I Spit On Your Grave 2 (2013) - MicroReview

I Spit On Your Grave 2 (2013) - MicroReview
by Insomniac's Cinema

Director: Steve R. Monroe
Writers: Neil Elman, Thomas Fenton
Stars: Jemma Dallender, Yavor,Baharov, Joe Absolom


So if you guys don't know, I Spit On Your Grave was a 2010 remake of a 1978 rape and revenge film of the same name. Number two follows the same basic structure with different characters and settings. Both the original and remake weren't extremely popular so I have no idea why this was even made but lets jump into it!


The film follows Katie, a young model who runs in to some shady photographers, the creepiest of the brother trio becomes infatuated with her and decides to break into her house, BRUTALLY rape her and kill her neighbor. He and his brothers then take her to their home-country and keep her as a sex slave. After the family tries to kill her she escapes and then exacts revenge on each of them in very disgusting and graphic ways...

Now, I have to say that some scenes in this movie are actually quite hard to watch. There are numerous rape, torture and just plain disgusting scenes. Sadly, this is all the film has to offer, character development is almost non-existent (unless you count Katie screaming and crying as development) and you can predict the entire plot within the first 10 minutes of the film. The only twist (that I did not completely expect) was the fact the they took Katie out of New York, which made absolutely no sense at all.


The acting was fine but the characters were also very predictable You hated the bad guys and felt bad for Katie... (Something which isn't extremely hard to do, unless your just as sick as these characters.)

Something that I did find somewhat interesting was that it seemed as the film progressed the gore became more and more gore-y and horrific. I'm not sure if it was on purpose or not but it did work well to show how violent Katie became thanks to the horrible things she had to go through.


Other than that I don't have much to say. If you've seen the first one, I don't think you need to watch this and if you haven't seen any one, watch the first.


All in all, I Spit On Your Grave 2 was a big and hard-to-watch let-down which will leave a bad taste in your mouth... 

Rating: 5/10

Insisious 3 will still be a thing! (without James Wan)

Even more news has recently come out concerning Insidious! On Monday Entertainment One, FilmDistrict and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions have said that they are already planning on making a third Insidious installment!

If  you have not yet heard the Director of the first two Insidious films has recently announced that he will be taking a break from directing horror (read the whole story here!)  They have not released who they want to direct Insidious Chapter 3 but they have said it will be produced by the same company and that Leigh Whannell will be reprising his role as the screenwriter.

Tell me, how do you feel about this. Do you think that it will still be good without Wan or what?

Read the full story here!

Could James Wan have brought back Horror? And Jack Black in Goosebumps?!

The box office ratings for the weekend have been released and guess what, Insidisious: Chapter 2 ranked at number 1,  making $41 million in it's opening weekend! Almost triple the amount The Family (starring Robert De Niro) made.  

But, sadly James Wan has recently announced that he is going to "take a break" from making horror films. I just feel as though with all his success with the Conjuring and Insidious he might have been able to bring Horror back to it's former glory!

Hopefully there will be more great horrors coming this year that may reignite the flame that is horror. Carrie's looking promising, right?

In other Horror news, or should I  say scary-kids-movie news, Sony has announced that they're planning to make a new Goosebumps inspired film, starring Jack Black!

The film is also said to be directed by Rob Letterman (Monster vs Aliens, Shark Tale, Gulliver's Travels). It's pretty obvious that is going to be a scary movie for very young kids, something that seems to becoming more and more popular with films like Paranorman, Frankenweenie and Hotel Transylvania coming out. However, I have not been able to find out whether or not their are planning on making this an animation.

Tell me, are you guys exited to see this beloved book series come to the big screen or do you think this will be a failed attempt at exploiting nostalgia? And how do you feel about Insidious doing so good, is horror going to have a comeback?

Read the full story on Insidious here! And about Jack Black and Goosebumps here!

Sequels, Reboots and more Sequels! (The Mummy and a Friday the 13th tv show?)

Yup, you read right! The director of the original Friday the 13th and producer of others has announced that he's planning on a sequel to the 2009 reboot! Sean Cunningham said ,"There will be another Friday the 13th, which will probably get shot in the spring. If it all goes as I would like, it would then be released at the beginning of 2015." 

If  you're surprised wait till you hear this! Cunningham added ," I think there will also be Friday the 13th: Crystal Lake Chronicles, which is sort of a Smallville. We’ve been on-again off-again with that for years and there are a bunch of great stories to be told, but I think the way that it’s finally going to get delivered is not through a conventional television network, but through the Internet. I can’t tell you who the delivery people will be, but it won’t be the traditional route. There’s also the possibility of webisodes, and I think we even have an idea for a terrific Friday the 13th video game."

Coming fall 2014!

There has also been announced that Andres Muschietti (director of Mama) is planning on a reboot of the classic monster movie The Mummy! We also know that Jon Spaiths (writer on Prometheus) wrote the script. Before you groan apparently his original script for Prometheus was much better than what they used so there is hope!

So tell me, are you guys excited for these reboots/ remakes or are you tired of them?

Read the full a articles here  and here!

James Wan: Retiring from Horror?

Yeah, so apparently James Wan (director of The Conjuring, Insidious and Insidious Chapter 2) is finished making horror movies. So, if your at all like me your thinking, "why in the hell would he do this?" Well, this is his reason, "I spent the last 10 years of my life doing this. It's time for a change, for goodness sake."


Ok hold up, you're saying that over the past ten years you've worked on six horror movies and now you "...go on record and say I am finished with the horror genre. Conjuring and Insidious 2 are my two last scary movies." Isn't that just a bit hasty? I know he's in his middle thirties but to completely write off the horror genre, forever?

I don't care what he says, hopefully we will still get a few more scary flicks from Wan in the future. What do you guys think of this, is he speaking out of his ass or do you agree with his decision? Tell me below!

Read the full article here!
My review for the Conjuring here!

The East - Review by Insomniac's Cinema

The East (2013) - Movie Review by Insomniac's Cinema

"The system is broken" - Sarah 

Director: Zal Batmanglij
Writers: Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling
Starring: Brit Marling, Ellen Page, Alexander Skarsgård

The East is a thriller (directed by Zal Batmanglij) which follows an anarchist group (called The East) who target big corporations who commit crimes against the environment or people and get away without any punishment. Sarah, an ex FBI agent, works for a secret organisation who "protects" the types of companies
mentioned above. Sarah gets a new job to intersect The East and find out who they will target next. After she finally discovers the group, she starts to question her consumerist lifestyle as she spends more and more time with them, but with who does her allegiance really lie?

I was hoping so much that this would be good! It even fits fantastically with Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling's previous colab, Sound of My Voice. I viewed The East as a make it or break it situation, something that would determine whether or not Batmanglij and Marling were as great as I thought they were and honestly I have to say that even though I had some problems with The East it (thankfully) reinforced my pre-existing ideas about the duo!   


One of the main things that makes the duo's movies so interesting to watch (to me, at least) is the fact that they always immerse themselves into the real-world versions of their films. During the filming of Sound of My Voice (a film about an underground cult) they actually went to numerous cults to get an idea of how they worked. The did the same for the filming of The East, Batmanglij and Marling visited anarchist groups and even undertook the freeganism lifestyle (yeah, the one where you get all your food from the trash...) While this might seem a bit extreme to some, I commemorate them for their commitment, I also think that it allows them to make the films seem much more "true".

While some people would say that, "THIS MOVIE IS ANARCHIST, LIBERAL, COMMIE-PROPAGANDA BULLSHIT!!!" you have to admit that the arguments posed in the film are valid and thought provoking. These things DO happen to real people by big corporations who never get into trouble. Think what you will about it's message, The East shows a very unique and controversial perspective using an entertaining story and interesting characters.


The characters and their relationships were portrayed very well. Throughout the film there are certain subtle things that they do or say, which might give you a better understanding of them and what they are feeling. Brit Marling was fantastic as Sarah, you can see how she slowly transforms from a Christian, Mcdonalds eating consumer to a freegan, anarchist. The rest of the group's characters were all unique, well acted and interesting (especially Ellen Page's Izzy). Some people would argue that there were characters who were "killed off" too quickly and served no purpose but to me it only added to the feeling of how people come and go in these types of groups and how others just completely change...

If you have seen either this or Sound of my Voice you will know that Batmanglij is great at making his characters interact with each other in really strange ways but still makes it seem very sincere and real. I think that even though this looks less "stylized" than Sound of my Voice there are still some fantastic and artful scenes and great transitions. Although the film doesn't make use of any real "pop songs" there are some classic instrumental pieces used for the soundtrack, the most memorable being Doc's Song, a beautifully depressing and short piano solo played by Doc on an old piano in the group's base.

This film really took me by surprise. I never expected it would make such an impression on me. From the beginning, to the end it kept me interested thanks to strong performances by the main characters, interesting interactions and a great story line. This was a great second attempt for Zal Batmanglij and made me even more exited for his (and Brit's) next project. 

All in all, The East is a definite see!

Rating: 8/10

World War Z - Review by Insomniac's Cinema

World War Z (2013)- Movie Review by Insomniac's Cinema
Directed by Marc Foster
Starring Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane

Disclaimer:
Before you get mad about my review keep in mind that I DIDN'T READ THE BOOK! All compliments and critiques are focused on the film. Thank you :)

Rating: 6/10

World War Z, yet another zombie movie. It seems as though these movies are coming out faster than new Simpsons seasons (and that, is saying something.) But, usually even the bad zombie movies are pretty enjoyable, right? So, I went into this open minded and I have to say I am a bit conflicted. There were a lot  of things wrong with this movie, but the were also some things that I really liked about it.

The film is about an ex-army soldier, marine type person, Gerry Lane. One morning while he and his wife are busy dropping off their two daughters at school, the zombie apocalypse breaks out. After escaping the zombies Gerry contacts his military friend who then arranges to air-lift him and his family to a aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean. In order for Gerry  to keep his family on the ship he has to travel all over the globe trying and find out how the outbreak started. As time goes by he finds out more and more about virus and it's weaknesses but will he be able to save the world?

Ok, first off I have to talk about the zombies, I mean all of us want nothing more than to see some badass zombies, and I have to say that these zombies are pretty ferocious and freaking terrifying. If you thought the zombies in 28 days later were bad you haven't seen anything yet. These ones don't only run but they sprint, jump and kinda work together. The only downside was that a lot of the scenes containing a mass amount of zombies, they used CG instead of actual people, which does take you out of the story (especially since the "real" zombies looked really cool.)

I really liked the beginning of the movie (even though it has been done a million times before.)The problems start after they are saved. When Gerry leaves the ship you almost never get to see his family again. This made them seen really useless. They are also never in real danger so it doesn't seen as though Gerry "needs" to get back to them.

A big plot-point,which I really liked, is that Gerry has to travel all over the world in search for answers. In most of zombie movies the story plays out in a very secluded area or city but not in World War Z. You get to see how different parts of the world are busy coping with the outbreak. There is however also a down-side to him hopping from place to place, they seemed to kinda "rush" each different city.

Finally, I want to speak about the "end" of the movie. I loved the fact that if you pay attention you will see things throughout the movie that make you go, "hmmmm, why did that happen?" and in the end it all ties in, it was unique and an interesting idea.

All in all World War Z was a zombie movie which had the potential to be amazing and had some very interesting ideas, sadly it kinda missed the mark...

Rating: 6/10

The World's End - Movie Review by Insomniac's Cinema

The Worlds End - Review
Insomniac's Cinema

Directed by Edgar Wright
Written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg
Starring: Simon Pegg as Gary, Nick Frost as Andy, Martin Freeman as Oliver, Peter Considine as Steven, Eddie Marsan as Peter and Filtch as Basil...

Its seems as though Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright truly are one of the best movie-making trios in history. The World's End forms the unofficial final chapter in their unofficial Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy (and before you ask, yes, Cornetto as in the ice cream.) The first in the the trilogy was the fantastic zombie extravaganza, Shaun of the Dead (released in 2004) which was adored by critics and viewers alike. The very different Hot Fuzz followed in 2007, it was also beloved by the masses. So now that the trilogy is finished, you have to ask: does the final chapter live up to the expectations set by it's predecessors?

The World's End follows childhood friends Andy, Steven, Peter, Oliver (and his sister Sam) led by the great
Gary King a narcissist who's only priority is to have fun. Garry convinces his friends to return to their home town to try and complete the "Golden Mile": a pub crawl featuring twelve different pubs, The World's End being the last. They tried to undertake the same pub crawl when they were 18 but failed. Gary's life never hit the climax he was hoping for and thinks that completing the Golden Mile, he will feel like he did in his teenage years. As they start the mile (for their second attempt) the night progresses slowly, however it quickly picks up when the group realizes that there is something "off" with the inhabitants of the town. Hilarity and madness ensues as the group fights to complete the mile while fighting which seems to be the actual end of the world...

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg play off each other as well as ever. Something that I really love about the Cornetto trilogy is that in each one their characters and their relationships are completely different and unique. In The World's End Simon character is one of the best he has ever played. One person who I did not like too much was Peter, to me he just seemed uninteresting and unmemorable among all the others.

The World's End was much more science-fiction-y/ horror-y (the same as Shaun of The Dead) which I really liked. It also brought back the feeling of a GROUP of friends trying to survive instead of just two (as in Hot Fuzz.) The World's End also features all the fantastic Cornetto trademarks we have loved from the beginning of the trilogy like the fence-jumping, EXTREME violence and a lot of quick cuts. Everyone really did a fantastic job to once ensure that the whole film was laced with fantastic humor, wit and of course the hilariously depressing ending...

In the end The World's End is a fantastic finale to a flavorful trilogy (hehe, pun intended.) If you loved Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz this is a definite watch and  although this is the end of the Cornetto trilogy, I'm still extremely exited to see what these guys are gonna bring out next!

Rating: 80/100

Tell me in the comments which film in the Cornetto Trilogy is your favorite!