Genre : Horror Rating : R Director: Henry Jacobson
Cast: Seann William Scott
Dale Dickey
Mariella Garriga
For any movie buff there are some actors and creators you just root for. They may not be the biggest star or well-known diretors but there’s just something about them that makes you a fan. Sometimes it’s an actor beloved by everyone like national treasure Tom Hanks. Other times a late career renaissance grabs your attention like 2019’s love affair with Keanu Reeves. For me, it’s Seann William Scott.
With American Pie coming out at the perfect time for me (aka middle school) a string of fun supporting roles and great character work have kept him on my radar long after most of his contemporaries fell off. He’d show he could be more than Stifler in comedies such as Role Models, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Goon. The one thing he never did was take on more serious roles. The closest to playing against type was Southland Tales and even that movie is hilarious in its own, unintentional way. But with the troubled Lethal Weapon series now behind him Scott looks to re-establish himself with his first truly serious roles in Blumhouse’s latest thriller, Bloodline.
Evan Cole (Seann William Scott) seems like a normal high school guidance counselor. Quickly becoming a beloved school fixture he is even lovingly nicknamed Mr. C by promising yet troubled student Chris (Raymond Alexander Cham Jr). Things are just as good at home with his wife Lauren (Mariela Garriga) just about to give birth to their first child, Andrew. What should be a joyous quickly spirals downward.
Struggling to breastfeed Andrew, Lauren struggles with deep post-partum depression. Adding the chaos, Evan’s mother Marie (a delightfully devious Dale Dickey) moves in insisting she help raise the newborn. The sleepless nights taking their toll and even effecting his day job. Flooded with memories of bloodshed and his own troubled childhood, Evan is more determined than ever to protect his son.
The first film for director Henry Jacobson, Bloodline is a very deliberate film. With few characters the focus stays on Evan for the most part. Goings great lengths to not only show him as a killer but also as the traditional father figure he struggles to be. The problem is that’s all there is for the most part. A small cast and familiar plot devices make its 90 minutes sluggish. Thankfully any time it does slow down brutal stabbing will bring you back in. Beautifully brought to life by cinematographer Isaac Bauman, Bloodline‘s deep blues and reds are reminiscent of Argento’s best. Never overindulgent in its kills perfect sound design compliment simple yet vicious kills.
As gorgeous as the movie is that still leaves the big question, how is Seann William Scott? If I’m being honest the results are a bit mixed. On the plus side, I found him quite convincing during the killer scenes. He projected a quiet menace we haven’t seen from Scott before. Asking his victims what he asked his students taking on a mocking tone as the tension builds. Oddly enough it’s the more human moments I found less convincing. If anything Evan seems more sane when is killing than when he is suppressing his rage. Seann William Scott gives a good performance I’m just not sure it’s for this specific character.
Despite faltering a bit in its third act Bloodline remains an interesting, if frustrating, watch. A bit of a sparse film Seann William Scott does an admirable job grappling with fatherhood in his own blood soaked way. Gorgeously gruesome visually an overall lack of substance makes a familiar story screech to a halt.
Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Kat Conner Sterling, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson and Matthew Lillard
Directed by: Emma Tammi
Written by: Scott Cawthon, Emma Tammi and Seth Cuddeback
Based on the video game series by: Scott Cawthon
Produced by: Jason Blum and Scott Cawthon
Executive Producers: Bea Sequeira, Russell Binder, Marc Mostman and Christopher H. Warner
Chica and Mr Cupcake from Five Nights at Freddy’s (Universal Pictures)
Plot
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, 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.
Foxy from Five Nights At Freddy’s (Universal Pictures)Bonnie from Five Nights At Freddy’s (Universal Pictures)Freddy Fazbear from Five Nights At Freddy’s (Universal Pictures)
Movie Review (No Spoilers)
The movie takes its inspiration from the Five Nights At Freddy’s videogame series and the franchise of the same name. The franchise currently consists of a total of 20 video games (10 main games, 6 spin-offs, and 4 troll games), a total of 48 books (3 novel books, 21 anthology books, 8 graphic novels, 5 guidebooks, 3 coloring books, and 8 other books), as well as a horror attraction, Snapchat lenses, this movie, and an ongoing batch of merchandise.
We see Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Lail’s play the part of Mike Schmidt and Officer Vanessa Shelly respectively. They played their parts well and their performance definitely contributes to the dramatic effects within the movie. The story was nicely adapted from the narrative in the video games. Being familiar with the video games I expected Five Nights at Freddy’s to be filled to the brim with jump scares. Sadly, the jump scares were quite infrequent and there is definitely a lack of gory scenes, leaving you with the feeling that the animatronics might not be that scary at all. The animatronics were well designed.
The movie successfully delivers a plot twist at the end. The story ends in such a way that you can expect a sequel and I hope that if we get to experience another night at Freddy’s that we get to experience an even greater scare.
I rate this movie a 3 out of 5 based on expectations. As a fan of the game series you will definitely enjoy this because this movie takes a lot of the Five Nights At Freddy’s lore into account with a few variations.
I personally feel the trailer delivers a bit of a scare, however it reveals a little bit too much information about the story. There is a mid-credits scene and a potential secret audio message at the end of the credits. Feel free to stick around.
Five Nights At Freddy’s Official Trailer (Universal Pictures)
Regan, a young girl, displays bizarre behaviour after playing with an Ouija board. Chris, her mother and an actress, consults two priests who conclude that Regan is possessed by a demonic entity.
The Exorcist Trailer (Warner Bros.)
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
A priest is tasked with probing the death of another priest who died while exorcising a girl four years ago. However, the latter does not remember the incident and is under the care of a psychiatrist.
Exorcist II: The Heretic Trailer (Warner Bros.)
The Exorcist III (1990)
Lieutenant Kinderman sets out to investigate a series of brutal murders with the trademark of a serial killer, The Gemini. However, he uncovers disturbing facts which leave him troubled.
The Exorcist III Trailer (Warner Bros.)
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
While doing missionary work in Africa, Father Lankester Merrin comes across a boy who is behaving strangely. Further investigation reveals that he is possessed by an ancient demon.
Exorcist: The Beginning Trailer (Warner Bros.)
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
Father Lankester Merrin has his first encounter with a demon when a church is excavated from beneath the sand. Soon, he discovers several signs of devil worship inside the church.
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist Clip (Warner Bros.)
The Exorcist: Believer
When his daughter, Angela, and her friend Katherine, show signs of demonic possession, it unleashes a chain of events that forces single father Victor Fielding to confront the nadir of evil. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who’s witnessed anything like it before.
The Exorcist Believer Trailer (Universal Pictures)
Movie Review (No Spoilers)
The movie doesn’t rush too quickly into the dramatic aspects of the film. It really provides a different feel to that of the predecessors. Olivia O’Neil and Lidya Jewett really brought their A-game and I really appreciated their performance. As always, the possessed voices are always done excellently. There is a treat for longstanding fans of the Exorcist movies with the return of Ellen Burstyn who returns as Chris MacNeil, which was teased in the movie trailer as well. The soundtrack along with the use of strategically placed jump scares contributed to the overall scare, however, most of the massive scares are closer to the end of the movie. I recommend watching the other Exorcist-related movies to really have the background. A lot of effort was done in the make-up, special effects and with the religious elements that have been factored into the movie.
Just a word of caution though, this movie is not for the faint-hearted and sensitive viewers.
There is no post-credits scene at the end, so no need to wait till the end. The official trailer I feel gives away a lot of the movie in terms of some of the plots, so watch perhaps the movie before watching the trailer. I rate this movie a 3.5 out of 5. Really looking forward to future projects in the Exorcist film series but I really hope they can deliver a scary surprise in a future sequel.
No running. No diving. No lifeguard on duty. No swimming after dark.
Ray Waller, a former major league baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, moves into a new home with his concerned wife Eve, teenage daughter Izzy and young son Elliot. Secretly hoping, against the odds, to return to pro ball, Ray persuades Eve that the new home’s shimmering backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for him. But a dark secret in the home’s past will unleash a malevolent force that will drag the family under, into the depths of inescapable terror.