Thriller Archives | Otaku No Culture

Stone Cold or “Bone Cold,” Supressing Your Feelings Leads to Unknown Dangers!

In this supernatural thriller, we don’t know what’s real or imagined. And these soldiers aren’t as bone cold as some may think.

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One part thriller and two-thirds a military-style action, Billy Hanson‘s debut creature feature film, Bone Cold, is a deep look at what PTSD is like from the perspective of those serving in special ops. Usually these type of folks are conditioned to weather a lot of extremes, but for Jon Bryant (Jonathan Stoddard) and Marco Miller (Matt Munroe), just how they are feeling after returning home from Afghanistan is very different.

Before they can resume their normal lives, these two officers are called back to service. In this new mission, who they take out goes awry. Pretty soon, the mystery of what haunts them becomes very real. If that isn’t enough, there’s another assassin sent out to deal with not only this duo but also perhaps the supernatural threat too!

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The Cloud Messenger is Where Fate is Doomed to Repeat Over and Over

In what this haunting film offers is a dreamlike tour de force which concerns the gods from India getting involved with whoever The Cloud Messenger is!

The Cloud Messenger Movie Poster Rahat Mahajan’s attempt to craft an epic film in The Cloud Messenger requires being able to understand the lore that inspired it. This Indian love story set in the foothills of Himalaya has a lot to admire. There’s not only the careful framing of the beauty of this region, but also the presence of the gods look hauntingly beautiful. It gives the film a very etheric look when they finally manifest.

This adaptation of the Indian poem Ramayana concerns two youths who’ve been reincarnated time and time again; their attempts to flee has often been meted from an overlord who doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

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Charting the Rise and Fall of the Blackberry in a Near Perfect Biopic

What makes this movie special is in how it celebrates the victories and the impact the Blackberry had. It’s a shame it couldn’t adapt with the times.

Blackberry Movie Poster Playing May 5th at the Chicago Critics Film Festival (tickets) before opening worldwide May 12th.

Jay Baruchel must love playing the underdog. I’ve seen a lot of movies he’s starred in, and these characters may seem meek at first, but by the end, they’ve come out on top in one way or another. In Blackberry, he’s Mike Lazaridis, the father of the smartphone, and what I see is a person being pushed around by greedy b*astards. Had he partnered with other people who were just as visionary, I’m sure this device might have evolved with the times instead of becoming a relic of early century.

Although his company, Research in Motion, created the first generation of smartphones, what’s presented in Matt Johnson‘s film is about three figures who led this research house through all its ups and downs. That is, not everyone has a good sense for business, and I believe that was key to this company’s eventual demise. However, this movie is not about what they did. Instead, it’s about how he and Doug Fregin (played by Johnson) would struggle to be the true heart of the company, while another individual attempts to usurp them. If this plot sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve seen it in The Founder (movie review).

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Are We All Born to Fly? Yu Lei is Ready to Soar Higher than Never Before!

No trade secrets are given away, otherwise Born to Fly would not be screening in international markets.

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For screenings, please check the official website.

After much delay, Liu Xiaoshi’s Born to Fly (長空之王) is tailor-made for release during China’s holiday weekend. International Workers’ Day (May 1st) recognises the contributions of everyone who helps make their country great. Here, the various teams within the Chinese Air Force need to work hard together–and have an ace up their sleeves–if they are to maintain their air superiority. And Yu Lei (Wibo Yang) is it. He gets called to duty to be a test pilot, and it’s up to Ting Zhang (Hu Jun) to motivate him to keep going.

Despite countless delays to get this film to screen, what’s presented looks gorgeous. The camera work sells some of the aerial sequences and the CGI handles the rest. Despite former trepidation by critics and their desire to compare this work to Top Gun and its sequel, what’s been improved upon may well stretch beyond improving the SPFX. Some story edits may have been done. As for the former, I’m sure not even Tom Cruise would be willing to risk his life just to go into low-earth orbit. And what’s more celebrated is how the team stays together.

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Where Worlds Collide and The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou

What’s amazing about The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou is that it is not a full-blown tale of terror. It’s more of a gentle thriller.

The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou TIFF Poster — **Available to preorder on Amazon USA**

Available on VOD
Coming to DVD on April 25, 2023

Just what Elsa (Lou Lampros) transforms into in The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou may have many viewers believing she’s a Loup-Garou, but truth be told, what changes inside can be much worse! This French-made film offers a great mystery.

Ultimately, this tale is focused on Jacky (Thomas Parigi) and the relationship with his grandmother Gisèle (Edwige Blondiau), who is a local healer. She uses folk medicine and her gift of altering one’s electrical meridians through the laying of hands (she calls it magnetic therapy) to cure the sick. She hopes to pass on her talent to him, but not everyone in the village is convinced he has that magic, too. Sadly, when she passes, the villagers will have no one else to turn to.

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Tetris. Must All The Bricks Fall Break Down?

Nobody in America knows who truly owns Tetris, and to find out who can license the rights is a lot more difficult than playing the game when the bricks are falling fast!

Tetris (2023) Movie Poster Playing on Apple Plus

Despite a lot of exaggerated moments about how the Tetris licence is acquired, this historical thriller is very exciting to watch. If only more semi-biographical works were like this, I wouldn’t need to consult the huge book library I have concerning the golden era of video games.

Anyone can go online to learn how this game was invented. It’s nicely summarised in this film, but to dramatise the legal problems to the level that director Jon S. Baird stylises it as requires more than an intimate knowledge of all that went on. Noah Pink wrote a script that chronicles the events leading up to the discovery of a simple but addictive puzzle game. What he adds includes how Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) is feeling the pressure. He’s a family man who wants to succeed as a business manager. This subplot shows everything he’s willing to sacrifice.

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