I have to make decisions like what's best for the family (Suburbicon 2017)

160.

Suburbicon

 

 

 

 

 3/10

 

 

 

George Clooney is having another go at directing a film. Once again, he decides to work with Matt Damon and brings some others to the party in the form of Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac. From the trailer, the film seemed to be about murder, stealing and is set in the 50's period of America. It seemed a little weird at times, with a scene of some of the community standing about like robots and high-pitched music to unsettle you, as a horror film would. Let's delve into the movie and find out if it could be the 'real deal' or just another con.

The film opens with a storybook type graphic, telling us about the quaint town of Suburbicon. It states how other people from the country have moved to the town in order for an idyllic lifestyle and the last graphic, we can see is a real picture still, which we zoom into and begins the movie for us. The mailman is doing his normal deliveries, saying hello to all of the residents, as he comes across a new family moving in. He trots up to an African-American woman and asks to speak to Mrs Mayers, to which she replies, is herself. His friendly manner, awkwardly drops, as he backs away slowly, even forgetting to hand over the mail until prompted. The other residents then all act in horror, standing around staring, as we seen in the trailer. They are devastated that their new neighbours are black. A town meeting is held with plenty of angry white men, demanding that this family be removed from their town. This leads to a petition being held over moving them out.

Back to normality, as such, we are in the Lodge household, where Rose and her twin sister Margaret are in the garden and we find out that their next-door neighbours are the Mayers. Both of these females are being played by Julianne Moore, obviously with the fact that they are twins. Rose tells her son to go and play with the Mayers son and reluctantly he heads over to play catch. That night, Nicky's old man walks into his room, whispering for his son to get up because there are men in the house. There is no light but we know that Matt Damon is playing the father, Gardener. He takes his son downstairs during the robbery and we see one of the men, Sloan, sitting in a wheelchair which belongs to Rose. They are all being kept hostage and demand that Gardener pours them drinks, before tying them to chairs around the dinner table and smothering them with rags of chloroform.

Nicky wakes up in a hospital bed, seeing his father and aunt talking to a doctor, before looking to his right and seeing his mother in a bad way in the bed next to him. She has been overdosed with chloroform and it isn't looking too good. We instantly cut to Rose's funeral and the brother of the two women is comforting Nicky with some money, telling him that he will always be there, even as an extra Dad. People around the town and in Gardener's work offer their condolences to the family, everywhere they go. All whilst quietly accusing them of some sort of involvement. Nicky has started to set up precautions, to avoid another intrusion. He sets up some bars in his room, to lock his door a bit better. One day, he gets in from school and hears what he thinks is his auntie screaming in horror and is instantly thrown back into terror. He grabs a knife and makes his way down to the basement, where he ends up finding his father has her bent over a table, spanking her with a table tennis bat. Margaret has now cut her hair and dyed it, the same way that Rose had hers. Back at his work, Gardener is contacted by a police captain, who wants him to identify the robbers in a line up. On arrival, he notices Margaret and she has brought his son, which he isn't too happy about. Nicky stays outside as the two enter the room to pick out the men and as we look at the line-up, we can see that Gardener is standing in front of the end two, which we can instantly work out will be the two robbers. Nicky has snuck inside, just in time to see the two men and his father tell the policeman that none of the men are the ones that robbed him. Nicky is shocked and the audience now knows that there is some sort of foul play. The guard mistakenly flicks the light switched on and the line-up can see into the room. The two men see Nicky and he yelps, as his father and aunt turn around to notice him too.

At home, Nicky is having a bath and is interrupted by Gardener. Nicky asks why his father didn't identify the men when he had the chance. Gardener dodges the question and simply replies with how complicated the events are. Gardener is a really awkward character and is clearly getting nervous by everything that is happening. All around the town, the families are showing increased hatred for the Mayers. A crowd is growing and growing around their house, banging drums, building fences and even at the supermarket, a manager refuses to serve the female of the house unless he raises every item by $20. The two robbers confront Gardener at his work and Sloan, the biggest one, smacks him about a bit, warning him to get rid of his son, or they will do it for him. They are also demanding money that was supposed to be returned after Rose has been killed. The Captain of the Police is over the next day, wondering about the cuts and bruises but mainly to tell him that a mob member had been found dead. After going through his books, he found Gardener's surname written down, owing money to the mob. But he also mentions that there is also a hotel, with the same name, Garden Lodge, which he could be confusing it with, but time will tell.
Back home, Margaret is visited by Oscar Isaac's character, a sleazy insurance salesman, who is there to discuss the claim against Rose's death. Bud Cooper smooth talks the woman, before stating his intent as to why he is there. He knows something fishy is going on and that he will get to the bottom of it all. She kicks him out of the house, as he tries to pressurize her for answers. This character is finally one that brings a bit of humour to the movie and gets you back to enjoyment in a way. On the street, we see a bus pull up and the driver is the second robber, the thinner one and soon he is in the locker room of the bus depot as he is approached by Sloan, who is also a driver. These two seem to be having a few side jobs of rustling up some people and are drivers permanently. They are discussing a new job, one that they need to do to protect their name and that's to kill Nicky. Gardener, clearly isn't getting the job done, so they need to take the next step. At the Mayer's household, the gathering crowd has now turned into a riot and the police have had to take action as the family's car is destroyed and the windows are being smashed. The Mayer's have barricaded themselves inside, with the hope that it will all blow over. One person has even planted a confederate flag onto a smashed window. Cooper has turned back up at the Lodge's place, now that Gardener is home and quickly states that he knows what is going on. He won't report the insurance fraud but only if he gets all of the money for himself. Margaret nervously brings Cooper a cup of something and he instantly starts choking, clawing at his neck as his face goes red, along with his eyes. He makes a break for the door and makes it onto the street, before Gardener comes from behind and plants a fire poker into his neck. Cleary the guy was poisoned and now they have more blood on their hands. Louis and Sloan, the gangsters, are in a car watching all of this and witnessing Gardener putting Cooper into the boot of his own car and driving away. Louis has gotten out of his car and is heading for the house, as Sloan follows Gardener.
Nicky has also witnessed this and begins to all his uncle Mitch but is cut mid conversation as his aunt unplugs the phone line. The boy locks himself in his room as the scene cuts to Margaret making and sandwich and drink for him but adding plenty of crushed pills to kill the boy. He refuses it all though and stays in his room, as Louis sneaks up behind Margaret and strangles her to death, before carrying her to her room and dumping her on her bed. He makes his way to Nicky's room and smashes the door down, finding him hiding under his bed. We know what's coming next, as another set of shoes are seen, before a scuffle on the bed and gun shots. A pair of feet step down from the bed and move it away a little, putting a hand out to usher Nicky to safety. Mitch has turned up and he guides Nicky to hide in a closet, he's covered in blood and I can tell it isn't all ok. We don't see anything but his front until Nicky is hidden away and then we see the extent of the fight and Mitch has been stabbed. He sits in Nicky's chair and soon dies. We get back to Gardener, who put's Cooper's body in the front seat of his car and burns it, after taking a small, child's bike out of the boot, which he intends to ride home. As he is riding, Sloan drives up alongside to taunt him and is soon taken out, head-on, by a fire truck, which would surely be heading to Cooper's car fire. The wreckage leaves a trail of fuel, which quickly burns the stranded Sloan alive. On his arrival home, Gardener is looking everywhere for Nicky, after discovering the other bodies and we can see the closet door handle has Mitch's blood on it, but did Gardener see it? He begins to walk back downstairs but notices it too and finds his son pointing a gun at him. He quickly disarms him and sits his son at the kitchen table, where we also notice the drink and sandwich still sit. It's so obvious that Gardener will eat and drink the pills that I may as well walk out of the cinema now and save 15 minutes of my life. He calmly tells Nicky about escaping to Aruba together or be killed and his father leave alone, all the time whilst eating and drinking himself to death. The scene cuts and it's morning, Gardener is lying face down on the table, whilst the Mayer's with the help of some of the community, are cleaning the mess round their house. The interviewed racists blame this family for the chaos that happened that night, as Nicky acts no differently and goes back out to play catch with Andrew, the Mayers' son.
   The film reminded me of the game Fallout, with its style and grace and that's about it for the good points. It seemed to me like it never really got going. Unfortunately, I ended up seeing this movie twice and it was just as bad the second time. The main storyline was interrupted by a racism and mob story that went absolutely nowhere and seemed to be just a filler for the poor, main story. If I could summarise, it would be a murder mystery, but it never kept you guessing, it was just weirdly, cut, acted and executed. With some of the cast and behind the camera names, this was oozing with people who have been credited their whole life but this was a total fail. It gives me a reason to never want to see anything from Clooney again and this was me giving him more chances after ruining Batman. The one main saving grace was Oscar Isaac and his style within the movie, which did bring a chuckle but that about it. This confused movie left me knowing one thing, I won't get those wasted hours back! 

I've had to learn to live my life without needing you, and now you're pissed at me?! (Only the brave 2017)

159.

Only the brave

 

 

 

 

 

8.5/10

 

 

This movie is based on the true events of a group of elite firefighters, who risk their own lives in order to protect a town from a massive wildfire. In 2013, they fought their biggest fire yet, that would be everything would be on the line, but building up to that, we will be getting introduced to the team and how they changed through their years of the service. I didn't know about this story before going into the movie, but it is unprecedented, even in the last 6 months, how bad these forest fires in American can truly be. With a cast containing Josh Brolin, Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly, I'm sure that this movie will give a great account of the events which unfolded.

The movie starts with what seems to be a dream sequence, as there is very little sound but a forest, being over taken by a fire, as we see a bear being created from the flames and running through, towards the camera. Could this resemble how fierce it truly is? As the bear runs past, Eric Marsh, Brolin's character, wakes and begins to get his stuff ready for the day at the local wildfire crew. He is the superintendent and has been called to stop a fire near Phoenix. In the kitchen, his wife, Connelly's character, reminds him of a fight the night before, giving the audience and account that there is trouble at home. His crew is only second level, meaning that they cannot fight on the front line of the fire. He must instead command his team to dig holes and burn bushes to slow the fire down, as a 'hotshot' team arrives to do the harder stuff. He offers them advice, which they don't take and instead insult them all. Without his advice, the town near by ends up in flames and everyone is left trying to escape.

After the event, Eric calls his friend Duane, played by Jeff Bridges, who was once a former fire chief. This guy holds the power to help Eric's team become hotshots. At this point we are introduced to Miles Teller's character, Brendan, who is sitting on his friend's couch smoking the hard drugs, whilst being told that he has a baby on the way through text message. He heads to the place that the girl works in and she seems away from the life of drugs and even though he offers to help, she doesn't believe him at all. She doesn't even want him around. As he walks away, downbeat, he sees an open car, with a decent stereo inside and tried to steal it whilst being watched by the police. Who arrest him and he is released on bail by his mother, who subsequently kicks him out of the house.

He decides that he needs to sort his life out and heads to the fire crew's house to apply. He is recognised by one of the fighters, who knows he is a screw-up, so sends him away. That's before Eric walks out of his office and calls Brendan in to apply anyway. He is honest about his record and his intentions for going the crew, so Eric invites him on a run with the crew, to see if he can keep up with them all, to the summit and back. At the top, Eric tells the crew what they are getting themselves into once they apply for being 'hotshots', whilst Brendan still hasn't made it to the top. They even pass him going up, on their way down and back at the station, Eric asks one of the fighters if the guy is dead on the hill. Too their surprise, they see him slowly jogging into the car park, sunburnt and phone in hand, showing a photo of him at the summit. Duane then shows up to let the team know that they have an audition to become what they want. During the audition, they decide to fight a fire that the auditor questions and it is on Eric's head. Even after sticking to his guns and it working, he is worried that he has upset the auditor. Duane strolls into the station with a stern look, as Eric demands that the team cover up, which they would do in an emergency, laying on the floor in protective bags. At this time, he tells them all that they have been accepted as 'Hotshots'. The celebrate with a BBQ and call themselves the Granite Mountain Hotshots.

As the story progresses, we see the team fighting fires, as Brendan takes bags of essentials over to leave on his baby mama's doorstep. After a few times, she lets him meet the baby and he apologises for his past mistakes. Whilst the team are away, Eric's wife gets into a bad car crash, which she doesn't tell him about until he gets home and sees the car. He is angry about this but she counters him, explain that he is not around enough. Her main problem is that she wants to start a family but he tells her that their deal was no kids. Maybe with his job, he is too frightened to leave a family behind. We also find out that Eric and Amanda are both recovering addicts and this is one of the main reasons behind him taking a chance with Brendan, who has finally become accepted within the team. With this and being closer to his daughter now, he takes the chance to ask Eric about a recommendation to leave the frontline and change to a structural firefighter, in order to be home that bit more. Eric doesn't like this, feeling he is owed something for giving Brendan the chance. On the way home, Amanda and Eric are fighting and she reveals that he isn't thinking reasonably with Brendan, because of his own issues. She screams that she is losing him to the fires and she wants to start a family with him, once again. He walks away from the car, all the way to Duane's house and discusses the issues with him, leading him back home to tell his wife that she has him back. You just know that if this was a movie, he would end up doing one more job and not coming home. Can this happen in real life too?
As the team head to a fire near Yarnell, Eric tells his second in command about his decision to step down and on arrival they realise that the fire is a lot bigger than they anticipated. The head off to do a burn, to slow everything down, but a water plane shoots water on their location, ruining their plans anyway. As the flames spread more, Brendan is sent to a weather watch and the team begin another dig line in order to stop the fire once more. Brendan gets on the radio to tell them that the wind has changed and the flames are heading towards them at a quick rate. He gets away from his spot, just in time and its mental, as you watch, how quick this fire is moving. Brendan is in trouble and out of the flames comes a different guy from another team who drives a golf buggy and takes him to safety. He can hear on his radio, back at camp, the 19 other guys in his team are burning the brush around them to create a safer area that the fire won't burn too much around them. The put their covers on and lay on the ground, hoping that the fire passes quickly and they manage to escape it. With his, all we can hear is depleting talk, as Eric remembers that bear, which is a flashback from a fire he was in before and an actual bear was on fire running for safety. Brendan listens as his team and friends are burnt alive. He knows that he should have been with them but he got out after being sent to check on the weather. The movie changes to Eric's house, as his wife gets the news of her loss. She screams and collapses to the ground, knowing this was one fire too much. She is never going to get the family time she once longed for. The families are gathered in a school gym and are told that there is one survivor. We know who it is but as Brendan walks in, the girlfriends, wives and parents break down, knowing that they have lost their loved ones. Brendan can't face it and walks out, as Amanda chases him, telling him she is glad he made it out and he has no reason to feel guilty. The movie ends with the pictures, names and ages of the real men, side by side with the ones who played them within the movie. That is along with a group picture in front of a famous tree, which the team saved and recreated in the picture. Suddenly I find myself trying to keep my shit together.
The movie was a real awe inspiring, edge of the seat and tear-jerking couple of hours. It was a real-life story that, at times, were not true to the real events in how they were spaced out, such as personal moments happened weeks before the deaths, regarding Eric and Amanda's arguments. Rattlesnake bites and other little bits were added for tension but mostly, they events were down to a tee. This goes for their final moments too, apart from how they broke the news to the families, who had to hear in a more media crazed way and too public for their own liking. Overall, this movie was a great watch and insight into what these people put on the line in order to save other families. It was a joke that there wasn't more people in the cinema to watch this and instead they can pack out for less, worse and films that are a complete joke. Every one of the actors involved gave a great performance and the ending, along with the music, giving a real picture of each 'Hotshot', alongside the actor and actress that portrayed them, was a real hard moment to watch. I couldn't recommend this movie enough if you can catch it somewhere. 

People said that the age of heroes would never come again. (Justice League 2017)

 

158.
Justice League

 

 

8/10

 

The DC takes another huge step to try and counter the growth and success of Marvel. This time, it brings together a lot of big names for the Justice League, which means we are going to see Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman, even though we don't know when Superman will appear, but he is in the posters. This film is going to be a lot shorter than the superhero films that we have been watching over the years, so it could be that it will be action packed, rather than beating around the bush with some needless storyline, which is being constantly dragged on. This movie is a highly anticipated one for me, not knowing whether Affleck will remain as Batman or not. I just hope that this is on the level of Wonder Woman, rather than this mess of Batman vs Superman.

So, the movie begins and shows us Earth, thousands of years ago, Steppenwolf and his army are trying to conquer the planet through combined energies known as the Mother Boxes. They are defeated by a unified army, which contained Olympia Gods, Amazons and other well-known characters such as a Green Lantern. After winning, they separate the boxes and hide them in different locations. Fast-forward to present and the world is still in mourning from the loss of Superman, whose death has caused the Mother Boxes to reactivate and call out to their master, with Steppenwolf returning to gain favour with his master, Darkseid. Already, we have seen Diana, as Wonder Woman, foil a terrorist plot in London, with her usual music and slow-motion action. Back in her actual home of Themyscira, Steppenwolf has arrived to retrieve his first box. Defeating the Amazonians and prompting the Queen to light the invasion fires, to warn her daughter. Diana joins Bruce Wayne in trying to recruit metahumans to fight for Earth. Wayne travels to get Barry Allen, revealing he know who he is and Allen, played by Ezra Miller, brings a new kind of comedy to the movie. With a nervous disposition, he is a breath of fresh air after years of enjoying Grant Gustin playing the same role in the CW universe. Wayne fails in getting Arthur Curry to join though. Jason Mamoa has taken on the role of Aquaman, who at times is show pathetic in comedy shows and history. This time, a tattooed, darker character emerges from the sea and is easily liked. He turns down the chance to join, figuring that he must protect Atlantis instead. Diana also fails in trying to recruit Victor Stone, AKA, Cyborg. He is gradually growing more and more into a metallic being. He later decides to join though, as his father has been kidnapped by one of Steppenwolf's minions, as he looks to retain the box from mankind.

Steppenwolf steps up his pursuit for the two remaining boxes, as he heads to Atlantis and attacks, finally forcing Curry to act and join the league. James Gordon gives the group some information on Steppenwolf's hideout below Gotham Harbour. In the scenes that follow, where they try to save the hostages, we finally get to see the Flash in action and it is a great scene. Although they succeed, the facility gets flooded and the group are trapped, until Aquaman shows up and delays the water so that they can all escape. Cyborg reveals that he has been hiding the last Mother Box, as his father used it to rebuild him after an accident, which nearly cost him his life. Wayne gets the idea that they can use it on Superman, not only to bring him onto the team, but also to give Earth and its people some new hope. He also has a special plan in place, just in case Superman comes back as a nemesis. Clark's body is exhumed and taken to the same Kryptonian ship from BvS, where is he placed in the incubation waters and successfully brought back. At first, he is unaware of where he is and has no memories, which causes him to attack the league after Cyborg accidentally shoots a missile at him because he cannot control some of his robotic transformations. On the verge of losing the team, Bruce reveals his back-up plan and out walks Lois Lane, to calm Superman down and the two fly off to Clark's farm house, which has now been sold to the bank after non-payments. Elsewhere, with the final Mother Box unguarded now, Steppenwolf has his hands on it.

Without Superman in their team, the rest of the league head to a remote village in Russia, that is being taken over by Steppenwolf as he tries to recreate Earth. They all fight their way through plenty of Parademons, in their own special ways, which include them helping each other too. Inside some shield, over the town, the colours of the sky are now a purple or red, which creates a different style of filming and texture to the scenes. They finally hit Steppenwolf's base but aren't able to distract him long enough in order to separate the Mother Boxes, so Flash tries to evacuate the rest of the town, whilst the others carry on fighting Steppenwolf. Just as they look beat though, the inevitable happens. Superman shows, firstly using his own speed to help the Flash with the citizens. This brings a bit of humour as Flash is pushing a car full out of town, as Superman is carrying an apartment block. He heads back and back to even help Cyborg separating the Mother Boxes and the team continues to defeat Steppenwolf, who, begins to feel fear and the Parademons turn on him, as they all transport him away. Will he be seen again?

The film ends with Diana and Bruce at Wayne manor, declaring that they will rebuild the place as a base for the league, stating that they will create a bigger table with more seats, linking to room for more in the team. Allen has start his job with the police, Cyborg continues exploring his capabilities, Curry returns to Atlantis and Diana to the spotlight, as the hero she is. The Post credits scene firstly give us a race between Superman and the Flash, but doesn't reveal the winner. At the very end of the credits we have a better scene. Lex Luthor has escaped from Arkham and has set aboard a ship, living the high life. As a smaller speed boat pulls up, the familiar armour of Slade Wilson, or Deathstroke, gets aboard Luthor's boat. Cleary being recruited for a league of their own.
So, are the DC films continuing to fail? According to the critics yes, but I really enjoyed this movie. With it being in the same year as Wonder Woman and the success that that film created, it was always going to be a hard task to follow on. The film isn't as long as the superhero films that we have come to know and that is only a good thing. It meant that it was full of action, constantly movie and introducing new things every time. Starting mainly with the bad points, the CGI was terrible at two points. Those being the look on Steppenwolf, which could have been a lot better, also making him look eviller. The second being the fiasco with Superman and his moustache. If you haven't read about it, please do. Cavill needed to come back for reshoots when filming Mission Impossible, so he couldn't shave. Ridiculous. Joss Whedon took over the final cut and this has led to people wanting Snyder's final piece to be released, stating that it could be better than what was released. It felt also like they dragged out the scene fighting Steppenwolf, with Superman off helping the evacuation, mainly to give the rest of the league a chance to fight because Superman would end the battle within seconds. This, along with the fact that many of the scenes in the trailers are not visible within the final cut, complete the badness. The humour created throughout was good, mainly with each of the heroes being completely different to each other and bouncing off one another really well. The musical score, also takes us back to the original music for Batman and Superman for a bit of nostalgia. The action itself was really cool and fast paced, meaning that it keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering who the scene will flip to next to see in action. It is definitely better than Suicide Squad and BvS but comes short on Wonder Woman. Still worth the watch and decide for yourself though.

 

I'm not feeling too good, I can't move! (Breathe 2017)

 

 

 

157.

Breathe

 

 

 

 

 

7.5/10

 

 

This film is the inspiring true story of Robin and Diana Cavendish, a couple whose life comes up against a threatening disease and show their willingness in not giving up. Andy Serkis makes his directorial debut as the film is also produced by Robin's son, Jonathan. As always, it's worth stating how much I admire true story films because they have a grip on its viewers unlike anything else. I had never set out to watch this movie, mainly because I hadn't seen a trailer for it, but it was in the cinema and another one that I can cross off the list.

There isn't too much to go into regarding a plot development, due to this being a true story, so instead, I shall quickly go through what the story is about. Andrew Garfield plays Robin Cavendish, a well-spoke of man, who is also surrounded by some close friends. We see him playing cricket with them and one day, a girl in the side lines catches his eye. Soon we are whisked through a quick love story as the two become more acquainted, go on plenty of dates and are soon revealed to be married. They go travelling together as he works with different types of coffee beans and whilst in Africa, she reveals that she is pregnant. Again, some time passes and we can see her bump and as Robin is playing tennis, he knows something is wrong. He collapses and is soon rushed to hospital with polio. He is now confined to a bed, with only the ability to open his eyes for now. There is the fear that he will only have a few months to live now. When Diana, played by Claire Foy, visits her husband, she can only make dark jokes on his behalf, knowing that they have the same humour, but her husband is truly a broken man. He doesn't want to live this way and wishes that someone would kill him. One night, he starts to move his arm and as the scene gets lighter, we can start to see that it is actually a dream. This is a turning point for him, as he regains his ability to speak, he asks one thing of his wife. He wants to leave the hospital, he doesn't want to die there, away from his child. The main problem is that he needs a machine to help him breathe.

The family have a friend called Teddy, who is somewhat of an inventor and he creates a machine, like the one at the hospital. Diana has gone and bought a house in the fields, giving the family plenty of freedom and Robin has even told his mate in the bed next to him about their plan to escape. Within the next scene, we have a heist style music playing as the escape begins, wheeling him away and to a van, which has a new machine. All the time they are moving him, he is taking the hospital equipment with him, until the transfer. Luckily, the one in the van works and soon they are home. We can see the house is a little beaten up but as Robin is laying down, he only sees the bright sky and upper windows, which look immaculate. He starts to settle into life, as his son begins to grow and play around, they even have a dog now. This turns out to be a little pain though as the plug is pulled from his machine and slowly but surely, he begins to stop breathing. This is a hard moment to watch, even though I knew that the movie wasn't finished yet, watching him struggling and people failing to react faster, I felt myself shuffling about, waiting for him to be saved. Teddy has been at it again too, he's created a chair that Robin can sit in, with his machine on the back, letting him see the world whilst sitting up. There is a scene as he is pushed around the garden to some triumphant music, but we are just waiting for something to go wrong, which actually doesn't come.

The unselfishness of this man is shown as, even though he has a better life than normal, he still thinks of his friend Paddy in hospital, along with the other polio sufferers. He ends up taking his chair into his old hospital, to see the nurses that let him go and his old friends, giving them hope, which soon leads to their own chairs, freedom from the hospital and a better life. He has also travelled to a medical convention in another country, to give a talk to doctors on how they can improve their bedside manner with polio sufferers. The camera shows the side of him as he talks about his wife being the reason that he had hope and how she never gave up on him. The camera then blurs him out to show Diana in the background listening to every word. The film soon takes a dark twist as we find out that Robin is suffering even more. He wakes up one night covered in blood as the machine is causing problems to his lungs. This in turn is infecting them, as predicted and time is running out. He takes his family on a holiday, even going on a plane and a road trip leaves them stranded as his machine blows up and he is being helped to breath by an air bag, pumped in turn by each of his family members. Back home, he realises that he is becoming too much of a burden and would like to go out on his own terms. Diana isn't too happy about this, as to be expected really but they end up throwing a 'leaving party' for him anyway. It's the same triumphant music as earlier and too be fair, he has been a triumph. In helping others, raising a family and never giving up, the guy has been an inspiration. One day, his wife and son are sitting in a café waiting for a doctor that they have been friendly with, to give Robin a dose of something that will end up taking his life. As they see the doctor drive past, they know it is time to go home and give their goodbyes. Robin has his eyes closed and the machine is slowing down, just as his family enter to understand why he needs to go. Robin has waited until his final goodbye to go and although we don't see it, we know that he has passed away. The film ends with some flashbacks of the movie, the beginning, as a younger Robin and Diana are standing in Africa, embracing each other and watching the sun set, just as it did on Robin's life. We hear the sounds of his final breathe as the screen fades to black. The movie is capped off with some real-life footage of the family enjoying some time on the beach and a write-up of how Jonathan has helped produce this film about his father, the hero.

The was a really good and touching film, showing how no-one should ever give up on their life, but instead make the most of whatever they can. Andrew Garfield has yet again but on a great role, with this one a lot more testing than some others. Finding out that he stayed in role between takes is quite intriguing, with Clair Foy even scratching his itches. This showcases a lot more of his triumphs than struggles but in my opinion, this was the right contrast of the two as this movie was to celebrate this man. With the story involving a love story, quick time changes and conquests, the film has the ability to make you laugh and shed a tear. The use of happier scenes at the end, along with the real-life footage of how he still loved what life he had left, was a great way to bring the cinema audience back to an upbeat feeling as they left for home.     

I see evil on this train (Murder on the Orient Express 2017)

 

156.

Murder on the Orient Express

  

 

 

7/10

 

A classic novel featuring the decorated detective Hercule Poirot gets remade by Kenneth Branagh, who also plays the main man himself. The book is written by Agatha Christie and first hit the big screen in 1974, but now it's time to resurface and have another go at wowing the audience with a 'Whodunit?' kind of movie. This film features a star-studded cast from Branagh himself, Daisy Ridley, fresh off some Star Wars success and other, more experienced screen dwellers, such as Willem Defoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer. I have never read the book, nor seen any of the adaptions to the screen so the trailer was my first experience. If I took a guess at the beginning of the it all, I'd was going to say Depp would be too simple of an answer to the murder, because he's a gangster. My guess is going to be that it was going to be the servant that was with Judi Dench's character, but they would have been commanded to do it. Let's get down to it and hope it's not one that comes off the rails.

The film begins with showcasing Poirot's abilities as her solves a theft in Jerusalem, which to be fair, I ended up guessing who had done it too. This Belgian detective, sees his power of solving a case with being able to see a lie amid the truth, an overall curse on him. He finally sorts out a holiday for himself but is soon contacted about solving a case in London, so much return, via Istanbul. He travels by a small boat where we see, Ridley's character being spoken to by another English man, who tells her, 'It'll be ok when it's done'.  His friend Bouc, who he bumps into by a happy coincidence, offers him a place on the Orient Express. On the train, we are quickly introduced to many of the other travellers, Pfeiffer seems to be a flirty, older woman and Depp is playing a gangster named Ratchett. He sits with Poirot and offers him a job as his bodyguard during the train journey as he feels someone is after him. He has been receiving letters, threatening his life. Everyone seems to be very distance, with one of the characters not wanting a black man to sit with them for food. Others do not like the gangster and so on. That night, Poirot hears noises coming from Ratchett's room and as he enters the corridor, he sees someone running away wearing a red kimono and as he goes to investigate further, and avalanche derails the train and everyone ends up arse over tit.

The next morning, everyone is accounted for but Ratchett. The Detective goes to the room to have a look and finds it looked, but with a cold draft coming from the crack under the door. After breaking in, they discover Ratchett murdered in his bed. Quickly, the guy that we seen talking to Ridley's character on the boat, is discovered to be a doctor, so does his best to identify what happened, the time of death and the weapon. He had been stabbed many times, in different places and different depths but probably by one person. They find a half-burnt letter, the Poirot, linking Ratchett to a famous kidnapping of a young girl called Daisy Armstrong, who was held for ransom. After the money was paid, the child was found murdered. Ratchett has been identified as John Cassetti, the kidnapper and murderer. The child's death caused her mother to die after giving birth prematurely to a still born. The father, Colonel Armstrong then killed himself from his loss. The family's maid was arrested for being accused of being involved with it all. She hung herself in custody and was later exonerated. More evidence is found on the floor, linking a few people to the case. Hubbard, Pfeiffer's character, mentions that she felt someone was in her room that night and on closer inspection, Poirot finds a handkerchief with blood on it and a button from a conductor's uniform, inside Hubbard's room.

As the film progresses, Ratchett's assistant is the main suspect, running away with some books under the bridge that they are stuck on, but the only reason is that he didn't want people finding out that he had been stealing money from his boss. The uniform is later found hidden and the kimono is found in the Detective's case, obviously planted. Hubbard stubbles into the main carriage, after being stabbed in the back and again the black doctor is on hand to help out. Poirot turns to question everyone, one by one, outside in the cold, in order to find out who the actual murderer is. Judi Dench's character stays in her room with her assistant to be questioned and Poirot reveals that the handkerchief found had her initials on it. As Poirot gets around to interviewing Mary Debenham, Ridley's character, he finishes up by standing on a carriage, contemplating what he has found. Only to be cornered by Arbuthnot, the doctor. He shoots Poirot in the shoulder, before claiming that he is the killer. But Poirot knows that this guy is a medical doctor and knows that he was an army sniper. If he wanted him dead, he would have with one shot.

This is time to draw the case to a close, before a rescue team reaches the track to put the back on the lines. He lines everyone up in an opening for the tunnel and begins to reveal what he thinks happened on the train. Bouc is standing behind them all with a gun, ready for anyone who wants to make a run for it. His first thought is that Cassetti was murdered by one of many enemies that he had acquired over the years, who had then fled after the deed. The second and more complex idea, was that everyone on this train knew Cassetti and was linked to the case of Daisy Armstrong. This is where the main explanation begins. Hardman, played by Defoe, was a detective put onto the case and fell in love with the falsely accused maid, who also turns out to be the trains conductor's sister. Mrs Hubbard is Linda Arden, the mother of the woman who died from premature childbirth. Everyone else is linked as Penelope's Cruz was one of the housekeepers who fell asleep when the child was taken. Ratchett's assistant was the son of a detective put on the case who was put under pressure to accuse the main and when he killed herself, he was never the same again. Everyone else, are too linked with the case in ways that would cause intent. We are shown the history of this, in dark coloured flash back, as each person breaks down and then we head to seeing the murder itself. Each person passes the knife to each other and stabs the gangster in the chest. That way, no-one knows he caused the fatal wound. Arden claims that she was the one to set it all up, no-one else is to blame but her. Poirot turns to her and tells her that he is now the only person who can reveal the plot and expose them so challenges someone to shoot him, as he leaves his gun on the table. Instead, Arden lifts it to her mouth to kill herself, but the gun isn't loaded and she collapses in tears. I assume her done this to prove that they were not actually murderers, just people who wanted justice.

The train is finally put back onto the track and Poirot walks through the carriages and through all passengers, who look on nervously. He turns and tells them that there is no justice to be found in this case and everyone has already suffered enough due to the actions of one man. He will have to live with letting 12 people get away with a murder and as the train reaches the station, the police are waiting for him, who he explains his first theory too, that an enemy of the gangster had murdered Ratchett and fled. Poirot decides to get off the train at this stop, away from London and lets everyone carry on their way. He is approached by a messenger as he is needed for a 'death on the Nile', which I believe is another book in the series. He stops for a minute to watch the Orient Express disappear into the distance, before getting in the car for his next case.

With no source material read or earlier movies watched, I didn't have the ability to compare this to anything else. This film has a lot of critics, even down to them saying that Poirot's moustache wasn't right compared to how it is described in the books. As for me, I really enjoyed with movie. The cast was really good, as each person offered something different and no character was anywhere near the same. That's until the end, where they were actually all linked together. I really didn't expect Depp to be in this movie as little as he was. He was one of the main suspects from the trailer. The cinematography, settings and colouring were all very interesting. Considering that this took place in the confined space of a train, it was really good and broad due to the fact of not knowing who was actually the murderer. Towards the end, quite a bit took place in the bright snow, almost as if the detective's mind was working and his ideas lighting up the way. This movie offers are great escapism and it had been a while since I had seen this genre of movie. With an amount of twists and intense storyline, it was very enjoyable for me and proved me wrong in my guesses to an extent. This was down to me not knowing anything about it going in, no matter how long the story had been around.

We know each other, He's a friend from work! (Thor: Ragnarok 2017)

155. 

Thor: Ragnarok

 
 

 

   9/10

 

 Another highly anticipated Marvel instalment for the year and one that will be on everyone's radar after the trailer. This trailer showed Thor in a new light. We have seen him as someone who couldn't become accustomed to the Earth's ways of life, someone without humour and a lot or seriousness. This time, the trailer had Guardians feel to it. It relied on music, humour and colourful, slow-motion scenes. I was really looking forward to seeing this so decided to treat myself to a trip to the IMAX cinema, simply to take it all in. With this be God like or more along the lines of a mere peasant compared to the rest of the universe?
This movie is set a couple of years after Ultron has tried to have his way with Earth. Thor is seen chained up and dangling above a pit, before being dropped down, still in chains. Before the drop, he addresses, what I thought was the audience, but turned out to be a skeleton in his cage. He explains that he had failed in his quest for the infinity stones and Jane had also broken up with him. He now hangs in the presence of Surtur, who states that it his destiny to bring about Ragnarok and the complete destruction of Thor's home, Asgard. He uses his hammer to break free, kill minions and Surtur, before taking his crown and heading home, in the end, to Asgard. He returns, finding that the reason he was slow in getting through the Bifrost gate was down to the new sentry, Skurge. Skurge is played by Karl Urban, whose character had been trying to charm three ladies with his miscellaneous items from many worlds. He tells Thor that he replaced Heimdell due to Odin accusing him of being a traitor. Heimdell has fled and he is now in charge. We already know that Loki has replaced Odin and disguised himself as his adoptive father. The scene that follows is brilliant, Odin, who is actually Loki, is laying on a bed, watching a theatrical performance on how Loki died, which was in Thor 2. It involves Matt Damon playing Loki on stage, Thor is played by Chris Hemsworth's real-life brother, Liam and Sam Neill is playing Odin. I only noticed Damon at first and then the others came to light. Thor knows something is up and throws his hammer into the distance, knowing it will return, but holds Loki in front of him, giving him the option to turn back or be killed. He forces his brother to help him find their father with the help of Dr. Strange back on Earth and they finally find Odin in Norway, coming to terms that he is going to die. With his death, his oldest child, Hela shall be released from her prison that he was holding her in. She, with her father, had taken over the nine realms, but been locked away when her blood lust became too much. Her history had been stricken from all records. She appears, once Odin has floated off into the clouds and instantly confronts the brothers. Hela is played by Cate Blanchett and is extremely attractive wearing all black, with long black hair. Thor sends his hammer loose but she grabs it and shatters it to a million pieces. The brothers try to flee through the Bitfrost and she pursues them, forcing them out into space to die. She carries on to Asgard and kills is main army and the Warriors Three, with little effort. She resurrects the ancient dead, who once fought by her side, along with a giant wolf called Fenris. She then faces Skurge, who quickly joins her forces as her executioner. She plans on using the Bitfrost to expand her empire. Heimdell has had other plans and steals the sword that control the Bridge and hides al of the surviving citizens away.
Out in space, Thor has survived and crash lands on Sakaar, a planet that is full of garbage and surrounded by wormholes in space. He ends up being surrounded and captured by a drunken bounty hunter called Scrapper 142. Then, is taken to be presented as a new gladiator for the Grandmaster, played by Jeff Goldblum. There is instant dry humour, as Goldblum is usually linked too. Loki is seen drinking in the great hall and has already gotten into favour with the Grandmaster. Thor has his head shaved, by the one and only Stan Lee, who makes his usual small cameo, before being thrown into a dungeon where he befriends a rock creature called Korg, who will soon become my favourite character in this movie. Korg is actually being voiced by the director of the movie Taika Waititi. He too, is full of dry wit and one liners, whilst unknowingly being funny. He explains that everyone who has been up against the champion, has been ripped to pieces. They build up this champion as something massive and I would be very intrigued by that this champion looks like and indeed who it would be. That's if the trailer hadn't already spoiled the fact that the hulk with be the warrior. Inside the arena, Thor is overjoyed to see his team mate from the Avengers, but Hulk doesn't seem best pleased and the two begin an epic battle, which includes Thor trying to use Black Widows technique, but it doesn't work and he too gets slammed into the ground as Loki once was. In the viewing platform, Loki is loving this, but is hiding the fact that he knows his own brother. As Thor finally gets the upper-hand, the Grandmaster shocks him, not wanting his champion to be defeated.
Back on Asgard, Hela has the remaining people, that Heimdell is trying to save, ordering her executioner to kill a random, until someone speaks up about where the sword is. Although he hesitates, h goes for the kill, but at the last minute, someone speaks up and the hunt is on. Thor is now in the Hulks room, where he stays until he goes training with the scrapper. Thor is left in the room though as there is an invisible wall, stopping him from leaving. Once the Hulk returns with Scrapper, he realises that he knows her as one of the Asgardians all female fighters. Her name is Valkyrie and she once faced Hela, before being the only one left alive and fleeing. Thor jumps out of Hulk's window after seeing the Quinjet that Hulk flew at the end of the Ultron movie, causing Hulk to follow him and set off the computer systems, playing Natasha's last message to him and turning him back into Banner for the first time in two years. Thor finally has means to escape and tries to recruit Valkyrie, who at first refuses, but soon changes her mind after and encounter with Loki, leaves him using his powers to make her remember her hidden memories of the Hela encounter. She shows her good will by chaining up Loki and handing him over to Thor. Banner is also there but she doesn't know who he is, only knowing who Thor is. Once the four decide it is time to leave, Thor and Loki head to steal a ship, to which Loki, as normal, tries to betray his brother but this time Thor anticipated it and already had a plan in place, using the shocker that the Grandmaster had used on him. Loki is left to twitch on the floor as the three escape the planet. Not without a few encounters first.
The have escaped through the greatly named, 'Devil's Anus' portal and arrived at Asgard, just as Hela is about to destroy the remaining population. They are on the Bifrost bridge, trying to escape. In front of them is the giant wolf and behind, Hela and her army. The ship, containing our three heroes, lands just in time to start a violent battle where Thor quickly gets overpowered and even loses an eye. He is doubting himself without his hammer, before having visions of his father, who tells him that the hammer simply channelled his powers, as he is actually the God of Thunder. He also tells him that Asgard can be anywhere, as long as the people survive. He now realises what he is about, sending a massive lightning bolt through Hela, as the other two are trying to hold of Hela's armies. Banner has now turned into the Hulk once more. Loki has been picked up back on Sakaar, by the escaping Korg and his friends, who have also arrived at Asgard to join the fight. Skurge is seen feeling cowardly and hides himself in a cloak to get onto Korg's ship with the other citizens. The guilt gets too much though and he sacrifices himself to let the ship escape. Thor has now linked up with Valkyrie and Thor, knowing that Hela will appear again after growing stronger from the power of Asgard and the God of Thunder quickly realises that he cannot stop Ragnarok, but instead must let it take place and move Asgard itself. He sends Loki down to the vault to throw Surtur's skull into a flame and bring about his rebirth. As he is down there, we see him walk past the tesseract, which implies his chance of stealing it once again. Surtur emerges, a massive figure and easily kills Hela, as everyone else escapes, just before Asgard is completely destroyed in the distance. Although Thor is clearly upset about the end of his home, he knows he has still saved many of his people. He finally meets his destiny at the end of the movie, sitting on the Throne of the ship, which is actually the captain's chair, where is first order is to take everyone to Earth.
The film ends with Loki explain to Thor that the decision to go to Earth may not be a good one for him after what has happened with Loki in the past. This discussion carries on, as the brothers look out of the window to a gigantic ship, which I believe is Thanos, pulling up alongside. The final post-credits scene, is the Grandmaster crawling out of his crashed ship after the early chase scene on Sakaar. He is confronted by some scavengers, who are his former slaves and he congratulates them on their revolt, conceding that it was a draw.

 This could be up there with one of my favourite films to come out in 2017. It is definitely my favourite Marvel film from his year and I think that goes down to the comedy involved, along with the filming techniques, use of music and action scenes. If I start with the negatives, that'll be a little easier. The humour could be seen as a little too much by some de hard fans and at first, I was a little bit confused by the amount of humour. Thor was always seen as a serious character in the other movies and someone who didn't understand humour, sarcasm and the way humans react to situations. This movie though, Thor seemed very much along the human lines in this movie, making the jokes and his mannerisms where on a new level. Another problem would be the use of the Hulk. The film could have been a 10 out of 10 if they hadn't have revealed that he was in the film so much within the trailer. They showed how much he spoke and that he was the champion, yet in the movie, they decided to build this 'champion' up so much without mentioning who it was until the end. Truly was a missed trick with that one. To be fair, those were smaller problems within a massively successful film. I found myself laughing, in and out of each scene and then transported into a more serious storyline from time to time. We all knew the casting, as we have seen them before, but Hela was a new comer to the movies and she didn't disappoint either. The landscapes and new planet were both great additions too. There was plenty of slow motion scenes and fight scene that contrasted so well at times with the quicker chase scenes, that made this movie a breath of fresh air and a completely different angle from the other Thor movies. There was no real love story, instead we were treated to the more regular characters from the franchise. I cannot recommend seeing this instalment enough and every time the music hits in this movie, you'll find yourself with a smirk on your face.

Oh hey, you're up (Happy Death Day 2017)

 

154.

Happy Death Day

 

 

 

 

6/10

 

Continuing with the Halloween theme for the month and proof that I am real behind with the reviews, Happy Death Day is going to give us a horror, with a little comedy, that seems like something I have seen before. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the beginning but as the day drew on, it finally came back to me. I really wasn't expecting too much after viewing the trailer and all I knew was that a girl constantly wakes up on her birthday, to be killed by a masked assailant, over and over and over again. Will she find out who this person is and more importantly, survive until the end of the day. This could be a birthday to forget.

As the opening credits hit, the Universal logo that we have become accustomed to, repeats itself twice, before the whole motion happens as normal, highlighting the time loop that we are about to witness. The movie beings, just as the trailer did, with a hungover Teresa, waking up in a dorm room of schoolmate Carter. He phones goes off, ringing a song about a birthday, yet in the trailer it was 50 Cent 'In Da Club'. No idea why that changed last minute. As she gathers her things, another guy walks in ready to ask if Carter had slept with the girl, to all of their embarrassment and 'Tree' quickly exits. On her way out of the room, she runs into a girl wants signatures for a petition, a guy falling asleep during his pledge, a car alarm, people getting socked by sprinklers and finally a guy called Tim, who she never returned a text to. She finally gets back to her friend questioning where she had been and once in her room, her roommate, Lori, presents her with a little cupcake and candle for her birthday. She blows out the candle and throws the cake in the bin, mainly because she can't be doing with extra carbs. So far, this girl seems like a right bitch and fair enough for someone having enough of her shit. Tree goes to class, late and instantly gets spotted by the lecturer before the scene turns to the both of them in her office, clearly in a relationship, even though this guy is married. They even almost get caught by his wife, who I think is a bit suspicious too. Before she entered the offices though, she bumps into Lori who claims she knows why she is there in the first place. She knows what is going on. Tree goes to join her sorority sisters for lunch and we can see where the bitchiness comes from as the lead sister, Danielle, pulls up one of the girls for eating junk food. The girl eating, Becky, gets up and bumps into Carter, causing a milkshake to fall onto Tree. Carter is there to return a necklace that Tree had left at him and she is clearly embarrassed because she pulls him aside quickly to hide what has happened.

The movie moves on to the night and Tree is in her room being invited to a party but she is clearly not that into it. In the end, she makes her own way there, walking through the campus grounds alone and coming across a gang of drunken guys wearing the school's sports colours. The team is nicknamed the babies and at the back of the group is one lad wearing a baby mask, the one which we seen the murderer wear in the trailer. As she carries on, she heads under a bridge where she finds a random music box playing. She goes to pick it up and sees the guy wearing the mask standing there silent and after the threat of calling the cops, the person runs. Starting to leave, she is then chased by the person until being caught and stabbed to death. This start our cycle because she wakes up once again in the dorm, dazed and confused but putting it all down to a dream and deja vu. She doesn't through the cupcake this time and things take a slight change as she warns Becky about the bump this time but is still covered in shake. Tree heads to the party once more and as she enters, all she sees is that baby mask again, so lets out a punch to the jaw, only to find out that it is Danielle's boyfriend and the party is her surprise birthday one. Nick is a little gutted with the punch and the party is soon in full swing. Nick clearly has a shine for Tree and hints at them going upstairs, which Danielle gets wind of and is visually pissed off. Up in the room, Nick messes about with the mask once more and Tree isn't too happy. He turns a switch and the room turns into a mini disco, music blaring and spotlights swinging. She turns her back on him and in the background, the murderer emerges from a closet to stab Nick to death. She turns back around and still thinks it's Nick before she realises that he is on the floor and there is a struggle for her escape. Tree gets a text from Danielle about going up to the room with Nick and accusing her of it happening before and the night ends with the killer putting a broken bong piece through her chest. First instincts and a pure guess leads me to it being the lecturer she has been hooking up with.

Again, Tree wakes up in Carter's but with a lot more screaming this time. She runs out of the room to see all of the things that I have already listed once before. She runs to her room and tells Lori that she thinks someone is after her and once she has calmed down, she decides to take the day off to relax. She locks herself away, boards up the doors and windows but the TV keeps turning itself on and off, before the killer emerges from the curtains and stabs her once again. After going through everything again, she finally comes clean to Carter, who takes it surprisingly well, considering. H suggests that they write a list of who the killer could be and he suggests that it may be someone targeting her because it is her birthday, but means everyone is a suspect because everyone would be at the party for her that night. On the other hand, she has an unlimited amount of chances to find out who her killer is. There is then a montage of her constantly dying as she tries to work through the list of suspects. First is the guy who she didn't return a text to and she finds him watching gay porn. Next comes Stephanie, but she spots here elsewhere, moments before the killer drowns her. Danielle is up next, but she ends up killing herself after a short fight and an incoming bus ends the sequence. She crosses off the names and then suspects Gregory, the lecturer. She heads to the hospital where he works and gets x-rays, to which he is astonished that she is alive due to the evidence of many traumatic accidents. She gets out of bed as he goes to get her a drink and heads to his office to search his draws. In there, she finds the baby mask! I'm right! Feeling a sense of accomplishment, I'm intrigued to how this plays out. That's until the killer turns up and kills Gregory anyway. Tree makes it to the parking lot and finds Gregory's car, making a break of it and driving in excitement, she finally feels that she has escaped. That's until she gets pulled over by the cops for speeding. She lies and says that she is drunk, knowing that she will be locked up for the night. When she is cuffed and put into the back of the police car, another car speeds past and completely takes out the cop. The killed gets out and the first thing I notice is that this person is wearing gloves. Now to me, a massive part of covering every part of the skin up, is to not show the colour. There is really only one, maybe two people with a different skin colour in this movie and the main one is the roommate. That's where my suspicions are now. The crash has caused a leak from the side fuel tank and the killer drops a lit birthday candle into the leak, causing a fire, which spreads to the car and blows it up.

Yet again, Tree wakes up in the same place and this time takes Carter with her, showing him all of the mini events that will take place as she leaves campus. She is getting worried that she is running out of lives and also mentions the fact of her phone ringing in the morning is her dad, who she avoids at this time of year. It's because her mum had passed away three years earlier and she shared a birthday with her. Moments later, on TV they notice a bulletin about a well-known killer, Joseph Tombs, who preys on younger girls. Figuring out that he is the killer, she can now finally stop him. The pair go to the hospital, where he is strapped up in a bed but as they arrive, they notice that he has already escaped and killed the guard. Tree grabs a fire axe and tries to run from Tombs as he makes himself appear from the shadows. He kills Carter and then turns his attention to the blonde. She manages to get him to the ground and is ready to end it, that's until she realises that in doing so, Carter will remain dead, so instead, she kills herself with a jump from the clock tower. She promises this killer that she will be back for him soon. This time, the loop has started with a renewed energy and Tree is ready for it this time around. She warns everyone about the little mishaps on campus, the sprinklers and tells Gregory that she is calling things off because he is married. She gets a full tray of junk food and sits with the girls and although Danielle tries to send her away, she pours the milkshake on top of her instead. Carter returns the necklace and she kisses him in front of her sorority sisters. She even invites him over that night for her birthday. This time she is confident that she will survive. Tree's next step is to meet up with her Dad. She admits that it has been hard since her Mum passed and the two finally share a laugh and lighten the mood.

The movie is now drawing to a close I think. Tree turns up at the hospital and holds the guard at knife point, taking his gun and telling him to go for back up. She walks into the room and points the gun at Tombs, who has actually been pretending to sleep. He is untied and shoots out of bed. She tries to shoot him but forgets about the safety on the gun, which gives him the chance to attack her and brutally slams her against a wall. Tree then remembers that a brief, rolling black out happens every loop and she uses it to her advantage, escaping Tomb's line of site. She appears back behind him, with the safety off this time and plants a few bullets into his chest. Tree and Carter spend the night together and she finally gets to eat that cupcake before her birthday is over. She blows out the candle and makes a wish. But shit, that's not the end! She wakes up in Carter's once more, angry and confused as to how this is still the loop. She runs back to her room and Lori is there once more with the cupcake. She tells her that she ate it last night and finally, it has hit her. She died in her sleep, which means the cupcake was poisoned all along. She didn't eat it before so she never died from it. That's why she never realised that Lori was the killer all along. Boom! I was right the second time around! Lori works at the hospital and was able to set Tombs free each night. She even finds the mask in Lori's desk all before asking Lori to eat the cake to prove there is nothing wrong with it. Lori finally comes clean and it's all because of jealousy and a guy she likes, likes Tree more. For God's sake! Shit motive. The two start fighting, as Danielle is outside the room, shouting at the two for the noise. Tree grabs the cake and shoves it into Lori's mouth before jumping up to grab the lights on the ceiling, swinging and kicking the bitch out of the window. Dead as disco.

Tree and Carter are back at a diner, watching the whole news report on TV, with Danielle loving the limelight. Tree wakes up the next morning to the same ringtone again, Carter in the same position, with the same dialogue... surely not? Tree starts to freak out but Carter is just pranking her. That's probably the most savage prank I have ever seen. Brilliant. She has made it to the next day and finally, the film can draw to a close.

This was a little more fun for a horror film at this time of year. It wasn't a gory one, nor did it contain massive amounts of violence. Each kill was quick and not dragged out. The main focus was the storyline as to find out who the killer was more than anything else. Although I got it wrong the first time, I was pretty pleased with getting the killer right the second time around. I hadn't seen anyone in this film, in anything else before and the casting was pretty decent. I do love a good twist and the film keep you guessing at all times, especially the prank at the end, which truly made me think that the loop was still going. The repetition didn't spoil the film at all and I had enjoyed that kind of style before in Live, Die, Repeat, which kind of used the same storyline in order to carry the film, with many possible outcomes on its way. Viewers shouldn't go into this movie expecting too much. It's a good laugh at times and nothing too imaginative but it does do the job for some entertainment. With some decent editing and is pretty fresh from the other constant slashing on offer at Halloween.