Brooklyn (2015) - Amazon Prime

Brooklyn (2015)

Brooklyn is a 2015 historical romantic drama film directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Irish author Colm Tóibín. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as Eilis Lacey, a young Irish woman who emigrates from County Wexford to Brooklyn, New York, in the 1950s.

Production

The film was directed by John Crowley and adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby from Colm Tóibín's novel. It was produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey.

Filming took place in Ireland and Canada, with locations used to recreate both 1950s Ireland and Brooklyn.

Setting

The story takes place primarily in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland, and Brooklyn, New York, during the early 1950s. The contrast between the two locations reflects Eilis's emotional struggle between her Irish origins and the new identity she develops in America.

TRAILER 

Plot

In the early 1950s, Eilis Lacey lives with her mother and older sister, Rose, in the small Irish town of Enniscorthy, County Wexford. Eilis struggles to find meaningful employment and has few prospects for an independent future. Through arrangements made by Rose and Father Flood, a priest living in Brooklyn, Eilis is given the opportunity to immigrate to the United States.

After an emotional farewell to her family, Eilis travels by ship to New York. The journey is difficult, and she suffers from severe seasickness. Upon arriving in Brooklyn, she moves into a boarding house run by the strict but caring Mrs. Kehoe, where she lives with several other young Irish women.

Eilis finds employment at a department store and begins taking evening accounting classes. Although she gradually becomes more independent, she is initially overwhelmed by homesickness and struggles to adapt to American life. Father Flood recognizes her difficulties and helps her obtain an opportunity to study accounting, encouraging her to build a future for herself.

Eilis eventually becomes more comfortable in Brooklyn and begins dating Tony Fiorello, a young Italian-American plumber. Their relationship develops gradually, and Tony introduces her to his large, close-knit family. Eilis realizes that she is falling in love with him.

Their relationship becomes serious, and Tony proposes marriage. Eilis secretly marries him in a civil ceremony before returning to Ireland for a visit.

While Eilis is in Ireland, tragedy strikes when Rose unexpectedly dies. Eilis remains with her mother, grieving and helping her through the loss. During her stay, she becomes increasingly involved in the social life of Enniscorthy and attracts the attention of Jim Farrell, a respectable young Irish man from a well-established family.

Jim's interest in Eilis creates a new possibility for her. She could remain in Ireland, close to her mother and surrounded by the familiar life she once missed, while potentially beginning a relationship with Jim. Meanwhile, Tony remains in Brooklyn, waiting for her return.

Eilis becomes increasingly torn between her old life in Ireland and the new life she has built in America. The conflict forces her to confront the extent to which she has changed since leaving Ireland.

Eventually, Eilis encounters a woman who knows about her secret marriage to Tony. Realizing that her secret could be exposed, Eilis understands that she can no longer pretend that she is free to begin a new life with Jim.

Eilis returns to Brooklyn and reunites with Tony. She tells her mother that she has made her choice, accepting that Brooklyn has become her home and that her future lies with Tony.

The film ends with Eilis confidently embracing the life she has chosen, having transformed from a homesick young immigrant into an independent woman capable of deciding her own future.

Main Themes

* Immigration and identity

* Homesickness and belonging

* Love and marriage

* Family and loss

* Coming of age

* The conflict between the old world and the new world

* Choosing one's own future

Principal Cast

- Saoirse Ronan — Eilis Lacey

- Emory Cohen — Tony Fiorello

- Domhnall Gleeson — Jim Farrell

- Julie Walters — Mrs. Kehoe

- Jim Broadbent — Father Flood

- Fiona Glascott — Rose Lacey

- Jane Brennan — Mrs. Lacey

- Jessica Paré — Miss Fortini

- Eva Birthistle — Georgina

Rating: 10 Stars

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Amazon Prime

 Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is a 2013 American-German action horror film written and directed by Tommy Wirkola. It serves as a continuation to the traditional German folklore fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel". The film was produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, and Beau Flynn, with music composed by Atli Örvarsson. It stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton in the title roles, alongside Famke Janssen, Peter Stormare, Thomas Mann, and Pihla Viitala.

TRAILER 

Plot

Abandoned in a dark forest by their parents, young siblings Hansel and Gretel wander into a gingerbread house where they are captured by a cannibalistic witch. The witch forces Hansel to continuously eat sweets while preparing to cook Gretel. However, the siblings overpower the witch, push her into her own oven, and burn her alive. Following this traumatic experience, they discover they are immune to witch magic and spend the following decades traveling as notorious bounty hunters specializing in tracking and killing dark witches.

Years later, adult Hansel and Gretel arrive in the town of Augsburg, where several children have recently gone missing. They stop Sheriff Berringer from executing a local woman named Mina, whom he accuses of witchcraft, by demonstrating that she lacks the red eyes characteristic of dark witches. Mayor Evers hires the duo to locate the missing children. Investigating a witch's cabin, Hansel and Gretel capture a dark witch and learn that a celestial alignment known as the "Blood Moon" is approaching.

Muriel, a powerful Grand Dark Witch, requires the hearts of twelve children—six boys and six girls—along with a secret thirteenth ingredient to perform a ritual during the Blood Moon that will render all dark witches immune to fire, their primary weakness. Muriel attacks the town, abducting the final required child and taking Gretel's friend Ben captive. She severely injures Gretel, while Hansel is lured into the forest by a witch and separated from his sister.

Hansel wakes up in the forest, rescued and healed by Mina, while Gretel is rescued by Edward, a gentle troll enslaved by Muriel. The siblings reunite at an abandoned cottage in the woods, which they recognize as their childhood home. Muriel appears and reveals the truth about their parents: their mother, Adrianna, was a powerful Grand White Witch, and their father was a human. To complete the Blood Moon ritual, Muriel needed the heart of a Grand White Witch, choosing young Gretel. To protect her children, Adrianna sent them away, but the townspeople, led by Berringer, burned Adrianna at the stake and hanged their father.

Muriel abducts Gretel to use her heart as the final component of the ritual. Hansel, Mina, and Ben gear up with specialized weapons to launch an assault on the witches' gathering site. Mina uses her white magic to provide sniper fire, while Hansel fights through the horde of dark witches. Edward turns against Muriel to save Gretel, though he is severely wounded.

As the Blood Moon eclipse peaks, Hansel disrupts the ceremony, preventing Muriel from cutting out Gretel's heart. Mina mortally wounds Muriel with a holy weapon, but Muriel stabs Mina before fleeing to the original gingerbread house. Hansel, Gretel, and Ben pursue Muriel inside the house, engaging in a brutal physical fight. Gretel decapitates Muriel with a wire trap, ending her reign of terror.

With the children saved and Augsburg liberated, Hansel and Gretel receive their reward and continue their journey as witch hunters, now joined by Ben and a recovered Edward

Cast

Jeremy Renner as Hansel

Gemma Arterton as Gretel

Famke Janssen as Muriel (Grand Dark Witch)

Pihla Viitala as Mina (White Witch)

Derek Mears as Edward the Troll (voice by Robin Atkin Downes)

Thomas Mann as Ben Walser

Peter Stormare as Sheriff Berringer

Rainer Bock as Mayor Evers

Rating: 10 Stars

Lore, Amazon Prime Series 2017 and 2018

Overview

Lore is an American horror anthology series based on Aaron Mahnke's acclaimed podcast of the same name. Each episode tells a different story inspired by real historical events, disturbing crimes, medical practices, folklore, supernatural beliefs, and unexplained phenomena.

Rather than following one continuous storyline, Lore investigates the origins of some of the world's most frightening legends. The series combines dramatic reenactments, documentary footage, archival material, animation, and narration to explore how real events may have contributed to the myths and horror stories that survived through generations.

The series explores the darker side of human history, revealing how reality can sometimes be more disturbing than fiction.

Across its two seasons, Lore examines stories involving vampires, werewolves, body snatchers, medical experimentation, murder, witchcraft, disease, occult practices, mysterious deaths, and unexplained phenomena.

TRAILER 

Season 1

Season 2

Seasons and Episodes

Season 1 — 2017

The first season consists of six episodes and introduces the series' distinctive combination of documentary storytelling and fictionalized historical reenactments.

The stories explore subjects such as disease, supernatural beliefs, haunted objects, medical practices, folklore, and the origins of horror legends.

Season 2 — 2018

The second season also contains six episodes and expands the series' historical scope.

Episodes include:

Burke and Hare: In the Name of Science

Elizabeth Bathory: Mirror, Mirror

Hinterkaifeck: Ghosts in the Attic

Prague Clock: The Curse of the Orloj

Mary Webster: The Witch of Hadley

Jack Parsons: The Devil and the Divine

The season ranges from medieval history to the twentieth-century space age, connecting real historical figures and events with stories of horror, superstition, violence, and the occult.

Production

Lore was developed for television from Aaron Mahnke's successful podcast.

The series was produced by Amazon Studios, in association with Valhalla Entertainment and Propagate Content. Executive producers included Gale Anne Hurd, Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Aaron Mahnke, and others.

Amazon officially renewed Lore for a second season in February 2018. Sean Crouch became the showrunner for Season 2. Amazon described the series as a hybrid production combining narration, archival foot5age, animation, and filmed dramatic sequences.

Rating: 10 Stars

Elevation, 2024 - Amazon Prime

Elevation is a 2024 American post-apocalyptic science fiction thriller directed by George Nolfi and starring Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin, Maddie Hasson, and Danny Boyd Jr. The story takes place three years after mysterious creatures known as Reapers emerged from underground sinkholes and nearly wiped out humanity.

TRAILER 

PLOT 

The Reapers quickly became humanity's dominant predators, killing approximately 95 percent of the world's population within the first month of their appearance. The survivors eventually discover that the creatures cannot travel above an elevation of approximately 8,000 feet. As a result, the remaining human population retreats into isolated mountain communities, living above what becomes known as the Line.

One of these settlements is Lost Gulch Refuge in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Will is a single father living there with his young son Hunter, who suffers from a serious lung condition and depends on oxygen filters to breathe. Will is constantly afraid of losing his son, especially because his wife, Tara, was previously killed by a Reaper during an expedition connected to Nina, a scientist who had been studying the creatures.

Life in the mountain settlement is difficult. Resources are becoming scarce, electricity is limited, and the isolated communities have largely stopped using radios to communicate. Instead, they use flags as signals between settlements. When Will discovers that the supply of oxygen filters needed by Hunter is running dangerously low, he realizes that he must leave the relative safety of Lost Gulch and travel below the Line to find more.

Nina warns Will that going to Boulder is extremely dangerous, but she also has her own reason for making the journey. She believes that information and equipment stored at her former laboratory could help her understand the Reapers and possibly discover a way to kill them. Will eventually convinces her to accompany him, while Katie, a woman from the settlement, joins them on the dangerous expedition.

The three leave the safety of the mountains and descend into territory controlled by the Reapers. Nina carries a device of her own design that detects the creatures through their powerful bioelectromagnetic signals, giving the group a limited warning when a Reaper is nearby.

Along the way, they find abandoned vehicles and equipment, including a grenade launcher. Their journey becomes increasingly dangerous when they encounter a Reaper near an abandoned ski area. Will manages to activate the old ski lift while Nina and Katie try to keep the creature away from them. The Reaper attacks the lift and nearly pulls them back below the Line, but the group manages to escape to higher ground.

The survivors take shelter in an abandoned lodge, where they discuss what the Reapers actually are. Will believes the creatures could be some form of divine punishment, while Katie sees them simply as Earth's new apex predators. Nina, however, is disturbed by something about their behavior. The Reapers do not appear to eat or sleep. They exist only to hunt and kill, suggesting that they may not be living organisms at all.

The following day, the group enters an old mining tunnel. Will knows the area from his years working as a miner, but part of the tunnel extends below the safety line. Nina's detection device will not work properly underground, leaving them vulnerable. As they descend, they discover that sections of the mine were sealed during the initial Reaper attacks, forcing them deeper into the tunnels.

A Reaper eventually finds them. The group attempts to hide from the creature, even holding their breath because Nina believes the Reapers can detect carbon dioxide. They manage to confuse it temporarily, but when Katie finds what appears to be an escape route, she moves ahead of the others. A Reaper suddenly attacks and drags her away, killing her before Will and Nina can save her.

After escaping the mine, Will and Nina continue toward Boulder. Nina explains that she believes the Reapers have some form of electromagnetic defense and begins developing a theory that a particular mineral could be used to penetrate that defense. She suspects that magnesium oxide could somehow interfere with the creatures' protective system and allow a bullet to cause damage from inside.

They eventually reach an abandoned hospital in Boulder and find the oxygen filters Hunter needs. However, their presence attracts another Reaper. Will and Nina attempt to escape, and Will uses oxygen cylinders to create an explosion that temporarily stops the creature, allowing them to get away.

Although they have obtained the filters, Nina convinces Will to continue to her former laboratory at the Boulder National Laboratories. She believes the laboratory contains the equipment and materials necessary to test her theory. There, Will discovers a photograph of Nina's family and learns that she also lost her husband and children during the initial Reaper attacks. Her obsession with understanding the creatures was not simply scientific curiosity; she had been trying to find an answer to the catastrophe that destroyed her own family.

Nina begins experimenting with the Reaper material she has collected and attempts to modify ammunition using magnesium compounds. Her first experiments fail. She eventually tells Will to return to Hunter while she remains behind to continue her research. Will reluctantly leaves the laboratory with the oxygen filters, determined to get back to his son.

As Will drives toward the mountains, his vehicle crashes after suffering a tire failure. He survives the accident but is stranded below the Line. Soon, three Reapers begin closing in on him. Will runs toward the safety of the mountains, but the creatures surround him and leave him with almost no chance of escape.

Back at the laboratory, Nina suddenly realizes what she has been missing. Remembering her previous work with cobalt and batteries, she incorporates cobalt into the ammunition. The new chemical combination produces the reaction she had been looking for. When a Reaper attacks the laboratory, Nina fires one of the modified bullets. The projectile penetrates the creature's electromagnetic defense and triggers a violent internal reaction, destroying the Reaper.

Nina immediately realizes that she has finally discovered a weapon capable of killing the creatures. She takes the new ammunition and races to find Will. Just as the three Reapers are about to kill him, Nina arrives and opens fire. Each cobalt-and-magnesium-coated bullet penetrates the Reapers and causes them to explode from within. One after another, the creatures are destroyed, leaving their mechanical remains scattered across the ground.

Examining the remains reveals the truth behind Nina's suspicions. The Reapers are not biological predators at all. They are machines built from extremely advanced technology. Their behavior, their lack of biological needs, and their seemingly programmed determination to exterminate humanity all make sense once Will and Nina realize what they are dealing with. However, they still do not know who created the machines or why they were sent to Earth.

Will and Nina return to Lost Gulch with the oxygen filters, and Will is finally reunited with Hunter. Nina then raises the pirate flag above the settlement. The signal is immediately understood by the neighboring communities: a Reaper has been killed, and the survivors now possess a method of killing them.

The news spreads through the isolated settlements, and radio communication resumes. The survivors begin producing ammunition using Nina's discovery, transforming the balance of power for the first time since the Reapers appeared.

Instead of remaining trapped above the 8,000-foot Line, groups of survivors begin moving into the territory controlled by the creatures. Armed with the newly developed bullets, they finally have a weapon capable of destroying the Reapers. Across the mountains, explosions erupt as the survivors shoot the creatures and destroy them one after another.

After three years of hiding from an enemy they believed could never be defeated, humanity finally begins fighting back. The Reapers that once forced people into the mountains are now being hunted and destroyed by the very people they had driven into hiding. The final images show the survivors taking back the land below the Line, marking the first major victory in humanity's fight for survival.

Rating: 10 Stars