Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Midnight In Paris, 2011

Midnight in Paris is a 2011 fantasy comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. Set in Paris, the film follows Gil Pender (Owen Wilson), a screenwriter and aspiring novelist, who is forced to confront the shortcomings of his relationship with his materialistic fiancée (Rachel McAdams) and their divergent goals, which become increasingly exaggerated as he travels back in time to the 1920s each night at midnight.



TRAILER


PLOT

In 2010, disillusioned screenwriter Gil Pender and his fiancée, Inez, vacation in Paris with Inez's wealthy parents. Gil, struggling to finish his debut novel about a man who works in a nostalgia shop, finds himself drawn to the artistic history of Paris, especially the Lost Generation of the 1920s, and has ambitions to move there, which Inez dismisses. By chance, they meet Inez's friend, Paul, and his wife, Carol. Paul speaks with great authority but questionable accuracy on French history, annoying Gil but impressing Inez.

Intoxicated after a night of wine tasting, Gil decides to walk back to their hotel, while Inez goes with Paul and Carol by taxi. At midnight, a 1920s car pulls up beside Gil and delivers him to a party for Jean Cocteau, attended by other people of the 1920s Paris art scene. Zelda Fitzgerald, bored, encourages her husband Scott and Gil to leave with her. They head to a cafe where they run into Ernest Hemingway and Juan Belmonte. After Zelda and Scott leave, Gil and Hemingway discuss writing, and Hemingway offers to show Gil's novel to Gertrude Stein. As Gil leaves to fetch his manuscript, he returns to 2010; the cafe is now a laundromat.

The next night, Gil tries to repeat the experience with Inez, but she leaves before midnight. Returning to the 1920s, Gil accompanies Hemingway to visit Gertrude Stein, who critiques Pablo Picasso's new painting of his lover Adriana. Gil becomes drawn to Adriana, a costume designer who also had affairs with Amedeo Modigliani and Georges Braque. Having heard the first line of Gil's novel, Adriana praises it and admits she has always longed for the past.

Gil continues to time travel the following nights. Inez grows jaded with Paris and Gil's constant disappearing, while her father grows suspicious and hires a private detective to follow him. Adriana leaves Picasso and continues to bond with Gil, who is conflicted by his attraction to her. Gil explains his situation to Salvador Dalí, Man Ray, and Luis Buñuel; as surrealists, they do not question his claim of coming from the future. Gil later suggests the plot of "The Exterminating Angel" to Buñuel.

While Inez and her parents travel to Mont Saint Michel, Gil meets Gabrielle, an antique dealer and fellow admirer of the Lost Generation. He later finds Adriana's diary at a book stall, which reveals that she was in love with Gil and dreamed of being gifted earrings before making love to him. To seduce Adriana, Gil tries to steal a pair of Inez's earrings but is thwarted by her early return to the hotel room.

Gil buys new earrings and returns to the past. After he gives Adriana the earrings, a horse-drawn carriage arrives, transporting them to the Belle Époque, an era Adriana considers Paris's Golden Age, they go to the Moulin Rouge where they meet Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin, and Edgar Degas, who all agree that Paris's best era was the Renaissance. Adriana is offered a job designing ballet costumes; thrilled, she proposes to Gil that they stay, but he, observing the unhappiness of Adriana and the other artists, realizes that chasing nostalgia is fruitless because the present is always "a little unsatisfying." Adriana decides to stay, and they part ways.

Gil rewrites the first two chapters of his novel. He retrieves his draft from Stein, who praises his rewrite. Still, he says that on reading the new chapters, Hemingway does not believe that the protagonist does not realize that his fiancée, based on Inez, is having an affair with the character based on Paul. Gil returns to 2010 and confronts Inez, who admits to sleeping with Paul but disregards it as a meaningless fling. Gil breaks up with her and decides to move to Paris. The detective following him takes a "wrong turn" and ends up being chased by the palace guards of Louis XVI just before a revolution breaks out. While walking by the Seine at midnight, Gil encounters Gabrielle. As it begins to rain, he offers to walk her home and learns that they share a love for Paris in the rain.

Rating: 10 Stars (In the list of my favourites). 

All of US are Dead, Post Apocalyptic Series on Netflix, 2022

 All of Us Are Dead (Korean: 지금 우리 학교는), 2022 is a South Korean coming-of-age zombie apocalypse horror television series. It stars Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon, Yoo In-soo, Lee Yoo-mi, Kim Byung-chul, Lee Kyu-hyung, and Jeon Bae-soo.

The series centers on a group of high school students in the fictional South Korean city of Hyosan, and their struggle to survive amidst a zombie outbreak. It is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Joo Dong-geun, which was published between 2009 and 2011. This series was filmed at Sunghee Girls' High School in Andong, South Korea.



TRAILER



Synopsis

In the South Korean city of Hyosan, a hopeless science teacher enacts a horrific experiment, causing a local high school to be overrun with zombies. As the outbreak spreads to the city, and the beleaguered authorities struggle to contain it, a group of trapped students must band together and use their wits in order to survive and reach safety.

Rating: 10 Stars

#Alive, 2020 Post Apocalyptic on Netflix

 #Alive (Korean: #살아있다; RR: #Saraitda) is a 2020 South Korean post-apocalyptic action horror film directed by Cho Il-hyung. Starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, it is based on the 2019 script Alone by Matt Naylor (itself becoming another film), who co-adapted his script with Cho. The film revolves around a video game live streamer's struggle for survival as he is forced to stay alone in his apartment in Seoul during a zombie apocalypse. It was released in South Korea on June 24, 2020, and globally via Netflix on September 8, 2020. Critics generally gave positive reviews.




TRAILER

What we do in the Shadows, 2019

What We Do in the Shadows, 2019 is an American comedy horror mockumentary fantasy television series created by Jemaine Clement, first broadcast on FX on March 27, 2019 until concluding its run with the end of its sixth season on December 16, 2024. Based on the 2014 New Zealand film of the same name written and directed by Clement and Taika Waititi, both of whom act as executive producers, the series follows four vampire roommates on Staten Island, and stars Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, Mark Proksch, and Kristen Schaal.




TRAILER



PREMISE

Traditional vampires Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja, together with energy vampire Colin Robinson, share a Staten Island residence, maintained by Nandor's familiar Guillermo. The vampires routinely clash with the modern world, other supernatural beings, and/or each other, while Guillermo earnestly endeavors to balance his loyalty to Nandor with his desire to become a vampire, complicated by his ancestry as a descendant of vampire hunter Van Helsing.

Rating: 10 Stars

The Lost Boys, 1987

 The Lost Boys is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jeremias. The film's ensemble cast includes Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz, Corey Haim, Edward Herrmann, Barnard Hughes, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jamison Newlander and Dianne Wiest.

The film follows two teenage brothers who move with their divorced mother to the fictional town of Santa Carla, California, only to discover that the town is a haven for vampires. The title is a reference to the Lost Boys in J. M. Barrie's stories about Peter Pan and Neverland, who, like vampires, never grow up. Most of the film was shot in Santa Cruz, California.




TRAILER



PLOT

The Emerson family—teenager Michael, his younger brother Sam, and their recently divorced mother Lucy—move to the seaside town of Santa Carla, California, to live with Lucy's eccentric father ("Grandpa"). Lucy takes a job at a video store owned by Max, who takes a romantic interest in her. At the local comic book store, Sam meets the Frog brothers, Edgar and Alan, self-proclaimed vampire hunters, who claim the undead have infested the town.


Meanwhile, Michael becomes drawn to Star, a beautiful girl he meets on the boardwalk. He notices Star spending time with David, the charismatic leader of a local gang that includes Paul, Dwayne, and Marko. Sensing Michael's interest in Star, David challenges him to keep up with them on their motorcycles, leading him to their hideout in a former luxury hotel buried during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. There, David seems to manipulate Michael's perception, making his food appear as maggots or worms, before offering him a bottle filled with red liquid. Although Star warns him that it contains blood, Michael drinks. David's gang then leads him to a railway bridge, where they hang suspended over a vast drop, each member eventually letting go and disappearing into the fog. Michael, unable to hold on, falls—but he suddenly awakens in his bed.


Michael begins to change: he becomes sensitive to light, finds normal food revolting, and notices his reflection fading. He develops a craving for blood and nearly attacks Sam, but Sam's dog, Nanook, intervenes and stops him. Though terrified, Sam agrees to help Michael and deduces that he is turning into a vampire. However, his transformation will only be complete if he feeds on human blood—and it may be reversible if they kill the head vampire. Sam, Edgar, and Alan suspect Max is the head vampire, but after Max is invited to dinner at Lucy's house, they notice he has a reflection.


David and his gang attempt to push Michael into killing by revealing their true monstrous faces and demonstrating their ability to fly as they murder a group of partygoers. Michael resists the temptation to feed. Later, Star confides in Michael that she and Laddie, a young member of the gang, are also only partly transformed, as they, too, have refused to kill. She admits that David wanted her to kill Michael to complete her transformation. Determined to save her, Michael leads Sam and the Frog brothers to the gang's lair during the day while the vampires are sleeping. They stake and kill Marko, whose pained screams awaken the others. The boys narrowly escape with Star and Laddie as David vows to hunt them down that night.


Michael, Sam, and the Frog brothers prepare for the gang's impending assault, arming themselves with holy water, a longbow, and stakes. As night falls, David's gang breaks into the Emerson home. In the ensuing fight, Sam, Nanook, and the Frog brothers kill Paul and Dwayne, while Michael takes on David. Michael resists David's temptation to accept his transformation, ultimately impaling him on Grandpa's collection of antlers. Despite David's death, Michael's transformation remains incomplete, leading the group to suspect that David was not the head vampire.


Lucy and Max return home from their date. Spotting David's lifeless body, Max confesses he is the head vampire. He reveals he passed the boys' earlier vampire tests because he had been invited into their home, making him immune to those vulnerabilities. Max explains that he sought a disciplined family and ordered David to turn Michael and Sam to compel Lucy into becoming a willing mother to his lost boys. To save Michael, Lucy reluctantly agrees to Max's offer. However, before Max can act, Grandpa crashes his truck through the wall, impaling Max with a large wooden fence post and causing him to explode. With Max's death, Michael, Star, and Laddie revert to normal. Grandpa then quips, "The one thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach: all the damn vampires."


Rating: 10 Stars

Friday, January 31, 2025

Abigail, 2024

Abigail is a 2024 American vampire horror comedy film directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick. It stars Alisha Weir as the title character alongside Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito. The film follows a group of kidnappers who capture the daughter of a powerful underworld figure and demand $50 million for her release, unaware of something sinister.



TRAILER


Young ballet dancer Abigail is abducted by six criminals and taken to the secluded Wilhelm Manor. Before leaving, their leader Lambert instructs them to guard Abigail for 24 hours, at which point they will receive an equal share of a $50 million ransom paid by her father. The group, using aliases to avoid identifying each other, consists of former Army medic and recovering drug addict Joey, former NYPD detective Frank, thrill-seeking hacker Sammy, former Marine sniper Rickles, dim witted mob enforcer Peter, and sociopathic driver Dean.



Though reluctant to continue with the plan as she was unaware Abigail was a child, Joey is tasked with managing Abigail. Joey is sympathetic to her, sharing that she has a son and promising to protect Abigail from harm. Abigail admits her father does not care about her and will not pay the ransom, before apologizing for what is going to happen to Joey. Perturbed by Abigail's words, Frank violently confronts her, learning that her father is Kristof Lazaar, a powerful, almost mythical crime lord.


Dean enters the basement, where he is attacked by an unseen assailant. Investigating his screams, Sammy finds Dean's decapitated corpse. The group realize that Lazaar's legendarily violent enforcer, Valdez, is inside the house while the security system prevents them from leaving. Searching for a way out, Rickles is mutilated and killed. The group confronts Abigail for information, but she transforms into a vampire, revealing she is Valdez. Frank shoots Abigail, but her injuries heal almost instantly. Frank, Sammy, and Peter attack Abigail with garlic, crucifixes, and other folkloric weapons said to ward off vampires to no effect. Her strength and speed allow her to easily overwhelm and prevent them from stabbing her through the heart. Abigail bites Sammy before being incapacitated by Joey with a tranquilizer and locked in a cage.

Upon awakening, the centuries-old Abigail reveals that she knows the group's true identities and arranged for them to abduct her, through Lambert, so she can kill them for wronging Lazaar. Joey deduces that Abigail has killed dozens of her father's enemies in a failed effort to earn her his love. Abigail effortlessly escapes her confines and attacks Frank, but Joey exposes Abigail to sunlight, which severely wounds her. With hours before sunset, the group splits up to find an escape route, but Sammy transforms into Abigail's vampire thrall and kills Peter. Abigail has Sammy attack Frank and Joey, forcing Joey to destroy Sammy with reflected sunlight.

Lambert lures Frank and Joey to a hidden security room, where he reveals Abigail turned him into a vampire years earlier for helping Frank avoid Lazaar's wrath. Frank allows Lambert to turn him into a vampire so they can kill Abigail and Lazaar, but following his transformation, Frank kills Lambert for leading him into Abigail's trap. Abigail attacks Frank, but he overpowers her and drains her blood, leaving her weakened. Cornered, Joey leaves a phone message for her son, apologizing for having been absent from his life for many years. Revealing in his power, Frank bites Joey, intending to turn her into his thrall and force her to kill Abigail and eventually her son. However, Joey does not transform because of Frank's inexperience with his new abilities, and she and Abigail team up to kill him.

Abigail encourages Joey to leave and be present in her son's life, but Lazaar arrives and threatens Joey. Abigail defends Joey for being present when she needed her while Lazaar was not. Although Lazaar angrily rebukes her, he relents for Abigail's sake and allows the bloodied and battered Joey to leave.


CAST

Melissa Barrera as Joey, a military medic and recovering addict



Dan Stevens as Frank, a corrupt former police detective


Alisha Weir as Abigail, a centuries-old vampire who has the appearance of a 12-year-old girl.

Will Catlett as Rickles, a Marine sniper who lives by his own moral code

Kathryn Newton as Sammy, a thrill-seeking hacker from a wealthy upbringing



Kevin Durand as Peter, a physically-imposing former "muscle" for the Broussard family of Montreal struggling with his conscience



Giancarlo Esposito as Lambert, a criminal mastermind connected to Abigail's kidnapping


Matthew Goode as Father / Kristof Lazaar, an ancient vampire, infamous crime lord and Abigail's father.



In Memory of Angus Cloud


Cloud was found dead in his family's house in Oakland, California, on July 31, 2023 at the age of 25. The cause of death was an accidental multiple drug overdose, a lethal mix of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and benzodiazepines, the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau told NBC News in September 2023. His mother said his last words before his death were “I love you, mama."
Most likely he died in the movie scene by Abigail in 2023.

In the abandoned house in the movie has a LOT of DEAD bodies inside. Everybody died, except one. 

Rating: 10 Stars

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Trouble, 2024

The Swedish film Trouble, 2024 from director Jon Holmberg (Swedish Dicks) and co-written by Holmberg and Tapio Leopold (Day by Day), stars Felip Berg, Amy Deasismont, and Eva Melander.


A innocent father who works at a major electronics store runs into trouble with the law when he witnesses a murder during a TV installation. Unfortunately for him, he’s framed for the crime and swiftly locked up. It’s all going downhill fast.




TRAILER



What happens in Trouble?   

Conny (Berg) is down and out — divorced, his ex’s new husband is a well-to-do pilot, and he hates his job. But his luck is about to get so much worse: After a routine TV installation at a customer’s home, he witnesses the murder ofher her husband and Conny’s pinned for the crime . He’s mistaken found guilty at trial, because of a scheme within the police itself, sent away to jail for years, and believes he may never see his daughter again. When he meets big-time bad guys Norinder (Čukić) and Musse (Sällquist) in the clink, he gets tangled up in their escape plan while also trying to clear himself of all wrongdoing. They need a Pilot and they think he is one after seeing his family photo in his room, they scape after and events unfold as he tries to prove his innocence


Is Trouble based on a book?  

 No. It’s a remake of the 1988 Swedish film of the same name (Strul in Swedish) directed by Jonas Frick and written by Bengt Palmers and Björn Skifs.   Rating: 10 Stars (Super Fun) 

Rating: 10 Stars

Seven Kings Must Die, 2023 Netflix (Movie)

Seven Kings Must Die, 2023  is a historical drama film and the conclusion to the television series The Last Kingdom. Set in the 10th century...