Review: Saw (2004)

Saw

IMDB rate: 7,7

Genre: Survival, Serial Killer

Yesterday I decided to finally watch the first Saw movie again. I was planning on watching all of them this week, but I'm not sure if that's such a smart idea since the movies are terrible after the third one. So that's why I take it easy and just watch one when I want. Maybe that I watch the second one this evening, or tomorrow or something. Anyway, there will be a review of all the saw movies in a while.

This is by far the best Saw movie, at this point it's even more a thriller rather than a horror movie. The movie is brilliant and it was quite refreshing at that time. Unfortunately, it was too much of a success and then there were the six sequels...

The first two sequels were not even that bad, they were completely different, and it seemed to go the torture way rather than the survival way, but after that... the whole story is messed up, every part brings something new in it that interfere with everything that happened in the previous parts. I don't even know which parts I've seen after the third part, mainly because they were all the same and all very confusing. I will find out when I finished watching them all, but I guess the last movies will be a drag to watch.

Two men, Dr. Laurence Gordon and Adam, wake up at opposite sides of a dirty, disused bathroom, chained by their ankles to pipes. Between them lies a dead man loosely clutching a hand-held tape player and a handgun. Each finds a tape the perfect fit for the player in their back pocket. They play the tapes. One is threatened, the other isn't. But they have a task: One must kill the other by 6:00, or the wife and daughter of Dr. Gordon will die. They find hacksaws in a toilet, and try to cut the chains, but it doesn't work. They are the two newest victims of the Jigsaw Killer. In a flashback, we learn of Amanda, a girl who falls victim to the Jigsaw Killer. On her head is a mask, which is hooked into her lower jaw. There is a timer on it. Only one key will unlock it, and that key is in the digestive tract of her cell mate who lies paralyzed on the opposite side of the room. If she doesn't unlock the mask in time, her lower jaw will be ripped wide open. She survives, but her cell mate doesn't. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn of more victims, and of the nearly-succesful capture of the Jigsaw Killer, who doesn't actually kill his victims. Instead he finds ways to make them kill either themselves, or each other, and he thinks the entire 'game' out perfectly, with no way out. Or so it would seem.

This movie is absolutely brilliant. The actual story is only setting of in a bathroom, the rest you see is a flashback. There are also some short scenes where you see the kidnapper of Dr. Gordon's wife and daughter and you see what he does to them, but the main story is mainly in the bathroom. It's kinda awesome that you can make a movie that simple, and yet so good.

While the other Saw movies are mainly focusing on the torture, this movie has a really good build up story. It has many dialogue and actually there is not much happening until the very last few minutes. The scene where Dr. Gordon was forced to amputate his leg was simply brutal. It looked so real and he acted it so well. Adam's reaction to this was priceless. Unfortunately, a scene this good will never be reached again in any of the Saw movies. It's a shame they've kept trying it for so long, because it's impossible to out top this masterpiece.

This movie is not a typical scary movie. It has some gore and such in it, but it's not evolving around that. It has a few scary scenes in it though. For example, the scene where the kidnapper is crawling behind the car with the pig mask on, that image was more scary than everything else that will happen in this movie or the following Saw movies. A good jump scare was when Adam was bringing light in his room with the flash of his camera, and when the pig face mask suddenly showed up. Seriously, I don't scare easily, but when I saw this scene for the first time, my heart had jumped up so much that it felt like it was floating around in my head. 

The acting in this movie is very good. The most familiar actor is of course Danny Glover, and his part was not even the biggest in this movie. Nor does it need to be of course, since all the other actors were brilliant themselves as well. The only bothering actress was the little girl. She reminded me a lot of Dakota Fanning in War of the Worlds, that scene where she kept screaming. Well, the little girl in this movie didn't scream or anything, but she kept repeating herself, which was kinda annoying. 

The music in this movie fits it so well. It has that scary but mysterious tone to it. It became the typical Saw music, but in my opinion it does not fit the other movies that well, because there is not much mystery going on it.

I really recommend watching this movie, if you haven't seen it yet. But please don't bother watching the next ones if you thought this was 'too much' already. The first Saw movie is kinda comparable with Untraceable and Se7en. So if you like a good thriller, this movie is perfect. 

My personal rate: 8

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: Game of Thrones [Season 1]

Game of Thrones

Season 1

IMDB rate: 9,4

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Tv Show

Sorry, again not really horror related. I noticed that I started watching a lot more tv shows the last couple of months. Nothing wrong with that of course, because that way I always have something new to watch. Anyway, you've all heard of Game of Thrones. I've watch all the episodes already until season 2, but I thought it would be fun to watch it all again. I now finally finished season 1 so I thought it would be a nice idea to write a short review about it. 

I find it sometimes very confusing to watch Game of Thrones, the names are all very difficult and confusing and there is always happening so many things in every episode. And, almost every episode someone new comes in, but an regular character will probably die. It's confusing because they still keep using the names of people who died and well, after hearing so many names it sometimes becomes very difficult to remember who that person was again. Anyway, this can be bothering sometimes but that does not really mind since it's still an amazing show.

I learned one thing about this show, and that is that you can't start liking anyone, because that person will die. A lot of people actually die in this show, unfortunately more good than bad people. Luckily, after watching enough of Game of Thrones you'll get used to it.

The two episodes I liked best were the first, 9th and last episode of this season. The first episode mainly because it made you curious about what will happen in the next few episodes. It was set up perfectly and I can imagine that making Game of Thrones is quite expensive. The scenery is beautiful, the costumes are amazing and there is really not one thing that I don't like about it. The 9th episode was also amazing because it really showed how unmerciful everybody is. The last episode was amazing mainly because of the last scene.

My favorite characters are Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Arya Stark and Bran Stark. They're all played by amazing actors and I really hope they will make it to the end of the show. There are also many other characters that are played by amazing actors, like the Lannister family or the rest of the Starks. It's just too much to name them all, but there has not yet been one person that was annoying with acting. Of course there if Joffrey who is a real pain in the ass, but he does play his character very well. I even hate his character in Batman Begins now because of his well acted bastard role. 

I always thought I would never like Game of Thrones because it's an action show, but when I finally gave in I loved it. I immediately completed watching season 1 that week and season 2 followed up kinda fast. It was actually the same story as with The Walking Dead, I thought I wouldn't like it, and eventually you get incredibly addicted to the show. They're absolutely my two favorite shows at the moment.

I wouldn't recommend this show if you're not very patient, since everything is going kinda slow. A lot of talking and sometimes some big sword fights. Also, a lot of people will die because of the biggest bastards alive, so if you can't handle letting go of people, don't watch ;). But if you're into fantasy, action and adventure, and like a long but good story, then this show is perfect for you. It's certainly not for everybody, but I also underestimated it and I was proved wrong, so maybe you'll just have to give it a chance.

My personal rate: 9,5

Short (non-horror) review: Oz the Great and Powerful

Oz the Great and Powerful

IMDB rate: 6,8

Genre: Fantasy

So yesterday I finally saw Oz the Great and Powerful. I really was looking forward to it because I usually enjoy fantasy movies a lot. There were good actors in this movie, it was directed by Sam Raimi and it had a reasonably high rate, so I figured, it must be a good movie. However, I did not like it. It was not a bad movie, but I expected so much more from it, and it was so disappointing eventually. 

Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz. At first he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the talking. That all changes when he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and it's inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity- and even a bit of wizardry - Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

So as you might notice, there are pretty big names in this movie. I normally love James Franco in every movie, he just has that boyish charm and he's quite a good actor. I loved him in almost every movie he played in. However, in this movie he was a just plain boring. He's definitely using that boyish charm of him, but for some reason, it did not work. His acting was a bit fake and it seemed more like he played in a musical instead of a movie. I thought the same of Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz, they're both real good actresses, but I think this movie just did not suit them. I did enjoy Michelle Williams though, I must admit that I don't know her very well, but she acted very well. The dialogues were bad though.

Another thing that I hated was the incredible overuse of green screen. It was so obvious and so bad. I think 99% of this movie was shot in front of a green screen. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it all looked very fake. I know that Oz is supposed to be a magical and beautiful land but you don't have to accentuate it that much. But it was not only the green screen that was accentuated too much, it was almost everything. The acting was too much, the story was too much and the animations were also too much. If they just made this movie a lot more mild it would have been so much better.

Things that I did like was Zach Braff's character. While it was only his voice, you could almost recognize him in everything. His personage reminded me a lot of Donkey from Shrek. I love Donkey so that's a good thing. Another thing that I liked was the switch they made from a small black and white screen to a normal colorful screen. There was also a nice combined story line. For example, at the beginning, in the real world, you see a girl that can't walk and who Oscar can't help, and in Oz Oscar finds a China Doll with broken legs and he can fix her legs. Or the assistant (Zach Braff) that was ignored the whole time by Oscar in the real world, and the same sort character shows up in Oz and they do become friends eventually. It was a nice touch the story, but unfortunately, that was one of the few.

I think if this movie had a better cast it would've been much better, but unfortunately, the cast was not the only thing that was wrong with this movie. 

My personal rate: 4,5

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 Walking Dead [Season 1]

The Walking Dead 

Season 1

IMDB rate: 8,7

Genre: Tv Show, Zombie

Yesterday I made a post about how I finally started watching The Walking Dead. Well, I actually made a joke when I said that I would be finished watching it by today... but I actually did end up watching every episode. There are only six of them but still, it's a whole season ;). It's really an addicting show, and today I searched my hometown for season 2 so I can continue watching it, but unfortunately I couldn't find it anywhere. I had to order it online and now I'll have to wait till tomorrow... Oh the hard life. 

I've heard a lot about this show and while it seemed fun, I never thought I would actually like it. I'm thought it would be filled with cliches, and well, how many ways can you go with zombies? This show proved to me that there are many ways you can go with zombies. And, to be honest, I haven't seen any horror cliche yet! I was really surprised by how this show ended up to be, and I guess I'm developing a small addiction. I can't wait till I can watch season 2. 

I already knew a lot of what was going to happen unfortunately, because every site I come (9gag, tumblr) are filled with spoilers. But it didn't really matter much in the end because I was still excited and thrilled for what will come next. 

While there were only six episodes in this season, there happened a lot. I must say that I didn't dislike any of the episodes. When watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for example, there were many episodes that I disliked, liked or were neutral. This show is totally different from a tv show like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Which is kinda a good thing I guess. 

The main character Rick Grimes is played by Andrew Lincoln, I think he is casted perfectly for this role. Rick Grimes has a soft side, and also a tougher side, and Andrew Lincoln plays both sides very well and believable. I'm excited to see how he develops through the second season. 

I already heard that his wife Lori is an unbelievable bitch and well, I can't agree more with you. Shoot the bitch already! 

And of course, Daryl Dixon, I haven't seen very much of him yet and I already love him. What a bad ass! Norman Reedus is the perfect actor to play Daryl Dixon, I hope we'll see more of him in the second season. 

I don't think I've seen any bad actor in the first season... no one really bothered me because of the overacting, of not being able to act or something. There was a small thing that I didn't like and that was Dr. Edwin Jenner, played by Noah Emmerich. It's not his character that I don't like, it's just the actor himself. He always has a small cheeky laugh and I think it's so annoying. I was already bothered by him in the Truman Show, and while I thought back then that he was supposed to act like that, he just has that small cheeky laugh himself. But that was really the only small thing that I disliked about the actors.

There were only six episodes so I'll go through each one of them and tell what I thought of it. 

!MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS!

Season 1, episode 1: Days Gone Bye

I think this episode was the perfect beginning for this show. It has to start somewhere, and this is kinda logical. By this point it's not entirely clear yet why nobody attacked Rick Grimes but you'll learn about that in the sixth episode. Nevertheless, it's not bothering that you don't know why he didn't get attacked. I loved his fellow survivor Morgan Jones and I really hope we'll see him in the next season again. All together, a good, interesting start for the show. 

Season 1, episode 2: Guts

I love how Glenn risked his own life to save Rick, and I think he will become a bigger part in the eventually. I also think he will bring a bit of humor in The Walking Dead which is a good thing. Rick finally meets other survivors and immediately shows to Merle Dixon that he isn't a pussy. I think this was the point where Rick's tough side came a bit more to the surface. And well, then there is Lori... I think she hooked up with Shane way too fast. If I can make a guess, I think it's about 1-2 weeks ago since the zombie apocalypse started. Perhaps three weeks, but still way too fast to get with him already.

Season 1, episode 3: Tell It to the Frogs

Rick is finally reunited with Lori and Carl again, and I was afraid that it would take soooo many episodes for they would be back together again. Cliche 1, crossed out. Luckily, it only took 2 episodes. When I knew they would be back together this episode, I was afraid they would be all dramatic about the reunion of the three. Luckily, this also didn't happen! Cliche 2, also crossed out! It was actually kinda quick, some nice music in the background, and done. Perfect. I also loved the look on Shane's face, it was a real 'fuck' face. And what a badass is Merle to cut of his own hand, and still being able to kill zombies. I'm really curious when we will see him again and what his reaction will be.

Season 1, episode 4: Vatos

This was a very surprising episode. While they are still searching for Merle, a gang kidnaps Glenn because they took the guns that the gang wanted. What you will expect from them is that they are a real tough gang and will shoot everybody down who bothers them. Reality was that the leader is just some janitor and that he and his 'gang' members are caring for old people in some sort hospital. Such a huge surprise. 

Season 1, episode 5: Wildfire

I personally thought this was the least fun episode of all six. It was not that bad, but it was kinda boring. Jim has to be left behind because he's bitten and the group searches for a military base. All together, not much happened in this episode. 

Season 1, episode 6: TS-19

It nice seeing how happy everybody got when Dr. Edward Jenner dropped the sentence 'be easy on the hot water'. None of them had a hot shower for days/weeks and well, I can imagine how good it must feel to finally be able to shower again. I already mentioned why I disliked Dr. Edward Jenner, so no need for that to bring up again. You finally learn a bit more about how the infection is growing inside the brain. It was kinda interesting, and finally gave a bit explanation to the zombie infection.

The Walking Dead is really recommendable for horror fans, but also for those who don't really like horror. It contains zombies, but also a deeper going story of all the characters and the virus itself. Personally I always find it very interesting how something like this started and I'm very curious to find out eventually. There hasn't been one single thing yet that I disliked about this show, and I hope it will stay that way. When I receive season 2 I will finally continue watching it and of course there will be a review of season 2. 

My personal rate: 9,5/10

Braindead/Dead Alive video review, made by a friend.

A friend of mine made an awesome review about Braindead/Dead-Alive, check it out!

He also has a blogspot: Nararikku vs. Grimmbreak

Go check him out!

Review: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

IMDB rate: 6,3

Genre: Supernatural

So I finally had the chance to watch Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. To be honest, I didn't expected much from this movie. It seemed a bit boring and predictable. And well... I was right. This movie resembles The Brothers Grimm a lot, only this is a bit more horror-like. Honestly, I'd rather watch The Brothers Grimm ten times in a row instead of this movie.

It's not that it's terrible or something. It's watchable. But it's definitely not a movie that I would watch soon again. The movie was very predictable and never gave any surprises. That's too bad because if they've changed the story I think it would have been better and more original.

In this spin on the fairy tale, Hansel & Gretel are now bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. As the fabled Blood Moon approaches, the siblings encounter a new form of evil that might hold a secret to their past.

In once saw this interview with Jeremy Renner (Hansel) and Gemma Arterton (Gretel) on the Graham Norton show I believe, and I thought they both were really arrogant about this movie. I must admit that I never like Jeremy Renner in movies, and well... he kinda confirmed it again for me in this movie. I'm sorry, but I don't think he's a good actor. I did not like him in The Bourne Legacy, I did not like him in Mission Impossible 4, I did not like him in 28 Weeks Later and I definitely did not like him in The Avengers. In my opinion he hasn't anything special. 

I was not familiar with Gemma Arterton yet, and while she is very pretty, she doesn't seem to have any capacity in my opinion. I didn't find her acting very special, and she never really convinced me of her pain, fear or whatever she went through. Maybe if the two main characters were played by different persons I might have liked it, but that we'll never know :). 

The one that acted best was Famke Janssen. I think she is an amazing actress and while I think this role didn't really suited her, she played it just fine. The others witches were a bit useless though. It gave a bit the impression of the three witches in Stardust, where Michelle Pfeiffer is the 'main' witch and her sisters are useless addings.

Like I already mentioned before, the movie was kinda predictable. For example, when they found a witch, they did not immediately kill her. No, they first have to say something clever, or have to ask for their name of something stupid like that. And of course, at that point the witch attacked them, beat the shit out of them, and tries to get away. This almost succeeds until the last seconds where on of the witch hunters suddenly shows up and beats them from their broomstick. This happens at least five times! Not very imaginative...

The dialogues were not very refreshing, just straight to the point and that's it. What I also found bothering was the 'obvious 3D effects'. With this I mean that for example when a building is collapsing, a piece of wood from the building comes 'flying' to the screen, in a real obvious way that that was supposed to be 3D. Maybe it's cool when you actually see it in 3D, but when you see it just normal it's kinda lame. 

The thing that I did like was the music. It was very beautiful and fairytale like, with a hint of horror in it. Another thing that I liked was Edward the troll. He was sort of cute, and gave a nice touch to the story. And another good thing was the violence! There is many blood and gore in this movie, which makes it a bit more fun to watch.

I think this movie is comparable with The Brothers Grimm, but in my opinion The Brothers Grimm is more fun to watch. With better actors and a better story. But if you really want the 'horror' side of fairy tales you might prefer this movie. I personally did not like this movie that much, but I know many people who loved it. 

My personal rate: 5/10

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

The Orphanage (2007)

The Orphanage (El Orfanato) 

IMDB rate: 7,5

Genre: Ghost

As you might know, or perhaps not know, The Orphanage is another one of my favorite movies. Every time I watch it I see other details which is amazing. I can not get enough of this movie. I love the fairytale elements in it. It gives an effect to this movie that you would not expect.

When you watch the movie for the first time, you might not completely get it. It's certainly recommendable to watch it at least two times. The movie contains two story lines. And sometimes it's hard to focus on the both of them. Many things are happening in this movie, and while you might not notice each thing in the beginning, all the pieces will fall together in the end. 

Laura, a former orphan, raises her adopted son Simon together with her husband Carlos in an old house and former orphanage where she was raised. While at the orphanage Simon tells Laura that he has five invisible friends which she believes are a product of his active imagination. Laura decides to reopen the orphanage to cater for disabled children and throws a party. During the party Simon tries to persuade Laura to go and take a look at his friends cabin but she's too busy. Later on she sees a mysterious masked boy and realizes that Simon has also disappeared. Laura feels the presence of other people in the house and months later Laura invites a team of parapsychologists to try to unravel the mystery.

I'm not sure if this movie can qualify as a horror movie. It has some ghost elements in it, but in the end I don't think many people find it a real horror movie. There are a few jump scares but not major ones. This movie contains the pretty scary but standard elements like bumping noises and scary kids with masks suddenly showing up, but at the same time it also contains modern touches, like a positive HIV test. In my opinion this movie digs a lot deeper in the story line than any other horror movie I know. Most horror movies have a pretty standard formula, and The Orphanage expanded that a lot in my opinion. The thing I liked the most about this movie was the Peter Pan elements in it. It was not the big line of the story but it was a nice small touch to it. This movie has a perfect combination between creepy and beautiful. Which seems to be a weird combination, but fits perfectly into this movie.

The acting in this movie is amazing. Belen Rueda plays the main character 'Laura', and not one moment you think her actings looks fake. While the movie contains many different elements, it all feels real. Another good acting performance was by Fernando Cayo, who plays Laura's husband Carlos and while he has not a big part in this movie, it's a real good performance. The little boy Simon is played by Roger Princep, and he is really adorable, and for such a young kid, he's quite good in acting. I hope we'll see him again in other movies.

There are many beautiful symbolic moments in this movie. For example, at the beginning you see Carlos play all kinds of different songs on the piano, without hesitating a second. After the disappearance of Simon, he is sitting behind the piano, but he can't play anymore. I love how they well they pictured emptiness, without saying a word about it.

The Orphanages building is beautifully found, and however the interior is not actually filmed in it, you often see the exterior of the building. While it's an amazing building, it scary at the same time. It's huge but also old. When filmed inside the scary feeling becomes even stronger. It's funny that the right sound-mixing can make a 'simple' building scary. The atmosphere of this movie is very somber and that's what gives this movie it's strength. If the story didn't give you goosebumps yet, the atmosphere of the movie definitely will.

In these types of movies there is always something that doesn't fit in the puzzle. And I can understand people who don't like this movie because of the unfitting puzzle pieces. There are many different theories about these 'unfitting pieces' and while I agree with many of them, I don't want to dig deeper in a movie that I like. Personally I didn't mind it too much with this movie.

If you like ghosts movies, this is definitely the one to watch. Or perhaps, if you like puzzle movies. I've seen many reviews of people who don't like horror movies, but loved this one. I personally love this movie, and it's really one of my favorite movies ever.

My personal rate: 9,5/10