has difficulties with breathing, eventually he makes it. Now I wonder what would happen if he would hold his breath and started to run? It's seems much easier. 

What I missed most in this movie were reasons behind all this. Why did all this happen? It started in Canada apparently, we know this from a video where a boy says that if that video would ever be released, it would happen to everyone. So it's some sort of spoken word virus? Is it in the air? I really have no idea where it came from and I think that's a shame. It would be very interesting to know more reasons behind the virus. 

It's not that the people are entirely afraid for the outside, because they can stand in open windows and in door openings. A better explanation would have been more satisfying.

The ending was a bit overdramatic, and in my opinion, a bit lame. While the movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where there are the predictable troubles it's actually a bit of a romantic movie. Sure, it has it's tensive moments, but not in a horror way. It wasn't scary in any way. 

It's an original movie, that's for sure. But the reasons behind it were too vague, better explanations would have been a huge improvement for this movie. The movie reminded me a bit of The Happening, since that's also something invisible. 

My personal rate: 6/10

Review: This Is the End (2013)

This Is the End

IMDB rate: 7,3

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Comedic

So I FINALLY got around watching This Is the End. I've wanted to see this movie as soon as the first trailer came out but unfortunately they did not play this movie in the Dutch cinemas, so I had to wait a bit longer. But now I finally saw it!

I loved it. I laughed my ass off. Seriously, this is the best cast a comedy movie can have. I haven't laughed this much while watching a movie in quite a long time, so for me it was brilliant. 

Perhaps I expected it a little bit different, but that doesn't make the movie bad or anything. I still loved it. 

Why am I writing about a comedy movie on a horror blog? Well, I have a good excuse for that. It's about the apocalypse and it contains some messed up shit. Which makes it an excellent Comedy Horror. The movie is definitely not scary, nor is it meant to be, but it does contain a few horror elements, which gives me a good reason to write about this movie.

All Jay Baruchel expected coming to LA was a fun time with Seth Rogen with all the wild partying to have both by themselves and at James Franco's housewarming party. Suddenly, the Rapture hits and the Biblical Apocalypse has begun. Now, Jay and Seth are desperately sheltering in James' house for rescue along with a few other friends. Together, they must band to attempt to survive the end of the world, only for Jay to find that they are all too dumb and superficial to do it until they discover the only way out.

As I already said, I think this was an amazing movie. What I loved most about it was the excellent cast. Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, James Franco and Craig Robinson in one movie? How can that ever be bad? What's even better is the minor appearances of great actors like Emma Watson, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Michael Cera and Channing Tatum. This movie was already awesome before I even saw it!
The only actor that I did not like in this movie was Danny McBride. To be honest, I dislike him in every movie, and unfortunately he plays quite a big part in this one. The persons that I would have liked to see more are definitely Paul Rudd or Jason Segel; they would have made a good replacement for Danny McBride.

I just read a few other reviews online about this movie and what I find weird is that almost everyone hated this movie. Personally, I loved it, as you might know by now. But I do understand that not everyone likes this type of humor. It's a lot of talking, and a lot of cursing; the moments were something actually happens are quite spare, but for me it wasn't something bad because those dialogues were hilarious.

Other things I liked in this movie were the paintings in the background. Most of them were made by James Franco himself, and while they are not totally amazing; they do have something cool to it. For example, at some point you see one painting where the word Freaks is written on, along with a few painted humans, next to that there's a painting with the word Geeks written on, and again with a few humans painted on it. Together this is obviously dedicated to the TV show 'Freaks and Geeks'. What I find amazing about this is that most of these actors in this movie became famous because of that show. Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, Martin Starr and James Franco were all main actors in this show. I personally loved this TV show a lot and I think it's amazing that they show some tribute to their career start.

One of my favorite scenes in this movie was of course 'The Exorcism of Jonah Hill'. I cried of laughing, it was absolutely brilliant and somehow Jonah Hill actually looks scary when he's possessed.
Another funny scene was the end scene.

The special effects are not too good looking in this movie, and while that might be bothering to some people, I did not find it irritating. I think it is a part of this movie which makes it so good. It's one of those cases where 'it looks so bad, it's good.'

By now you might have noticed my enthusiasm for this movie, so of course; I recommend watching this movie. It's brilliant, funny, amazing cast and it even contains some horror elements. What else do you want?
I just loved it.

My personal rate: 9/10

Review: The Divide (2011)

The Divide

IMDB rate: 5,8

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Survival

Today I broke my movie watch schedule to watch The Divide. I've watched the movie once and I was not sure what to think of it. It has some good moments but also some bad moments. Some parts of the movie are very slow and annoying, but it also has brutal and touching moments. It's a difficult movie to watch.

After a nuclear attack, seven dwellers of an apartment building seek refugee in a bunker in the basment of the building where the super, Mickey, lives. He rations water and supplies among the group formed by Eva and her boyfriend Sam; two guys Bobby and Josh and his brother Adrien; Marilyn and her daughter Wendi; and Delvin. When five invaders break into their shelter wearing protective clothing and breathing apparatuses, they abduct Wendi but the survivors succeed in killing two of the men. Josh wears the only clothing that was not damaged and discovers a strange research center where he find Wendi dead. He shoots at three men and returns to the shelter. Soon the group learns that the invaders have welded their acces door from outside and they are trapped inside the bunker. Marilyn and Sam get crazy and the tense situation and the lack of water and food brings friction among Mickey, Delvin, Bobby and Josh. When Delvin finds a panic room hidden in Mickey's room, they fight and Delvin is killed. Bobby and Josh subdue and torture Mickey to get the combination of the room and they discover that the place is a store of supplies. Now the two perverts control the situation and submit the other survivors to sick games and humiliations. 

I'm still not sure what to think of it. The movie is more annoying than good I think. The music is quite good, it fits the movie quite good and makes it very tensed. But there are also so many irritating parts, constant yelling and repeating of words. It makes the movie not only hard to follow but it also makes you lose interest. 

I'm not sure what to think of the acting. Milo Ventimiglia acted very well, but he plays a real asshole which makes you hate him. That might be a good sign because he played the asshole character very well. Another good actor was Micheal Eklund, who also plays one of the assholes. I really hated him in this movie, again because he played such an asshole. He played the fucked up role very well and when he was finally bald he looked creepy as hell. I think he reminded me of one of the creatures of I Am Legend. The main character Eva, played by Lauren German, was not too impressing. She was like a blank canvas the entire movie, I had not idea what to think of her. I know that I disliked her at the end of the movie because she abandoned her boyfriend. I liked her boyfriend Sam played by Ivan Gonzalez, he was very cute and innocent. I think he was my favorite character in the movie.

What I liked in this movie were the effects of isolation on people. They go insane, get horny, lose hair because of not enough vitamins. I think the movie got the right image of that. You really saw them decay. Also, in the beginning of the movie you saw that the people were fairly nice at each other, but sometimes showed a few nasty traits, in this movie you really see those nasty traits improve. It's done very well.The movie is not really a horror movie, I think it's better described as a drama/thriller. The movie is very brutal because it shows human nature. 

Unfortunately you never know what the cause is of this disaster, you don't know what experiments the people were doing and you don't know why they kidnapped the girl. The movie leaves a lot of questions behind. I think the moviemakers did that on purpose to really show human nature instead the story behind the disaster.

It's really hard for me to decide what was more important; the annoying yelling/screaming/talking or the very well shown truth of human nature. As I mentioned, the movie has good sides and bad sides. The location of the movie is very claustrophobic since it's only a basement. It's annoying that you don't know the reasons behind everything, but I most confess that after a while of watching you don't really notice that anymore. The music in the movie is excellent en gives me goosebumps because it's at exactly the good time. The acting is decent.

I don't think everyone will like this movie. Also it's not a real horror movie, even though it shows some brutal images.

My personal rate: 6,5/10

Review: The Walking Dead [Season 3]

The Walking Dead

Season 3

IMDB rate: 8,7

Genre: Zombie, Tv Show, Post-Apocalyptic 

It took a bit longer, but I finally finished season 3 of The Walking Dead. It's entirely different from the previous two seasons, and while this season wasn't bad, it's my least favorite one. 

Season 3 has 16 episodes. That's 3 more than the previous season and even 10 more than the first season. Although it should be a good thing that there were more episodes, it was absolutely not necessary. While most of the episodes were brilliant and fascinating, some were incredibly boring and unnecessary. Like I already mentioned in my review about season 2, I see season 1 as an introduction to most of the cast and the zombie world. Season 2 was more a follow up story, which was a really good season, but it couldn't top season 1. Season 3 is also a follow up story on a different location and one thing is certain, it contains a lot more action than the previous two seasons. The first two seasons showed that zombies were dangerous, which is kinda logical, but season 3 shows that humans can be bastards too. It shows that you can't trust anyone anymore in this world, and it makes you even more careful who you let join your group.

In season 2 most of the kills were because of zombies, but in season 3 most of the kills are probably because of other people. In this season you get your main cast and you can only hope they will survive through season 4.

Season 3 is already 6/7 months later since they've left the farm, they traveled from house to house but couldn't find a safe place to stay. the group finds a prison which is overrun by the zombies. However, they managed to kill most of them and clear most of the cellblocks which makes a safe shelter for them to stay. Lori is incredibly pregnant so they really need to stay somewhere where it's safe. This is the story revolving around the main group. However, you also saw that amazing end image of a dark tall character who carried two walkers with her at season two, right? She is the one that saved Andrea and in all those months she hasn't found her friends yet and travels along with her, Michonne. They eventually manage to end up in Woodbury. Woodbury is the sort of safe haven that everybody's looking for, it has food, medical supplies, guns and it has huge walls around it, it was founded by a person named the Governor but eventually not everything seems to be right here. Season 3 really revolves around Woodbury, Andrea and the Governor vs. the main group in the prison.

You also see two familiar faces in season 3. One is Merle, with one hand. Still a bastard but when you eventually get to know him better, you start appreciating him more. Another familiar face is Morgan Jones. He is the guy who saved Rick in the very first episode and who helped him getting to know the zombie world. You immediately hope he will get with them to the prison but unfortunately he lost his mind a bit.

I said I wouldn't discuss every episode but it seems rather tempting, so I guess I eventually will. I'm afraid there will be spoilers in it, I'm trying to avoid them but in some cases it's impossible, so if you haven't seen these episodes yet, don't read any further ;).

!MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!

Season 3, episode 1: Seed

The winter has ended and it's already a few months later than were season 2 ended. Lori is very pregnant and they've found a prison to stay in. This prison was overrun with zombies but they managed to kill most of them, this provides a good place to stay and this is also were most of season 3 plays off. While they're trying to clean most of the prison, Hershel get's bit. Rick cuts of his leg immediately but by this point you won't know if he survives or not. They also find 5 prisoners alive in the cafeteria. It was a good start for the season, and a lot immediately happened but that isn't a bad thing because you immediately get curious about the next coming episodes.

Season 3, episode 2: Sick

Rick clears another cell block for the prisoners because he doesn't trust them with his group. There are two guys who seem kinda nice but the other three are bastards who don't want to give up their prison. They come in an argument but luckily Rick got rid of the two bastards really quick. This was really good because you were already a bit afraid that this will go on for a few episodes, but luckily it didn't. You also find out if Hershel survives or not. It was an interesting episode because there were some new people in it, also there was a lot of tension about Hershel's condition, because this is the first time you see that the bitten part is getting amputated, so you won't know if it will work or not.

Season 3, episode 3: Walk With Me

This episode is all about Andrea and Michonne, they see a helicopter crash and when they're looking at it they find Merle. Merle was in Woodbury all this time and is very appreciated by the Governor here. It immediately seems too good to be true, and luckily Michonne immediately notices this. Andrea unfortunately doesn't. This episode is mainly an introduction to Woodbury, Andrea, the Governor and Michonne. While it's not that interesting, it's what most of the season is about so it's kinda necessary to watch this. 

Season 3, episode 4: Killer Within

Someone sets of the prison alarm which attracts a lot of zombies. It appears that one of the prisoners was still alive and did this. Another thing that happens is Lori who is getting into labour. There is also a really good thing that happens in this episode where you will be incredibly thankful for I think. Also some bad things of course happen. Not much interesting happens in this episode, the prison alarms going off seems to be more a thing to fill the time with or something to get rid of a few characters, but there are happening things in this episode that needed to happen eventually.

Season 3, episode 5: Say the Word
In this episode there is not much happening in the main group, so most of the episode plays in Woodbury. One of the secrets of the Governor is being revealed, that he enjoys violence a bit too much. Also Michonne finds walkers that are being held and she kills them. They're supposed to be for research, but you never see anything back about that. Michonne leaves and Andrea stays at Woodbury. This is one of those useless episodes, they could have easily fitted a short summary of this all into one of the other episodes, but making a whole episode about everything that happened here seemed rather pointless.

Season 3, episode 6: Hounded
You get a bit sick of Rick in this season, he's really turned into himself and does not lead the group anymore, also when he tries he only makes things worse, especially for the next few episodes. This is one of those episodes that seem to revolve all around Rick, which is kinda stupid, since nothing interesting happens with him. The good thing that does happen is Daryl who find somebody back which they thought was dead. One thing I don't understand is that how they even came to the conclusion that this person was dead since there never even was a body... Also, Glenn and Maggie run into Merle who wants to know where Daryl is. They obviously don't trust Merle and don't tell that they're staying at the prison. So, Merle takes them with him to Woodbury (not very kindly). Luckily, Michonne heard them talk before and saw what happened, so she went to the prison to tell what happened. This episode was rather good, if you ignore the Rick parts, it contained some action, and it also let Merle know that his brother was still alive, also Michonne get's to know the group.

Season 3, episode 7: When the Dead Come Knocking
Nobody wants to let Michonne stay which is kinda stupid because she is very useful and just as badass as Daryl. But they do believe her and so she takes them to Woodbury. In Woodbury, Merle is forcefully interrogating Glenn, who doesn't tell anything. The governor is interrogating Maggie and forces her to get naked. Eventually nothing happens but they do find out unfortunately where the group is hiding. Another one of those useless episodes, a story like this doesn't need a complete episode. The thing they used for filling up their time was Andrea who helped with some experiment. Experiment failed and you never hear anything of it again, very useful.

Season 3, episode 8: Made to Suffer
Some of the group are going to Woodbury to save Glenn and Maggie. There's a lot of shooting going on and Daryl gets reunited with Merle. Michonne wants to take revenge on the governor and goes to his apartment, here she finds his zombie daughter and she kills her. She also finds all sorts of zombie and human heads that he kept as trophies. At this point you realize the governor is absolutely not what he seems like. A lot of other things already happened, but this episode just proves it. There's an epic battle between them and the governor looses his eye. Michonne couldn't kill him and runs away with the rest. Unfortunately, Daryl is trapped with Merle in Woodbury. I thought this episode was rather good. A lot of action is going on and the story never got boring. The ending is especially amazing because it makes you want to watch the next episode immediately.

Season 3, episode 9: The Suicide King
The group saves Merle and Daryl, and Rick is being an asshole. Some other people are introduces to the show and they're at the prison, Rick doesn't want them to stay (while they are very useful) so they need to leave again, and come to Woodbury. That's actually all that happens in this episode, so as you can imagine, it was not as amazing as I hoped it would be. It was a really rushed episode, while that was not necessary.

Season 3, episode 10: Home
Another annoying Rick episode. Everybody questions his leader abilities and that's not so weird since he's being a real dick. Daryl and Merle left the group unfortunately and they're traveling alone again. This is because nobody likes Merle because of what he has done to Glenn and many other people. Daryl actually wants to stay but goes with him because he's his brother. They help a family survive but Merle is being a dick again and Daryl is forced to point his crossbow at his face to help and save the family. You really see that Daryl and Merle are two completely different people in this episode, it makes you appreciate Daryl even more. Luckily, they both come back to the group again. Also, the prison gets attacked by Woodbury, and someone that you slowly started to like died. While it was a sad moment, it was also very awesome because I did not expect that at all. This episode was very interesting. It did say a lot about Daryl and Merle, and their connection together. They're both interesting characters and I was sad they left the group, so you can imagine how glad I was they came back again. Daryl is absolutely my favorite character and this episode makes me love him even more.

Season 3, episode 11: I Ain't a Judas
Woodbury wants to attack the prison, so Andrea escapes and goes to the prison to prepare them. She is not very welcome but tries to make a settlement between the two sides. Not much of an interesting story, it was nice seeing Andrea and the group reunited again but that did not last at all, so it was kinda boring.

Season 3, episode 12: Clear
Rick, Carl and Michonne are going back to the roots of season 1! They're going to Rick's hometown to search for some weapons and they ran into Morgan Jones. He is not very clear anymore which is kinda sad. Also, Carl and Michonne are working together to find a picture of Rick's family. While the action was kinda low in this episode, it was a very interesting episode. You finally see some bounding between Michonne and the rest and she finally can stay. You also finally find out what happened with Morgan and his son, it's sad that he didn't came with them but it was understandable.

Season 3, episode 13: Arrow on the Doorpost
The governor and Rick meet at a neutral point. The governor said they want Michonne and he will leave them alone. Of course, even when they have Michonne they will not leave him alone. This episode is all about the negotiation and it's such a boring episode. It was very predictable and not fun at all. After this episode I almost stopped watching it I wasn't curious about what will happen next. Seriously, a negotiation does not take a whole episode.

Season 3, episode 14: Prey
Another boring episode. Andrea finds out that the governor wants Michonne and does not leave them alone after that. So Andrea escapes and the governor goes after her. This is going on for the entire episode and just when she reaches the prison, he catches her. How predictable. They should have never made this episode. It was the most useless episode ever.

Season 3, episode 15: This Sorrowful Life
Rick decides not to bring Michonne to the governor, but Merle kidnaps her and wants to bring her anyway. Daryl goes after him. There's much talking between Michonne and Merle and you learn that Merle isn't such a badass as he seems to be. Eventually, Merle let's Michonne go and Merle himself goes to a nearby town to drink. Eventually, Merle is much appreciated because he goes to the meeting point and kills many of the governors men. Unfortunately the governor sees Merle and attacks him. What happen after this is kinda sad, but also one of the best scenes of all the episodes of The Walking Dead.

Season 3, episode 16: Welcome to the Tombs
The governor leaves to attack the prison, at this point you have no idea what the group did. If they left, or if they stayed, you don't know. Anyway, suddenly a lot happens, very quickly. It appears they stayed to defend and they managed to scare away all the people. The governor is absolutely not happy with his people, because they just ran off so he just kills everybody. Luckily, one woman survived and was able to tell Rick and his people what he did. The group goes to Woodbury to kill the governor who is not there but they do save all the people there and take them back with them to the prison. Some people died this episode which was kinda sad, also it was a very nice moment when they took all the people back with them to the prison. They were absolutely no fighters, so it was a nice ending. The sad thing is the governor is still alive so this story will continue in season 4, it's also sad that they're still at the prison because a change of location would be fun. Anyway, it was a nice ending for the season, not what I've expected, but still good enough.

I can't wait till season 4 comes out. I'm so curious about what will happen with Woodbury, how all the new people are and how the battle with the governor will end. It's a good thing everybody knows how he really is, because it provides many new fighters.

My favorite character is still Daryl and I think Michonne is pretty badass too. I hope we'll see even more of them in the next season. Also, I hope there will be a small story of a cure or about how the zombie apocalypse started and became this big. Maybe there is a good place somewhere where there's plenty of food and such. So many options! Can't wait till october!

My personal rate: 9,5

Review: The Walking Dead [Season 2]

The Walking Dead

Season 2

IMDB rate: 8,7

Genre: Tv Show, Zombie, Post-Apocalyptic 

So my last review was about season 1 of The Walking Dead, I already mentioned that I was dying to watch season 2 and well, I finally finished watching it! This will be a much shorter review since I already mentioned a lot in my previous review. 

Season 2 is a lot different from season 1, not only has in much more episodes (13, while season 1 only had 6 episodes), it also approaches everything from a different view. I see season 1 as a sort of introduction to the cast and this 'zombie' world. In season 1 many people died in the big group, and the people that stayed alive, also stayed alive during most of season 2. In season 1 you learn a bit about everything and everyone, but in season 2 it all goes a lot deeper. You really get to know everyone. The badass seems to have a sweet side, while the good guy becomes a self-centered asshole. You already made up your mind about everyone in season 1, but while watching season 2 you'll see that not everybody was who he or she looked like. 

Season 2 is really about the story and how everybody goes on. I must admit, some episodes were a teeny tiny bit boring, but it's still a really good show. Not the entire episode was boring, but just small parts where there was a lot of random nonsense talking going on.

In season 2 a lot goes wrong, and a lot will change. Don't expect anything like what you saw in season 1, because season 2 is really different. Carl gets hurt and they will have to move to a farm where a family takes care of Carl. Also, Sophia is missing and they have to search everyday in the forest to find her. Some people will not survive but there will also be a lot of new people introduced that will stay for a while. 

There were 13 episodes in this season, that's still not a lot so I think it's fun to go through them all. I'm sorry but this review will contain a few spoilers, since a lot happened, and I just have to discuss them ;).

!CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Season 2, episode 1: What Lies Ahead

The story starts where the last episode of season 1 left off. They're at the highway and while they're searching for stuff they can use, an enormous group of zombies suddenly shows up. They hide but Sophia got scared and runs off. You see, this was a really nice episode. But if such a huge group of zombies passes by, will you really show up immediately after the last zombie has passed? I think it would be a lot smarter to wait a few minutes, there are always zombies that were lazy in their previous life, and don't expect them to be as fast as the rest, right? Well, they didn't think that way unfortunately, and so she has to run off. Nothing was wrong, because Rick found her and told her to hide while he would kill them. But that stupid little girl is too inpatient to wait for maybe 5-10 minutes and runs off immediately again (while no zombies where around). Well, from that moments, Sophia was lost. It's fair to say that she's the biggest cause for everything that happened after that. Rick, Shane and Carl searched for Sophia, but then Carl got hurt. 

Season 2, episode 2: Bloodletting

It was very sad how Carl got hurt, the world is full with brain eating zombies, and you get shot by a hunter.. a bit ironic in my opinion. Luckily, the people they ended up to be with, has a doctor in house so after everything, Carl will be better again. It would be kinda sad for Rick if his son would have died, since he already has a bitch wife and he's also a bit the leader of the group, which means that he has a lot of responsibility. 

Season 2, episode 3: Save the Last One

In this episode you get to know Shane a bit better. And with a bit better, I mean that you'll mainly learn what a bastard he is. I think at this point it all goes wrong with Shane, because of what happened. He always was a bit of a bastard, but from this episode you can almost see him grow insane. It's an interesting twist in the story, but sometimes you get really annoyed because of it.

Season 2, episode 4: Cherokee Rose

In this episode almost nothing interesting happens. The group still searches for Sophia, and Carl is healing from his wound. The only thing that happens is that you see Daryl and Carol growing a bit closer. Personally, I think this was the least interesting episode. It's a bit an episode for filling some of the gaps in the story.

Season 2, episode 5: Chupacabra

This episode is kinda sad, it's mainly about Daryl and while he is out in the woods alone to search for Sophia, he falls from a cliff and gets injured. He started to see Merle everywhere, which still hasn't been found yet. Merle says that he is weak and that he is the misfit of the group. Daryl starts believing this and from this point he will be even more a loner than he already was. When Daryl finally arrives back at the farm, Andrea thinks he's a zombie and shoots him. Luckily, she did not really hurt him. What I disliked about this episode was Andrea, not only was she annoying, she also started to be a bigger part in the group. It was not even that bad, but when she learned to shoot, she suddenly thinks she's everything. And, because she didn't listen to anyone who told her not to shoot, she hit Daryl. I found it also a bit sad that Daryl separated a bit from the group, because this mainly means that he gets less screen time. 

Season 2, episode 6: Secrets

Glenn finds out that there are walkers hidden in the barn by the family they stay with. These walkers are all family members that got bitten, and because Herschel thinks they will be cured, he keeps and feeds them. I already figured something like this will happen eventually, and while it's not even that strange that he thinks that way, it is dangerous for everybody. Another thing that happens in this episode is that Lori finds out she's pregnant. And, of course, she does not know if the father is Shane or Rick. Really, somebody must shoot that stupid woman. She messes up the whole show, and is the main cause that Rick and Shane aren't really friends anymore. Who would want to keep a baby in a world like that anyway? 

Season 2, episode 7: Pretty Much Dead Already

I think this episode is my favorite one of this season. Glenn finally tells that the family keeps zombies in their barn and a few days later Shane loses his patient and opens the barn to shoot off all the zombies in there. Herschel and his family are broken because of this, but do very little to stop it. Herschel finally realizes that they are not human anymore when Shane shoots a zombie three times in the stomach, heart and throat. Because the zombie doesn't die Herschel sees that he was foolish to believe that they were still human somewhere inside them. The group starts shooting all these zombies one by one and they think they're finished. But after a few minutes, a little zombie girl came out of the barn: Sophia. Nobody was man enough to shoot her at first, which is kinda logical. Eventually Rick steps towards her and shoots her in the head. The reason why I liked this episode is because there are so many emotions in it. The moment that Herschel and his family breaks down because their family (who were already dead in some way) was being killed was really nice. Not because they were sad but it was because of everything, the music, the acting, the camera work, everything. This moments gets even better when the little girl Sophia shows up as a zombie. You see everybody stand still for a few seconds, and you see them think: She was here all the time? But then somebody has to man up and shoot her, just like they did with the rest, and well, it was amazing. Every single shot. Also, zombie Sophia was really sad to see. You never really get to know her through the show, but a kid as a zombie is even worse than a adult I guess, especially when you knew her. Another small but good thing was that Carol did not break down, of course she broke down a bit, but it was not that she was sad for a few episodes like I expected. Again, The Walking Dead does something that we did not expect, which is a real good thing!

Season 2, episode 8 and 9: Nebraska & Triggerfinger

Herschel disappears and Rick and Glenn need to find him. They eventually find him in a bar, drinking alcohol (what he never does). Suddenly two strangers show up and start talking to Rick, Glenn and Herschel. Suddenly it's getting a bit tensed because the strangers want to go with them, something the group doesn't want. They pull out their gun but Rick was first and shoot them both. Eventually a few other men show up, you never get to see them, but you kinda hear that they do not have good intentions. They start shooting at each other, but eventually Rick, Glenn and Herschel scared them away. The 'gang' left behind an injured young boy, who fell with his leg on a pointy fence. The group decides to take him with them and interrogate about the 'gang'. The boy said that they were strong and had a lot of guns and raped some woman, at this point they realize they shouldn't get the boy back. This goes on for a few episodes, they want to shoot the boy, then they want to take him away, it got a bit boring after a while. 

Season 2, episode 10: 18 Miles Out

Rick and Shane bring the boy away from the camp, and decide to drop him there. At this point Shane and Rick start to fight and well, everything goes wrong. I never really understood what the whole purpose of the boy was. He was of an 'enemy' camp, but they never really got threatened by them. Also, they all think the boy is dead, so why not kill him yourself? Even if you bring him very far away, he can still find his way back. Or, when he is all alone, searching for something, without weapons, he can't defend himself against zombies, so he's dead already. My main point is, he never really had any purpose, because the enemy camp that they were talking about is never shown in this season, so it's kinda pointless in my opinion. Eventually, Rick, Shane and the boy survived the zombie wave, and take the boy back to their camp, again.

Season 2, episode 11: Judge, Jury, Executioner 
Another episode about the boy... we get it, just kill him already. Well, that was the plan for this episode, but suddenly Carl shows up and Rick doesn't want to kill him anymore. Why? No idea. Carl suddenly changed a lot the last few episodes, he really became an annoying adolescent. In the coming few episodes he will almost never listen, shoot people and offense other people. Of course he's growing up, but he really messes some stuff up. Such a shame.

Season 2, episode 12: Better Angels
This episode is the proof that Shane is an asshole. He released the boy Randall, and comes back with some bullshit story. Luckily, our hero Daryl immediately figures it out. This episode was actually kinda good, because of many reasons that I can't tell, because I will spoil everything ;).

Season 2, episode 13: Beside the Dying Fire
It was nice that the group could stay at a farm but I'm also glad that they finally changed to another location. At some point it got a bit standard because there were hardly walkers around the farm. Also, there is a really cool shot at the end of the show, which makes you dying to see season 3! It was an excellent ending for the show.

I don't think I will talk about each episode in season 3, because there are 16 episodes. A bit too much. I immediately started watching season 3 after finishing season 2, and it's so addictive. I've seen 8 episodes now and I can't wait till I see the rest. 

My favorite character is absolutely Daryl Dixon, which isn't such a surprise. He always seemed like a badass in season 1, and he is, but in season 2 you learn that he also haves a soft side. This side will be even more shown in season 3. I love that his part is getting a bit bigger, because the more Daryl, the better. 

I think a review of season 3 will be up this weekend. At least, I hope I saw all episodes by then ;). 

My personal rate: 9,5

Review: The Happening (2008)

The Happening

IMDB rate: 5,1

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic 

I remember seeing this movie a few years ago, and I remember that I thought this was a reasonable movie. Sure it's a strange concept, but I liked it somehow. Yesterday I decided to watch the movie again, and I'm really wondering why I thought this was a reasonable movie back then?!

Seriously, the concept is cool, but that's about it I guess.

I usually enjoy movies made by M. Night Shyamalan. Movies like the Sixth Sense and The Village were certainly good movies. But seeing this movie.. what a waste of money. M. Night Shyamalan is well known for his plot-twists, and while I kept waiting and waiting, there never came a plot twist. Maybe that a nice plot twist could have saved this movie, but unfortunately there wasn't any. 

Elliot Moore is a high school science teacher who quizzes his class one day about an article in the New York Times. It's about the sudden, mysterious disappearance of bees. Yet again nature is doing something inexplicable, and whatever science has to say about it will be, in the end, only a theory. Scientists will bring out more theories, but not explanations, when a more urgent dilemma hits the planet. It begins in Central Park. Suddenly and inexplicably, the behavior of everyone in the park changes in a most bizarre and horrible way. Soon, the strange behavior spreads throughout the city and beyond. Elliot, his wife Alma and Jess, the young daughter of a fried, will only have theories to guide them where to run and where to hide. But theories may now be enough.

Like I already mentioned, the concept of this movie is good. It could have been a very interesting movie. However, some thing are very irritating. For example, the acting. 

The main characters are played by Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel. I've always enjoyed them in others movie and I think they are very good actors. I loved Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter and Four brothers. The same is with Zooey Deschanel, she was very good in Almost Famous and 500 Days of Summer. But, in this movie... well, the acting was terrible. There was absolutely no chemistry between the two of them, and I know that was the point in the beginning of the movie, but in the end, it was not the point of their relationship, because they were supposed to be close again. 

Other characters were also played by very annoying actors, like Mrs. Jones (played by Betty Buckley), why was she suddenly so angry? And why, did she play that so terrible? It seemed like she was playing in a Broadway musical (surprisingly, she did play in Broadway musicals), because it was so overdone. I've seen a small part of the extra features on the disc, and according to the entire cast, the part with Mrs. Jones was supposed to feel like we were watching an entirely new movie. I only felt like I watched the same movie that got instantly worse. 

The dialogues of this movie were also terrible, they said such stupid things, that had absolutely nothing to do with was happening at the moment. Some people come walking into this movie, say some weird unbelievable shit, and suddenly 'disappear' again. 

When you finally find out why everything is happening the movie only gets worse, because nothing makes sense anymore. There were so many things that did not fit with what was supposed to be the reason behind all of it.

There were also many useless things in this movie. For example, they constantly bring up the mood ring, and you start thinking, maybe it has a special purpose for the ending! Well, it didn't. At least, nobody explained it. I searched for it on the internet and what they supposed to tell with the mood ring, is that the ring never gives the color of being afraid, so the nature doesn't feel threatened by them. First of all, if everybody starts doing this, you don't get scared? Not even the little girl? And second, nobody ever tells what color the ring was supposed to be when being afraid...

Another useless moment was Alma's stalker, Joey. What purpose did he give the movie by calling Alma all the time. 

And, my favorite moment, the two rooms far away from each other, but where you still can hear each other just like you're sitting next to each other. What was it's use? Sure, it's a nice attribute for the movie, but why was it brought up like it was something important, when it eventually didn't have any use at all.

I absolutely can't recommend this movie. The acting was terrible, the dialogues were laughable, the music was terrible and gave absolutely not any more value to this movie. The concept and the storyline is acceptable, but it was put in the whole wrong context, with the wrong people and by the wrong people. It's not even somehow a horror movie to be honest.

My personal rate: 4/10

Review: Stake Land (2010)

Stake Land

IMDB rate: 6,6
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Vampire

So last weekend I saw the movie Stake Land, and I was not really sure what to expect from it. I linked it a bit to Zombieland (because of the name) but with vampires. This is not what Stake Land is about. Stake Land is about vampires, yes, but it's nothing like Zombieland. Nor does it need to be. 

I was not really sure what I thought of this movie, after finish watching it. I think I liked it, but there were also some small points that I didn't like. 

I don't think this movie should be considered a horror, because it didn't seem mend to be scary or anything like that. It was more something like a good thriller, but with vampires. The vampires where a bit of a side story in this movie. The story seems to be going more about growing up, and being able to defend yourself for the world outside. 

This movie is a bit of a mix between I am Legend, The Mist and The Road. There are cannibals, vampires (not of the sparkly kind), and religious cults popping up after the 'apocalypse'. Nothing is explained about how everything happened, nor does it need to be explained, because watching the movie is satisfying enough. The acting is good, the story is different than a regular horror/thriller story, the music is exactly right and the camera shots are also well taken. 

Stake Land is about Martin who was a normal teenage boy before the country collapsed in a empty pit of economical and political disaster. A vampire epidemic has swept across what is left of the nation's abandoned towns and cities, and it's up to Mister, a vampire hunter, to get Martin safely north to Canada, the continent New Eden.

What I disliked about this movie were the vampires, they seemed a lot like zombies, only they are still sleeping during daytime and are still killed with a stake. This is not really bothering though, but the main reason why I disliked them was the make-up. It reminded me of the vampires from Buffy the vampire slayer. They looked a bit odd too, especially when you start watching the show again. 

When I started watching this movie, I thought the movie had skipped a part, because the action starts immediately. Eventually it appeared that it didn't skip any part, it's just the way the movie goes. Also, the ending was a bit unsatisfying, because no information was given about what happened at the end, but it was also a bit the mystery that fitted the story. It's really a 'you decide what happens' ending.

Overall, this is a good movie. Don't expect any real horror, because then you will be disappointed. It's more a drama thriller, with some horror effects. There is some blood yes, but it's nothing close to a gore movie. If you liked the movie 'The Road', then I'm quite sure you'll like this movie too, because they're quite similar (in my opinion).

My personal rate: 7,5/10