Tag: Thriller

Beware The Old Woman With The Knife! (파과)

You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I’m telling you why–The Old Woman With The Knife is comin’ to town!

The Old Woman With the Knife Movie Poster
Coming to Digital on August 26

Well GO USA
Now Playing at Theaters May 16

Hornclaw (Lee Hye-yeong) was not the assassin she was now until one night, some (American) army guy broke into the restaurant she worked at and something snapped in her. That first taste of spilled blood turned her worldview around, and she became The Old Woman With The Knife. This tight thriller suggests she is in the business for life. As a lady past her prime, she can get away with nearly anything!

There’s a lot of terrific back and forth showing her development as not only an individual who should be a grandmother, but also as a ruthless killer. Lee has that presence which rivals Michelle Yeoh and I’d love to see these two together on a project. As a character who could challenge Georgiou, I’d want to see that match up! Both are like bloodhounds!

Continue reading “Beware The Old Woman With The Knife! (파과)”

In The Damned, Surviving Winter is Never Kind

Sometimes, being in the right mood helps make The Damned all the more haunting, and with regular cold nights being the norm for this reviewer, it’s certainly very chilling!

The Damned Movie PosterAvailable on Amazon Prime

The best way to experience Thordur Palsson’s The Damned is to turn off the heat! Whether at the theatre, where it continues to play, or at home, this wonderfully eerie film delivers solid chills when the viewing environment is perfect! That way, viewers can feel the cold as it settles. At the time, I had the temperature unintentionally dialed low.

In this remote 19th century village, Eva (Odessa Young) is now in charge and works hard to keep the fishermen from deserting. She was a wife to a fisherman who unfortunately perished in a shipwreck during their last fishing journey. While I’m not entirely sure how many people live in this hamlet, I suspect that the initial bunch of twenty something dwindled down to eight by the time this movie starts, and pretty soon, even those people are dying because there’s no food left.

Continue reading “In The Damned, Surviving Winter is Never Kind”

Dark Nuns, A South Korean Moody Thriller Done Right!

Although not comparable to The Dark Knight, the themes are familiar, as Dark Nuns concern members from the sisterhood becoming vigilantes to take on evil when the priesthood has other ideas!

Dark Nuns Movie Poster Well GO USAWell GO USA
Release Date: Feb 7, 2025 at select theatres

The danger of getting possessed by a malicious spirit is very real in Dark Nuns (검은 수다들). When it’s set in South Korea, there’s the additional consideration concerning where this evil came from. Even Sister Junia (Song Hye-kyo) doubts her ability to figure out who this demon is, and save Hee-joon (Moon Woo-jin). It’s great when this film wastes no time to build to this moment, and when fellow nun Michaela (Jeon Yeo-been) wants to help and has no prior experience, that’s a formula that even has me intrigued.

If that’s not enough, there’s even a look at the psychological type of problems this lead has to face. As further complications pile up, not only does Junia face opposition at the convent, but also there’s the medical community who doesn’t believe demonic possession is a thing. When the latter believes the boy’s condition is mental degradation rather than spiritual, to enact a cure will be tough!

Continue reading “Dark Nuns, A South Korean Moody Thriller Done Right!”

The Bonds Found in the “Spirit in the Blood” Are Far Stronger Than One May Think 

When help is needed, perhaps it is best to turn to the Spirit in the Blood rather than relying on those “in the sky” for help.

Spirit in the Blood Movie PosterElevation Pictures
Coming to select theatres beginning Nov 1

Being a tween can be rough, and for Emerson (Summer H. Howell) to change schools, to go live in a rural community looks problematical if she’s not careful. When the movie is titled Spirit in the Blood and marketing suggests this film may be like Stephen King’s Carrie, I’m ready to see what can happen. That’s because the early moments of this film suggets she has precognitive abilities. As for whether than ca help save her, that’s a question I hope will get answered by the finale.

When not everyone in the small town of St. Belvedere do not take a liking to this new family moving in, I have to wonder what their problem is. Thankfully, attitudes change when the body of a lost child turns up, but is that enough? The idea developed and directed by Carly May Borgstrom suggests there’s a lot going on not only for this young girl, but also the family. However, when the mystery concerning why her parents want to relocate here isn’t fully answered, even I’m curious by the end of act one.

Continue reading “The Bonds Found in the “Spirit in the Blood” Are Far Stronger Than One May Think “

It’s Often Best Not to Let “The Beast Within” Run Wild

Halloween doesn’t have to be about ghosts and vampires, but also The Beast Within, and what must not be let loose! But the metaphor is clearly there, should viewers want to believe it’s also a story about cursed lineages.

The Beast Within Blu Ray Cover
Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Well GO USA

Kit Harrington is an amazing actor, and while not every film he’s in can spotlight just how beautiful his voice is, that will depend on the director to bring it out. With The Beast Within, a dramatic thriller, whether his character Noah is really a werewolf. The signs are there, and as for this personality, perhaps there’s much to fear. But for 10-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall) the real question is if she knows who her father really is.

That’s where the tension gets tested. I’m never too sure what’s going on in this parent’s mind. His actions spoke louder than words, and while how wife (Ashleigh Cummings) is very protective of their child, the elder member of this family, a grandpa (James Cosmo) is doing his best to keep everyone safe. The selling point of this film is in seeing the lengths the adults are doing to keep the kid safe. However, there’s some pagan world which isn’t as well-defined to explain some past this individual is obviously a ruler of.

Continue reading “It’s Often Best Not to Let “The Beast Within” Run Wild”

Out Come the Wolves and They Don’t Sing

Although Out Come the Wolves is no game-changer in this mix-genre effort, at least the finale will leave you breathless.

Out Come The Wolves Movie Poster
Now playing at select theatres and on VOD (Google Play, Apple TV, and YouTube)

No one wanted to let the dogs out too soon in a film titled Out Come the Wolves. While the first moments looked terrific, to transition to a story about a woman having to decide between two men, well, do I really want to know? In a film that’s about who is the alpha, this movie is easy to predict. I fast forwarded to the juicy bits concerning what I think about Sophie (Missy Peregrym). She doesn’t need any man in her life, and the fact she can fend for herself says it all!

And when she has to decide who to save in the wilderness, her fiancé Nolan (Damon Runyan) who is a jerk for much of the film, or her friend that she knew for most of her life, Kyle (Joris Jarsky), I won’t spoil that detail. And while I’m not one for films about love triangles as the primary focus, the thought of someone might go feral had me curious about this work.

Continue reading “Out Come the Wolves and They Don’t Sing”