The Bay (Barry Levinson, 2012)

Cast: Kether Donohue, Kristen Connolly, Will Rogers, Stephen Kunken

Summary: Chaos breaks out in a small Maryland town after an ecological disaster occurs.

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Watched: August 21st, 2016

There has been a lot of found footage films over the last few years, but the bay has done things a little differently.
Not only is it made up of various different pieces of footage taken from the residents of Claridge, Maryland but it is also interwoven with a Skype interview conducted 3 years after disaster hit the town.

The Skype interview introduces us to Donna Thompson (Kether Donohue), a young amateur journalist that happened to be in Claridge on the day of the incident speaking publicly for the first time about what happened.

The found footage within the film is made up of footage that had been confiscated by the government when the town was quarantined and includes footage from webcams, CCTV, video from holidaymakers, TV news, dash cams etc.
To be honest the use of this footage makes the film feel less like a horror and more like a ecological documentary or mockumentary.
For me it is definitely the webcam footage from the Skype interview that help to make the film as convincing as it does. The tinny sound, the poor quality of the image and the voice of the interviewer on the other end all add to the authenticity of the film.

I found the acting to be a little iffy in parts with certain characters but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I loved watching the story unfold through the various different viewpoints of the town's residents.

Rating: 7/10
One Final Word: Very Good

He Never Died (Jason Krawczyk, 2015)

Cast: Henry Rollins, Booboo Stewart, Kate Greenhouse, Jordan Todosey

Summary: Jack, a social outcast, is thrust out of his comfort zone when the outside world bangs on his door and he can't contain his violent past.

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Horror

Watched: November 30th, 2016

I really enjoyed this film, it definitely turned out to be much better than I thought it was going to be.

I honestly wasn't expecting much after seeing the poster (never judge a book by its cover I know) because it reminded me of the film Legion (2010), which I liked but I know isn't really that good.

Henry Rollins is brilliant as Jack, the mysterious man no one seems to know anything about.
We soon learn that he has two suspicious scars on his back, goes to church, plays bingo (because it's something to do), goes to the same diner where he always has oatmeal and hot tea and has been alive for a very, very long time.

Just how long he has been alive, no one knows.

To be honest I found that I for the majority of the film I wasn't actually thinking about how long he had been alive or more about who he is. Even when his big secret is revealed Rollins does it in such a casual way that I thought okay I believe him and didn't need any in-depth explanations.

It's definitely a film I would recommend and watch again and again.

Rating: 8/10
One Final Word: Very Good

Timeshifters (Cathy Scorsese and Kenneth M. Waddell, 2015)

Cast: Jesse McCartney, Hannah Hodson, Alice Kremelberg, Ritesh Rajan and Conor Leslie

Summary: When one of their classmates disintegrates right before their eyes, Ari, Becca, Izzy, Greta and Arun must battle security, the Griefers and each other to uncover the incredible truth about themselves and this other-worldly campus before they are all eliminated.

Genre: Sci-fi, Action

Watched: December 26th, 2016

Also Known As: Campus Code

I bought this film a few months ago on one of my trips to HMV, which typically involves me buying films that I've never heard of before because the cover looks interesting. This was definitely one of those times.

Unfortunately that didn't really work out for me this time! The first thing that clued us into the fact that this film was going to be a whole load of rubbish wasn't even the film itself, but the trailers.
The first one started and it looked as though it was made on a budget of about £1, then there was the awful, awful acting.

In the space of about 2 minutes I knew that by the time the film started we wouldn't be able to watch it, but I said to my family let's give it 10 minutes and if it's really as bad as it seems we'll watch something else.
I don't think we even made it 10 minutes before I begged my mum to turn it off and I ended up watching it by myself later that evening.
The acting was absolutely horrendous for pretty much the whole film, the plot is just awful and the special effects made me want to cry.
The worst part of all is the fact that, that DVD I liked so much actually has nothing whatsoever to do with the film!

As bad as I thought it was while I was watching it, as soon as it finished I thought wait a minute, it's not actually that bad. I mean it is but the idea is very interesting and I think that if the story was written better, had a proper budget and better actors etc. it would maybe make an interesting pilot for a perhaps TV series.
Possibly, who knows?

It reminds me of a film called Parallels (2015), which I thought was amazing but was an awful film and I say that because it has one of the most abrupt endings I've ever seen in a film and it feels more like a pilot for a new show.
Which I've just found out is that it is actually now being made into a series!

Rating: 3/10
One Final Word: Has Potential

Beneath (Ben Ketai, 2013)

Cast: Brent Briscoe, Kurt Caceres, Jeff Fahey, Kelly Noonan. Eric Etebari, Joey Hern

Summary: A crew of coal miners becomes trapped 600 feet below ground after a disastrous collapse. As the air grows more toxic and time runs out, they slowly descend into madness and begin to turn on one another.

Genre: Horror

Watched: December 15th, 2016

As soon as I saw the trailer for this film I just knew I had to watch it and then I saw the trailer multiple times every day for the next week and I absolutely could not wait to watch it.

However it finally came on I was left feeling a little disappointed.
Overall I thought the film was good. It's very similar in ways to The Descent (2005) which I absolutely loved; however there is definitely something missing.

Most of the performances are okay, but my biggest problem was with Sam (Kelly Noonan). She started off as a very decent character and was definitely an early favourite, but as soon as she stepped foot in the caves she completely changed.
She became a bit of a whimpering mess and this was before anything had really happened. So I wasn't surprised to see her become a bit of a damsel in distress for most of the film.

In The Descent we see exactly what is causing the problems underground (although it takes us a bit of time to get there); however with this film the question of whether it is actually the lack of oxygen that is causing the chaos or is there something more sinister at work seems to pop up.

I don't think it is actually explicitly mentioned and I don't think it was Ketai's intention but the way it's been written/filmed definitely brings up that question.
I really wish that it had been explored because I think it would have made a much better film, especially considering when the group first enters the cave and the ending.

Rating: 6/10
One Final Word: Okay

150 Films Challenge | Completed & Favourites

I mentioned back in my first post of the year (150 Films | Happy New Year) I completed my goal to watch 150 films I had never seen before in one year!
After another count the total is actually 152 films!

You can find the full list here: 150 Films | Full List.

Take a look below at some of my favourite films from the year!

In Order of Disappearance (Hans Petter Moland, 2014)
Pitch Black (David Twohy, 2000)
Tomorrow When the War Began (Stuart Beattie, 2010)

My Beautiful Broken Brain (Sophie Robinson & Lotje Sodderland, 2014)
Clouds of Sils Maria (Olivier Assayas, 2015)
Equilibrium (Kurt Wimmer, 2002)

Hush (Mike Flanagan, 2016)
Riddick (David Twohy, 2013)
3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets (Marc Silver, 2015)

Echo Park (Amanda Marsalis, 2014)
The Gift (Joel Edgerton, 2015)
A Girl Like Her (Amy S. Weber, 2015)

Black Sheep (Jonathan King, 2006)
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (Kiah Roache-Turner, 2014)
The Accountant (Gavin O'Connor, 2016)

He Never Died (John Krawczyk, 2015)
Tank Girl (Rachel Talalay, 1995)
Spectral (Nic Mathieu, 2016)

Kill Command (Steven Gomez, 2016)
Exam (Stuart Hazeldine, 2010)

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (Kiah Roache-Turner, 2014)

Cast: Jay Gallagher, Bianca Bradey, Leon Burchill, Luke McKenzie, Yure Covich

Summary: A talented mechanic prepares to battle his way through hordes of flesh-eating monsters after his sister is kidnapped on the eve of a zombie apocalypse.

Genre: Horror, Comedy

Watched: October 29th, 2016

Just like Netflix, the Horror Channel has become a good friend to me during my 150 film challenge.

I saw the advert for this film a few days before it came on TV and I thought this looks interesting, I'll definitely give that a watch and it was absolutely brilliant!

It's an interesting take on the zombie genre, which we know has absolutely been done to death.
We are thrown straight into the story with absolutely no information as to where we are or any explanation as to what's happening.
The actors were very good. I had no idea who any of them were but they did an absolutely fantastic job. Benny (Leon Burchill) was definitely my favourite character, he provided some much needed comic relief from the second he came on screen.

The script was a little bit off at times, but this is definitely a film that doesn't take itself too seriously so it's easy to brush it off. Also I'm not normally big on cinematography but it definitely gets a thumbs up from me here.

Rating: 8/10
One Final Word: Very Good

Audrie & Daisy (Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, 2016)

Starring: Daisy Coleman, Delaney Henderson, Paige Pankhurst, Audrie Pott

Summary: A look at the effects that online bullying has on the lives of teenagers and their community.

Genre: Documentary

Watched: November 29th, 2016

Not long after I saw A Girl Like Her I came across this documentary and after reading the description I decided to add it to my watchlist. However it actually took me a while to work up the courage to actually watch it and I am so glad that I finally did.

One of the cases discussed and for me the saddest is the case of Audrie Pott who was sexually assaulted after she had passed out drunk at a party.
With no memory of what happened Audrie later discovered that not only were there rumours about her at school but that naked pictures of her were also being sent to other students.
After suffering relentless abuse from a number of her peers, 8 days after the assault Audrie committed suicide.

The documentary also discusses the case of Daisy Coleman who after being raped by a classmate of her brother, was left on the grass outside her home where her mother and brother were sleeping in -5c weather.
Daisy then became a victim of online bullying from people within her small town when they found out what had happened.

Listening to the girls tell their stories is difficult enough but it gets ten times harder listening to their friends and families talk about what happened, especially in the case of Audrie Pott, whose mother describes the day of her daughters suicide and finding her body.
This documentary is definitely an eye opener towards the attitudes of small communities in America and how far they will go to "defend/protect" one of their rising stars and it's something I would have appreciated watching when I was in school.

Rating: 8/10
One Final Word: Great

The Accountant (Gavin O'Connor, 2016)

Cast: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.k. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson

Summary: As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise.

Genre: Crime, Action

Watched: November 4th, 2016

I had absolutely no intention of watching this film when I first saw the trailer.
It looked incredibly boring, nothing that I would want to waste money on watching in the cinema. Then one of my closest friends asked if anyone wanted to go to the cinema and that she wanted to watch The Accountant.

I decided to go purely because I wanted to see my friend and I'm very happy to say I was absolutely, 100% wrong. This film is absolutely brilliant and I would 100% recommend going to see it.

I've only seen Ben Affleck in probably 3 films one being the awful Daredevil (2003), but I've never really thought much of his acting. I haven't seen Batman vs Superman, I'm not the biggest Batman fan although I have seen the Christian Bale ones, this one just didn't interest me at all.
I know he's also written and directed quite a few movies that people have raved about like Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Town (2010) and Argo (2012) (I haven't seen any of these either).


Affleck does an absolutely fantastic job and it definitely makes me want to watch more of his films. I also really enjoyed Anna Kendrick's performance, I've liked her ever since her small part in Twilight (2008). The cast as a whole is incredibly good.

I absolutely loved the story! I was able to guess one of the twists long before it was revealed, but the final twist definitely shocked me. For myself and probably most people that have seen it, it was definitely one we didn't see coming.
I did get a little confused at the very beginning trying to figure out which if the children was Christian and it found it a bit long in places, but no so much that I lost interest.

This film is 100% worth a watch, it's so good to watch a film that answers almost if not all questions that come up. The trailer absolutely does not do it any justice at all.

Rating: 10/10
One Final Word: EXCELLENT!

Frozen (Adam Green, 2010)

Cast: Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers

Summary: Three skiers stranded on a chairlift are forced to make life-or-death choices which prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death.

Genre: Thriller

Watched: November 9th, 2016

Although the description sounded interesting when I first read it, it also sounded as though the film was going to be quite slow paced and a little boring.
It turns out that it definitely wasn't as slow as I thought it was going to be and I ended up really enjoying it.

I did struggle with the first few scenes. I found that I wasn't very interested in the 3 characters, who they were or what they were doing and it was only just before the trio are left stranded is when my interest began to grow. I think this was mainly because there are a couple of moments that clue you into what's going to happen to the trio.

For me the film really comes into its own when the trio are left stranded on the ski lift.
The trio at first think it's a joke until the lights of the resort are turned off, only then do the trio begin to panic as they know that the slopes will be closed for the next week.

Knowing that they won't survive the trio try to come up with a plan to save themselves.
I really enjoyed the performances from all 3 actors but the stand out for me is Emma Bell who plays Parker, although there are a few iffy moments overall she does a fantastic job.

There's a moment shortly after realising they've been left suspended on the ski-lift where Parker begins to panic and she reveals her worries about what will happen to her puppy if she dies on the lift and he thinks that she has abandoned him.

It probably seems kind of ridiculous to some people that she is more worried about her pet at home then she is about being stranded 50 feet above the ground with absolutely nobody around. I think it makes everything seems a little bit more real because you never know how you would react in a similar situation, and I think there are probably a few people who would end up having this thought in a similar situation.

This is definitely a film I would recommend and one that I would happily watch again.

Other Films Watched in December 2016

Assassins (Richard Donner, 1995) - Okay

Meteorites! (Chris Thompson, Chris Thomson, 1998) - Awful

Wishmaster (Robert Kurtzman, 1997) - Good

Wilderness (Michael J. Bassett, 2006) - Awful

Gallowwalkers (Andrew Goth, 2012) - Okay

Girl Missing (Joel Soisson, 2015) - Rubbish

Second Chances (Jean-Claude Lord, 2010) - Rubbish

Girls Against Boys (Austin Chick, 2012) - Okay

Night of the Living Dead (Tom Savini, 1990) - Okay

Battle of The Damned (Christopher Hatton, 2013) - Good

A Madea Christmas (Tyler Perry, 2013) - Good

Urge (Aaron Kaufman, 2016)

Cast: Justin Chatwin, Ashley Greene, Alexis Knapp, Bar Paly, Chris Geere, Pierce Brosnan, Danny , Masterson, Nick Thune

Summary: A weekend getaway takes a dangerous turn when a mysterious nightclub owner introduces a group of friends to a new designer drug. Stripped of their inhibitions, they start living out their wildest fantasies - but what starts out as a fun night of partying quickly turns deadly.

Genre: Thriller

Watched: November 20th, 2016

This was the second of November's films that had me thinking "um what?" long after the film had ended.

Neil (Danny Masterson), an arrogant millionaire takes his group of friends to his mansion on an executive island. Once settled in, the group decide to visit the club Volcano where things really started to get weird, well that's if you don't consider your friends seeing you have sex through a large window weird.

At Volcano they encounter the "Red Bastard", a man wearing some sort of red long johns with a bunch of balloons underneath. This would have been enough for me to get up and leave, but no they decide to stay and have a piece of what everyone else seems to be having.

"Urge", a glowing blue inhalant that strips you of your inhibitions. The only catch is that you can only do it once in your lifetime. I think from here on its pretty obvious that these are the type of people who play by their own rules, so of course they're going to do it more than once.

I have to say I wasn't expecting the descent into madness to be quite as graphic as it was, but then considering some of the earlier scenes I probably shouldn't have been so shocked.

I enjoyed the first few scenes but as the film goes on the story just gets stranger and stranger and there were times when I got completely lost and it felt as though I had missed something important, and there were often times where there was so much going on I struggled to remember who the main people were.
I also wasn't a fan of the ending.

It isn't the great but it was miles better than #Horror.

Rating: 5/10
One Final Word: Huh?

#Horror (Tara Subkoff, 2015)

Cast: Chloë Sevigny, Timothy Hutton, Sadie Seelert, Haley Murphy, Bridget McGarry, Emma Adler, Mina Sundwall

Summary: Six preadolescent girls face a night of terror when the compulsive addiction of an online social media game turns a moment of cyber bullying into a night of insanity.

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Watched: November 20th, 2016

This was the first of the November films that had me absolutely baffled, from the word go I was completely lost and it was just awful.

The first thing that caught my attention was the strange casino like sound effects from a social media game the girls are playing. The sounds were never actually explained so at the time I wasn't aware that they were coming from a game, and they happened way too often.

The second thing that I didn't like was the acting. I've been a fan of Chloë Sevigny ever since seeing the show Hit & Miss and although the script doesn't do her any favours her performance is still okay.

It was really the girls' performance that made the film worse for me. It was absolutely awful and at times it was almost painful to watch, so much so that I considered giving up and watching something else on more than one occasion. I think they could have been so much better if the script hadn't be so incredibly poor.

We spend a ridiculous amount of time establishing that these girls are absolutely disgusting examples of human beings. Forget being spoilt, self-indulged, social media obsessed brats, these girls are so horribly mean to other that I actually wasn't sure if I wanted to keep watching.

I read a review somewhere that said: "They made attempts to create sympathetic characters, giving some of them ham-fisted back stories regarding suicide, or just having them be taunted for weight."

If this is actually the case and the director is actually trying to make me feel sympathy towards anyone of those girls it absolutely did not work.
We all know that there are many cases of bullying that have happened in similar ways where a group of friends bully each other or just one of their own; however nothing about these people feels at all genuine enough for me to feel sympathy for any of them. Even if they were genuine and these things had actually happened to them, I still don't think that I could feel anything but disgust for them.

Despite the poor acting/script, this app that the girls are using is definitely at the top of the list of things that I didn't understand in this film. Not only were the sound effects I mentioned earlier driving me crazy but the ridiculous graphics that pop up on screen what feels like every 2 seconds had me wishing that the film would just hurry up and end.

You would think that I wouldn't recommended this to anyone considering how much I disliked it but I really want people to watch it so that I can get their opinions about it! Let me know if you do or if you have seen it!

Rating: 2/10
One Final Word: Huh?

150 Films | Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone! 2016 has ended and 2017 has now begun and that means that my 150 Films challenge is officially over!

If you're only just joining me, back in January I decided to set myself a goal to watch 150 films I've never seen before in one year (150 Films Challenge). I did one back in 2010 with 100 films just before in my last year of A Levels.
I actually wasn't planning to do another challenge so soon after my 150 Books, but after speaking to my sister I decided to give it a go.

I started off really well with 19 films in January mainly because of the few days I had off over the Christmas holidays, but the next few months were more of a struggle and numbers were a lot smaller with my quietest month being July with only 8 films watched.

I ramped it up a bit in September but especially in November when I watched one and a half films every day for 5 days after I realised I had 10 days to watch 14 films.

12 months, 365 days later I have managed to watch 151 films that I have never seen before.

I'm planning a round-up post shortly about some my favourite films from the challenge but before that stay tuned for my final monthly update: Other Films Watched in December!

Other Films Watched in November 2016

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (Anthony C. Ferrante, 2015) - Okay

Final Girl - (Tyler Shields, 2015) - Good

XXX - (Rob Cohen, 2002) - Good

Cockneys VS Zombies (Matthias Hoene, 2012) - Hilarious

Code Name: Geronimo (John Stockwell, 2012) - Good

Blood Rage (John Grissmer, 1987) - WHAT!?

Suburban Gothic (Richard Bates Jr., 2015) - Um what?

Dead Rising: Watch Tower (Zach Lipovsky, 2015) - Okay

eXistenZ (David Cronenberg, 1999) - Huh?

Paintball (Daniel Benmayor, 2009) - Okay

Need For Speed (Scott Waugh, 2014) - Okay

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Daniel Alfredson, 2009)

Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre, Peter Andersson, Per Oscarsson, Georgi Staykov

Summary: As computer hacker Lisbeth and journalist Mikael investigate a sex-trafficking ring, Lisbeth is accused of three murders, causing her to go on the run while Mikael works to clear her name.

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Drama

Watched: October 15th, 2016

I read the first book in the Millennium Series (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) back in May last year when I was doing my Goodreads Reading Challenge.

When I finally got round to reading it, after the first few pages I was told that it would take me around 11 hours to finish (I was reading it on my kindle), and after reading a few chapters I was just about ready to give up and start reading something else.

I had nothing to read on one of my long bus journey's so I decided to give it another go and I ended up absolutely loving it. I then said to myself that I would read the next two books (The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) before watching the films.

I watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo sometime last year and I thought it was absolutely brilliant, so when I finally sat down to watch The Girl Who Played with Fire (I watched the Swedish versions) I was definitely expecting big things and I wasn't disappointed.

To be honest it's kind of hard to review this film separately from the others as all three films link in with each other. Although technically a sequel this film is a bridge between the first and last film and the final film continues on from the end of the second film.

Unlike the first film which focuses more on the case they're investigating, The Girl Who Played with Fire tells us much more about Lisbeth and some of her childhood.
If you've never read any of the books the films are very easy to follow; however I would definitely recommend reading them, as the books goes in to a lot more detail then the films.

Although I think Dragon Tattoo is better, I still think this one packs a punch.

Rating: 8/10
One Final Word: Very Good


Oh and Merry Christmas!

Mindhunters (Renny Harlin, 2004)

Cast: Val Kilmer, LL Cool J, Christian Slater, Will Kemp, Jonny Lee Miller, Kathyrn Morris, Clifton Collins Jr and Eion Bailey

Summary: Trainees in the FBI's psychological profiling program must put their training into practice when they discover a killer in their midst.

Genre: Mystery, Crime, Horror

Watched: May 30th, 2016

I wasn't expecting much when I started watching this film, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A group of young FBI students are sent to a small island that is also used by the Navy and "populated" by incredibly creepy target dummies, to complete their final training exercise.
The killings begin the morning after the group arrives on the island, and I think it's safe to say that I was pretty shocked. I absolutely wasn't expecting it to happen as soon as it does and I wasn't expecting to be as gruesome as it was.

I really enjoyed this film. I really liked the characters within the group and the individual roles they played, but I don't want to give too much away.
So go watch it!

Rating: 8/10
Watched: Very Good

The Gift (Joel Edgerton, 2015)

Cast: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton

Summary: A young married couple's lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance from the husband's past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years.

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Watched: September 2016

The Gift is Joel Edgerton's directorial debut and I have to say he does a pretty impressive job, not only as director but also as an actor.

I don't think I've seen him in anything before this but I think he does an absolutely fantastic job here. He does creepy incredibly well but somehow still manages to make you like him.

Then there was Jason Bateman. I've seen Hancock and I really enjoyed his performance, I think it was the perfect blend of comedy and drama for him but I didn't think he would be any good in something so serious.
I was definitely wrong about that. Bateman absolutely proves himself for me and does an excellent job as Simon.

Although the film is about Gordon (Joel Edgerton) and Simon (Jason Bateman), it is definitely Robyn (Rebecca Hall) who comes across as the main character and is fantastic in this role.
I love the interaction between all three characters, but thing I loved the most was that I spent the majority of the film trying to figure out who the bad guy actually is.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I even loved the ambiguous ending. I was 100% rooting for Gordon and I really wanted him to get some sort of revenge, but deep down I think he's actually quite a nice guy and that he wouldn't really go that far. Or would he?

Rating: 9/10
One Final Word: EXCELLENT!

Hush (Mike Flanagan, 2016)

Cast: Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr., Samantha Sloyan, Michael Trucco

Summary: A deaf writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.

Genre: Thriller

Watched: May 21st, 2016

Like most films I've watched this year I found this gem on Netflix (it really has become my favourite things this year!), and after seeing the poster and reading the description I knew I had to see it.

There have been plenty of home invasion films like this, but this film is made a lot more scarier just by having a deaf protagonist.

I love how as soon as the film starts we're put into Maddie's (Kate Siegel) shoes with the films incredible sound design. As we watch Maggie cook dinner we can hear everything from the onions being sliced to eggs sizzling away in the pan, before zooming in on Maddie's face and the sound falling away.

I remember thinking around this point I wonder who the deaf character is because I could hear everything around me, which I know is a ridiculous thought to have. Just because I can hear what's happening around me, that doesn't meant that the person beside me isn't deaf.

I probably should have realised that Maddie was deaf when the sound fell away the closer we got to her face, but it was so subtle that I didn't realise it was missing until it came back in.

Even then I didn't realise that I still didn't realise Maddie was deaf, it was only until she began signing with her next door neighbour that I made the connection.

I thought this film was brilliant and I loved the story. I really enjoy films that get you talking and thinking about what you would do if you were in that situation and this is definitely one of them!

Rating: 9/10
One Final Word: Very Good

Monsters: Dark Continent (Tom Green, 2014)

Cast: Johnny Harris, Sam Keely, Joe Dempsie, Jesse Nagy, Nicholas Pinnock

Summary: Ten years on from the events of Monsters, and the 'Infected Zones' have now spread worldwide. In the Middle East a new insurgency has begun. At the same time there has also been a proliferation of Monsters in that region. The Army decide to draft in more numbers to help deal with this insurgency.

Genre: Drama, Sci-fi

Watched: May 8th, 2016

I really enjoyed Gareth Edward's Monsters film, so as soon as I heard that they were making a sequel I added it to my list of films to watch.

I don't go to the cinema as often as I should, so I said to myself that I would wait for this film to be released on DVD before I would watch it. Instead I ended up adding it to my Netflix watchlist and then I avoided watching it because I had heard a number of bad reviews about it.

A lot of people were complaining about the lack of monsters and how the film is instead a war film disguised as a Sci-Fi film.
I 100% agree that this film feels very different in comparison to the first Monsters because it does focus much more on the war side of things then the monsters themselves.

However I actually don't mind that the monsters don't play a bigger part in the sequel. With Monsters although they are a very important part of the story (and they do play a bigger part), they're not the focus which I think is also the case with Dark Continent.

The main thing both films have in common is that they deal very much with human connections and the connections we make with people in times of struggle and/or conflict.
I did think that it was a bit long winded but all in all I liked Dark Continent and I would happily watch it again.

Rating: Good
One Final Word: 7/10

Altitude (Kaare Andrews, 2010)

Cast: Jessica Lowndes, Julianna Guill, Ryan Donowho, Landon Liboiron, Jake Weary

Summary: After a mysterious malfunction sends their small plane climbing out of control, a rookie pilot and her four teenage friends find themselves trapped in a deadly showdown with a supernatural force.

Genre: Mystery, Horror, Sci-Fi

Watched: September 4th, 2016

I decided to watch this film purely because the description above sounded incredibly interesting, but it didn't turn out to be as good as it could have been.

Sara (Jessica Lowndes) has literally just received her pilot's license and she decides to fly her boyfriend, cousin, best friend and her boyfriend to a concert because the drive is bad.
During the flight Sara decides it would be fun to let her boyfriend Bruce (Landon Liboiron) (who looks like he's just about ready to pass out) fly the plane, and just so we're clear he doesn't have a license or any experience.

When Bruce panics and loses control after hitting some turbulence, Sara realises that an obstruction in the plane's tail is causing it to climb higher and higher and they soon lose radio contact.
Everyone blames Bruce for endangering their lives, but no one seems to be bothered by the fact that their pilot is obviously crazy. Not only did she hand over the controls to an inexperienced flyer for fun and did nothing to help him out when she could clearly see he was struggling, she spends half of her time looking over her shoulder or sitting in the back with her friends instead of flying the plane!!

To be fair they're actually all crazy. Two of the boys decide to have a fight mid-air over Sara's best friend, Mel (Julianna Guill) and then there's Cory (Ryan Donowho) who decides to go outside to manually remove the obstruction from the tail of the plane, with no safety gear, in the middle of a storm.

Then there was the supernatural force, which for me was probably the better part of the film. Most of the characters were so unlikeable and the script was so awful that every second they weren't on screen was just amazing.

Maybe that drive wouldn't have been so bad after all.

Rating: 2/10
One Final Word: Rubbish