Thriller

Before I fall (2017)

Published

6 years ago

September 20, 2017

Summary

February 12 is just another day in Sam’s charmed life, until it turns out to be her last. Stuck reliving her last day over and over, Sam untangles the mystery around her death and discovers everything she’s losing.

Genre : Mystery
Country : USA

Cast :
Zoey Deutch : Samantha
Halston Sage : Lindsay
Elena Kampouris : Juliet

Director :
Ry Russo-Young

My opinion on “Before I fall”

“Maybe for you there’s a tomorrow.
Maybe for you there’s 1,000 or 3,000 or 10.
So much time you can bathe in it.
So much time you can waste it.
But for some of us,there’s only today.
And what you do today matters.”

Damn time loops. Bill Murray got stuck in one in “Groundhog Day” and could escape it by surrendering to love. And Tom Cruise had a less pleasant loop in “Edge of tomorrow“. He died everytime during an alien invasion. Samantha (Zoey Deutch) faces the same problem. A night out with her friends Lindsay (Halston Sage), Ally (Cynthy Wu) and Elodie (Medalion Rahimi) ends in a disastrous way, after which she wakes up on “Cupid’s Day” over and over again. “Cupid’s Day” is that time of year when youngsters in school give each other roses to show their love.

Egocentric and fake.

If these bosom friends would bury themselves with red roses, nobody would really be surprised. Because these narcissistic glamour tarts are living in an egocentric, artificial cocoon, where there’s only room for their stuck-up personalities. A life of perfection and complacency in which the other less-favored (both financially and in appearance) are criticized and mocked. These arrogant girls don’t even realize that they aren’t so popular just because of their looks, but largely thanks to their rich parents. This allows them to distinguish themselves from others materialistically. Driving a car of a somewhat more expensive class. Parading with Louis Vuitton handbags and exclusive clothes.

Not so original and predictable!

“Before I fall” fails in two areas. First of all, it’s not very original. As I said before, it’s a kind of variation on “Groundhog day“. Except that the latter also had some comic situations. This film tackles the issue more seriously and has a much more important message on a moral level. And secondly, it’s highly predictable. Once you know what’s really going on and the facts are slowly revealed, you already know what will happen and what Samantha needs to do to break the cycle. You can even mumble the last sentence simultaneously with Samantha without a problem. As expected, Samantha walks through various emotional stages. From amazement and despair to fear and anger. Ending via a rebellious, fatalistic phase into getting the revelation where she suddenly realizes (although she has experienced that day already a thousands times) how she can solve the problem.

I’m not a chick-flick fan, but still it was captivating.

It’s kind of weird. I’m not really a fan of chic flicks. But because of the cyclic aspect and the sophisticated analysis of the different personalities, this high school drama was still fascinating. The interpretations also surprised me in a way. You can’t say those girls are sympathetic, but gradually their intricate characters are revealed and you start to pity them. Especially Deutch delivered a brilliant performance. She looks like a fragile doll. A kind of “Holly Hobbie”-like Gillian Anderson. A lovely girl with an innocent appearance. You don’t see her as an arrogant, hateful and selfish person. The rest of the ladies are cut from the same cloth with their specific deep-rooted emotional issues. I hope they aren’t so vicious in reality.

Karma is a bitch.

The ultimate life lesson in the end is quite obvious. It may be a bit of an exaggerated arthritis-causing waving with the index finger in a moralistic way, but ultimately it’s a truism. Perhaps some individuals in this world should focus more on the important things of life, instead of merely being busy with their own status. However, the “I” culture and social pressure are such that it’s almost impossible for young people to see this. Perhaps this film should be added to the school curriculum used nowadays. However, I can imagine that some of those like-minded girls are shocked when they see the denouement. Shocked about Samantha’s fate. But most probably they are happily giggling again the next day while bullying the lesser beauties. Oh well. But remember girls: “Karma is a bitch!”.

My rating 6/10
Links : IMDB

FILM RATING

HORROR

Five Nights at Freddy’s | New Trailer – Universal Pictures

The film follows Mike (Josh Hutcherson; Ultraman, The Hunger Games franchise) a troubled young man caring for his 10-year-old sister Abby (Piper Rubio; Holly & Ivy, Unstable), and haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his younger brother more than a decade before.

Published

3 weeks ago

September 3, 2023

Jacques van Zyl

Five Nights at Freddy's Movie Poster (Universal Pictures)

The following piece was written during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie material being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Genre: Horror / Thriller

Release Date: October 27, 2023

Director: Emma Tammi

Writters: Scott Cawthon, Emma Tammi, Seth Cuddeback, based on the video game series created by Scott Cawthon.

Producers: Jason Blum, Scott Cawthon

Executive Producers: Bea Sequeira, Russell Binder, Marc Mostman, Christopher H. Warner

Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Kat Conner Sterling and Piper Rubio, with Mary Stuart Masterson and Matthew Lillard

Plot Summary:

The terrifying horror game phenomenon becomes a blood-chilling cinematic event, as Blumhouse— the producer of M3GAN, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man— brings Five Nights at Freddy’s to the big screen.

The film follows Mike (Josh Hutcherson; Ultraman, The Hunger Games franchise) a troubled young man caring for his 10-year-old sister Abby (Piper Rubio; Holly & Ivy, Unstable), and haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his younger brother more than a decade before.

Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of Abby, Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems. With the aid of Vanessa, a local police officer (Elizabeth Lail; You, Mack & Rita), Mike’s nights at Freddy’s will lead him into unexplainable encounters with the supernatural and drag him into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare.

The film also stars Mary Stuart Masterson (Blindspot, Fried Green Tomatoes), as Mike’s icy Aunt Jane; Kat Conner Sterling (We Have a Ghost, 9-1-1) as Abby’s caring babysitter, Max; and Matthew Lillard (Good Girls, Scream) as Steve Raglan, Mike’s smug career counselor.

Five Nights at Freddy’s is directed by Emma Tammi (The Wind, Blood Moon) and is written by Scott Cawthon, Emma Tammi and Seth Cuddeback.

The film’s iconic animatronic characters will be created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

Five Nights at Freddy’s is produced by Jason Blum and Scott Cawthon. The film’s executive producers are Bea Sequeira, Russell Binder, Marc Mostman and Christopher H. Warner. Universal Pictures presents a Blumhouse production, in association with Striker Entertainment.

Catch Five Nights at Freddy’s in theaters on the 27th of October, 2023.

Its available for streaming on Peacock on the same day.

Can you survive five nights?

Five Nights at Freddy’s Official Trailer 2 (Universal Pictures)

FILM RATING

Apple TV+

Jake Gyllenhaal Sets Streaming Debut in J.J. Abrams ‘Presumed Innocent’ for AppleTV+

Published

10 months ago

December 8, 2022

Darian Scalamoni

Many stars are currently pivoting to more TV and streaming work as AppleTV+ is becoming one of the more prestigious streamers to attract stars. Harrison Ford, Henry Cavill, Gary Oldman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep and Edward Norton are just SOME of the names coming to the service or already appearing in projects for AppleTV+ and they’re about to add another Oscar nominee to their ranks.

According to Deadline, Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain) is set to lead the dramatic limited series, Presumed Innocent for AppleTV+. He will also act as an executive producer on the project alongside J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek) and his Bad Robot banner. Additionally, David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, The Practice) will write and act as Showrunner on the series for the streamer. Presumed Innocent is based on a 1987 novel that was also adapted as a feature film in 1990 starring Harrison Ford telling the story of an awful murder that stirs controversy within the Chicago Prosecution Office as there is a presumption that one of their own committed the crime.

Gyllenhaal will play Rusty Sabich in the series who is described as a passionate prosecutor who is accused of killing a close colleague when evidence begins to point to him as the premiere suspect. The series being reimagined by Kelley, will explore obsession, sex, politics and the limits of love as the accusations start to tear apart Rusty from his family.

The Oscar and Tony-nominated actor most recently voiced the lead character in Disney’s Strange World and will next appear in Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant alongside Antony Starr and Emily Beecham. Additionally, Gyllenhaal has a ton in the works including the video game film adaptation of The Division for Netflix which is based on the famous Tom Clancy franchise. However, none may be more highly anticipated than the remake of Road House. The latter will star Gyllenhaal filling the role originally played by the late, great Patrick Swayze. Road House will be helmed by Doug Liman and also star Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen and mark the big-screen debut of MMA superstar, Conor McGregor.

FILM RATING