Tag: thriller films

Venom: Let There Be Carnage: A Detailed Review

Posted on by luigonword in Reviews

Let There be carnage: And Carnage there Shall

There is no secret that Venom was disliked by many fans of the character and the same goes for its sequel, which isn’t being welcomed with open arms. Many I questioned if they were going to go see it confidently told me if they were it was because of work, unlike myself who just wanted to see this sequel.

If you haven’t noticed in my other articles by now my taste in films are very different than the norm, liking what most people would call “trash.”

I have no problem admitting that this film wasn’t the best, even concluding that it falls under its predecessor, but I can also say that I enjoyed certain aspects of the film.

Overview

Venom: Let There be Carnage is a sequel that was overall disliked before it even came out, there’s no running from a preset destiny. Overall the film’s run time played against it having it feel rushed in certain acts and having the characters not go through a proper growth pattern. Andy Serkis had a good vision having certain scenes feel like a cheesy comic panel, which isn’t bad in my opinion, but having certain characters be too over the top gave out. I honestly can say it wasn’t a good rendition but I also don’t want to say that it wasn’t entertaining, as I enjoyed the overall time I spent watching the film. But it’ll ultimately comes down to you the viewer to decide if you are going because you want an accurate depiction of the characters or if you simply want to be entertained for an hour and a half.

Review

Overall I’ll keep this review short and spoiler free. Serkis from what I saw and understood, wanted to depict Eddie Brock and Venom, played by Tom Hardy, to be a sort of comedic anti hero. Similar to Deadpool they wanted to bring a joking relationship between the two and I don’t mind it at all, but it honestly doesn’t play well with such a short run time being about 30 minutes shorter than the first film. There were many scenes that had great potential showing the characters attachment to each other but the necessary movement forward in the film failed to provide such views into their relationship.

I personally feel if it wasn’t cut short, these characters could have had a greater opportunity to be fleshed out. On the other hand, Cletus Kasady played by Woody Harrelson did a good job at showing the psychopathic killer in a live action atmosphere. We all know how his love for murder and blood is what makes his symbiote attracted to him and Carnage’s hatred feeds off of this satisfaction of chaos and that can be shown in many parts of the film. Not to mention the incredible character design and the sound design which gave me chills when I first heard his screech in theaters. Although in this film there isn’t a bond between the both like in the comics it shows a lot for his character and his actions, which you can clearly see if you watch till the end.

Naomie Harris also does an incredible job at portraying Shriek, now although she doesn’t have a symbiote in this film like the comic counterpart, I thoroughly enjoyed her performance. Although without having spoilers we may be in for a Shriek variant in the next film, although I can’t say for sure if it will happen. Not to mention having the mid credits makes it worth the viewing of the entire film, which was a BIG surprise for fans all around.

Now before I go in a train of confusion, I’ll keep it short. Venom: Let There be Carnage wasn’t a film that will obtain a nomination for an award but it does a good job at keeping me entertained. This is my own opinion though, and I understand majority rules against such expressed opinion but if you enjoyed the first one then you may enjoy this one as well. Granted I want to hear others’ opinions before I would give a full spoiler included talk, but for now check it out if you want, and let me know what you think in the comments. Till next time, peace.

The Nerd Corps #448: ‘Candyman’ Review

Posted on by The Nerd Corps in Podcasts

It is time for another Saturday Morning Review and these nerds are ready to talk some horror today! Raul and Brad discuss the newest film from Nia DaCosta, Candyman. Candyman is the sequel to the original film of the same name from the 90’s and we talk all about it! How did this live up to the hype? Listen and find out all about what the nerds thought about it on this episode!

IMDb Synopsis: “A sequel to the horror film Candyman (1992) that returns to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood where the legend began.”

The Nerd Corps #446: ‘Malignant’ Review

Posted on by The Nerd Corps in Podcasts

The nerds are joined for another Saturday Morning Review as we look at the newest James Wan horror film, Malignant. Fellow writer for The Nerd Corps, Luis Angel Garcia, joins us for the review as we talk about this film. I have no idea how to tell y’all that you should listen to this but this was quite the film. Listen to find out about our thoughts on the film along with what people on Letterboxd are saying. Go check this one out!

IMDb Synopsis: “Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.”

A Quiet Place Part II: A Detailed Review

Posted on by luigonword in Reviews

A Quiet Place Part II: A Sequel As Good As the First?

When success comes to a movie there’s always the question of whether or not a sequel will be made, and if there is one would it ever compare or surpass the first? Few films come to mind where sequels are better than the first, John Wick 2, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Transformers 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Dark Knight, etc.

A Quiet Place Part II definitely is one of those films that surpasses the first, of course it is in my honest opinion accompanied by others. With the first being a massive audience success and the ending leaving for a potential sequel, I was really happy to see the trailer come out in 2020. Still having John Krasinski as the director, we can see his skills improving to tell a story. Now the original family cast returns to play the part Emily Blunt playing Evelyn Bennett, Millicent Simmonds playing Regan Bennett, Noah Jupe playing Marcus Bennett. Adding to the amazing cast as a major character is Cillian Murphy playing Emmett a friend before the chaos now turned stranger.

Overview

A Quiet Place Part II brings out more than just horror elements, it brings out the intensity of action thrillers, and also includes elements of drama as Millicent’s character goes through a lot of self reflection, as she is the main protagonist for the film. Not to worry, there is still the intensity and horror elements that the first movie brought, and I’d even say it brought more having shown the first encounter these creatures had with humans and noise. It goes without saying but having great actors and actresses really brings the best not to mention John’s work as a director and his improvement shows throughout the film, you can even see the rundown for the first chase of the film on YouTube with Vanity Fair. All in all, this film was a great watch and I highly recommend people go check it if you haven’t already, and if you haven’t heard of the second one already out check out the trailer below!

Review

Now the first film left off with Millicent and Emily’s character figuring out a way to kill the creatures, after a mass of them came into their home leaving it burnt to the grown, not to mention the newborn baby walking in a world where noise gets you killed. Nonetheless everything is in a way figured out for the group, but having no home they must venture off into the world ultimately running into their old family friend, Emmett played by Cillian.

Here is where this film partly takes place, although we also get a glimpse of how the family lived before everything changed. Living in a small town and having a weekend baseball game with the little leagues sounds like a peaceful life, until it all comes crashing down and as we can see meteors flying through the sky, in which we figured are the creatures of today’s time.

Seeing this we can stop trying to imagine the chaos, in addition to me going through the incredible sequence I’ll let the director talk about it as he has done a breakdown with Vanity Fair on YouTube over this specific scene.

I also have to mention, he actively states that Millicent is the lead actress in this which is an incredible choice as it brings out a much more detailed story, and we can clearly see she is the protagonist as it’s her journey we begin to follow after the first few minutes, of course having Emily’s character deal with a B-story. Like the first she really wants to prove everyone wrong and help them even risking her own life to go to a possible island of safety, which had a broadcasting station in which turn could be used to broadcast her way to fighting the creatures.

She goes on on her own almost ending up killed as she still can’t actively hear, but gets saved by Emmett who was sent by Emily’s character in order to bring her back. The two fight each other as she wants to continue on and he just wants to bring her back so he can go “home”, reaching a point of agreement to go see her mission through.

The two character’s chemistry create an incredible dynamic duo, and Cillian being a great actor brings all the ropes to the film. His character development is clear and bright as day even reaching a point to put his life on the line for Millicent’s character and other people they end up meeting. Hiss choice of performance is great and I have to mention when first seeing the film I couldn’t recognize the talent with such a beard and wardrobe until my sister asked if it was Scarecrow from Batman Begins or Fischer from Inception.

Having him in the film was a great add on, and I honestly couldn’t see anyone else play the character. Not to mention, like before the chemistry of Millicent and him gave off the same dynamic as the two characters from the famous video game The Last of Us. For those that don’t know it follows the story of Joel and Ellie, two people who found each other in an apocalyptic world and now go on together surviving day by day, which I need to add aren’t related or are in a romantic view they’re just basically really good friends, just like how we see Cillian and Millicent’s characters turn by the end of the movie.

Overall A Quiet Place Part II does an amazing job at continuing the first film without losing any of the qualities. John Krasinski is doing a great job in his directorial work and if you’ve seen the Vanity Fair Breakdown video you can clearly see he is passionate about his work, even stating he was unsure whether he wanted to do a second film until he realizes he really does. It brings out the instinct to root for the little person and this case being Millicent, as she continues to show her acting chops, and as I stated before, hope to see her prove herself more in the industry obtaining more roles and hopefully gaining more major and lead character roles.

If you haven’t already seen this film I highly recommend the two films to anyone looking for a good double feature to watch. It brings out horror aspects, thriller and action sequences and just all around a good time. But as always don’t take it from me, go check out both films and let me know what you think, till next time, peace.

Naked Singularity: A Detailed Review

Posted on by luigonword in Reviews

Naked Singularity: THe Reality of the Justice System

If you didn’t already know, the US Supreme Court and the overall US Justice System is one of the most absurd, broken and mal running things in today’s society. It’s really not a news flash as we’ve all clearly seen, yet there are many out there that wouldn’t agree, so to those that don’t agree even with factual evidence I leave you to live your life in your own singularity.

Naked Singularity actively speaks on the matter stated above as we follow the story of Casi, played by John Boyega, who is a district attorney bent on helping the people who are labeled as criminals. He believes they all should be given a second chance, at least to some extent as the majority of cases he receives are based on very minor misdemeanors but would otherwise be label criminal activity to the court of law. This film takes an amazing jab at the problems of the court while throwing a heist theme, physics, and philosophy in the mix.

Now to give you a short run down Casi is a DA who is hit one after the other with false accusations of his character, work and defense for his client by the court of law and his designated judge. He ends up hopeless all while witnessing strange events that only he seems to notice. Until an old acquaintance arrives at his doorstep and opens up a world of choices. This leads to him making the decision of stealing the price tag of a truck load of drugs also trying to be attained by Craig, the main antagonist of the film. He ultimately does get the money and also has the drugs seized making it a clean getaway. With his new found earnings he starts up his new funded attorney office and the rest is up to the imagination.

Overview

I REALLY enjoyed this film as it incorporated many aspects that I’ve studied in my own personal life, such as philosophy, philosophy of laws, physics, and a love for a good heist. John Boyega really plays his character well and although it received a rating well below average of 30% rotten I believe it deserves more praise. I honestly believe more people should go see it as it tells a good story, and even though it seems to be showing in select theaters it is available to be rented on Vudu, and other major media distributors.

If you are looking for more reason to like John as an actor then this is definitely the movie for you, not to mention the incredible characters played by Olivia Cooke, Bill Skarsgard, and Ed Skrein. And also as a personal choice I have to mention my EXTREME DISTASTE for this district judge played by Linda Levin, who plays into why the justice system is so broken, following what the “law’ says is wrong even when the perpetrator has signs of a new leaf.

Review

With more detail I want to speak on how they use the idea of a naked singularity, which in physics is at its over simplification the idea that we are able to see inside what a black hole holds which is a singularity that isn’t normally visible, ergo the “Naked” aspect in the title Naked Singularity. John plays an outstanding role in depicting what happens when a man who believes everyone deserves a second chance get grind down to see the injustices that the system brings all in the name of the law. He posed a good picture of a man figuring out what exactly is good and what is actually bad, which I have a lot of research papers down on, especially when faced of stealing money from drug runners. I loved his ideology and his character development at the end, which is a drastic yet understandable new found face of logic.

I don’t just want to speak on John though, as this film really carried its onslaught of big names, as I mention we had Olivia Cooke who you may know more easily in her role as Samantha /Sam in Ready Player One. She also played an outstanding role having her character deal with tough choices, all while trying to keep herself as safe as she can be while getting tangled with the wrong person. We have to mention Bill Skarsgard too, as a more comic relief best friend to John, although he has fewer instances in the 90 min film, he really brought some fun to the plot and not to mention his switch up from playing Pennywise the Dancing Clown in IT. His few scenes really brought out a laugh from the more dramatic tones this film carries and honestly balances out comedy and seriousness that’s covered in here. We also have to mention Ed Skrein who if you don’t recognize his name maybe you’ll recognize Francis as Deadpool calls him in Deadpool, that’s right, he also plays the big bad in a superhero movie which makes him the perfect contender for a drug mule in this film. He plays his role in an immaculate manner that honestly leaves me wondering if he’s too good to not play the bad guy then will he get other roles?

The dynamic that these character play are spot on and just increases the watchability of the film. Yes they are big names for a movie that many may not recognize but it should have been, and I hope that more watch after reading this review.

Bill Skarsgard far left, John Boyega middle left, Olivia Cooke middle right, Ed Skrein far right.

Overall I give this 5 out of 5 stars, I saw really no problems with the film, it was easy for me to follow and my love for reforming the justice system, philosophy, and physics all stand tall in this film. I can honestly say that if you watch and you don’t enjoy the film then maybe I’m the oddball out, but hey don’t just take my word for it really watch it and let me know what you think, till next time, peace.