Ross's Reviews: Leatherface (2017)

Man, horror icons really aren't doing well nowadays are they? With the exception of maybe 2017's IT and 2013's Evil Dead, they've kind of died out quite a bit. Attempts to bring back big names like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th have died a death, pardon the pun. Hopefully this year's Halloween can make Michael Myers in the terrifying Shape again.

Back in 2017, we had yet another attempt to make the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise popular again, and this time they even had original director the late, great Tobe Hooper on board as a producer. So with a seeming advantage, did they manage to pull it off? Let's take a look.

No spoilers here and if you want to watch, you can also find it on Netflix.

It's hard to describe this movie as it really doesn't know what it wants to be quite honestly. You would think as part of the Chainsaw franchise it would be designated as a straight up horror movie, but there isn't much horror to be had here outside of a couple of lazy jumpscares.

The movie follows some escaped inmates from Gorman asylum as they attempt to head to the Mexican border to start a new life. Did I say this was a Chainsaw movie? Good, because I'm making sure that didn't make sense to anyone and I haven't jumped into a completely different film.

One detail to mention is that one of the boys in the asylum is the son of Verna Sawyer, seemingly the matriarch of the depraved, murderously family from the original series. It seems like the movie is trying to go for a dramatic twist by not revealing who the son is, as the events of the movie take place 10 years after he is sent away as a child. It's so predictable though as I guessed who it was 10 minutes in.

The only time it actually feels like a Chainsaw movie is in the last 10 minutes, which I won't spoil but it's the only part of the movie I actually enjoyed and had me interested in what was happening. Unfortunately 10 minutes of fun doesn't make up for 100 of boredom. Everyone aside from a couple of crazy redneck characters is just so boring and forgettable. Don't get me wrong the acting was.....decent but no one stands out here at all.

I'm not a particularly big fan of the series as I have only seen 3 of them, but if I was a fan I would definitely be disappointed here. This isn't the Leatherface we know and love and isn't the kind of movie the movie we should expect. Even if you're coming in as a new fan you'd be confused as well as it's just comes across as a movie without a proper story.

It definitely has the gore factor I'll give it that, but gore doesn't equal scares or just general interest. In terms of the chainsaw franchise, stick to the original for sure (which I may take a look at).

I know this is a short review but there's not much here to go on to be honest. If it sounds like your thing, go for it you might enjoy it. But if you are into the Chainsaw movies there's nothing to be had but disappointment and lost potential.

Rating: 3/10

Ross's Reviews - Avengers: Infinity War

This is it. Ten years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and eighteen movies over that period of time all leads to this. After six years of Thanos build-up, he's finally on his way to take all six Infinity Stones in his attempt to take out half of the universe. So does it live up to all the hype? Let's take a look.

Don't worry there are no spoilers here. If there's any movie worth watching without being spoiled it's this one.

This'll be a short one as I can't go into too much detail due to how many spoilers I need to avoid. Since the movie has been released I've had a chance to see it twice (with a third time incoming) so I've had a chance to properly absorb everything that happens.

In saying that, I absolutely ADORE this movie. Seriously with all the great MCU movies we already have, this might be my new favourite. Hell it might be my new favourite movie overall.

How they managed to pull a massive movie like this off is beyond me. With so many characters included everyone feels like they have a place here. No one really takes over the movie to steal the spotlight and everyone gets their own little moment to shine and I love that. This could have been really messy but I feel the Russo Brothers (directors) did their absolute best to make sure that couldn't happen and kudos to them.

I do have to talk about the big bad guy Thanos here. I was worried before the movie came out that after so much hype he would be underwhelming and not interesting at all, but my god he blew away all my expectations. I never thought they could beat Loki as Marvel's vest villain but they may have just done that here.

While I can't go into too much detail he is just such a complex characters and you can really understand his reasons for trying to destroy half the universe. I thought his portrayal was fantastic and Josh Brolin does seem like the perfect casting choice.

Everything here just worked for me and maybe once the movie's been out for a bit I can actually go into detail with the spoiler stuff but for right now I don't want to ruin anything for anyone.

The story, the character moments, the visuals, the action scenes, the villains, everything worked to perfection in my opinion. If you're a Marvel fan you owe it to yourself to go and see this, and even if you haven't been paying attention to the MCU, it's still worth checking out for an absolute blockbuster of a movie.

I honestly hope that this movie outdoes Avatar in the box office because it totally deserves it.

Go see it.

Rating: 10/10

Ross's Reviews: The Cloverfield Paradox

Well this one kind of came out of nowhere didn't it? I was just sitting in work Monday morning when my friend casually hits out with "Hey there's a new Cloverfield movie out on Netflix". Of course I'm immediately checking my phone to make sure that this isn't bullshit. Turned out not to be the case and now we have one of the more intriguing releases on Netflix in recent times. Does the actual movie live up to the hype? Let's take a look.

No spoilers.

I am a fan of the other Cloverfield movies. The first one I believe is one of the better movies included in the found footage genre that could be disturbing at times, and 10 Cloverfield Lane was a great, claustrophobic thriller that also kind of came out of nowhere and is so good it can be enjoyed even if you don't care about the whole Cloverfield thing.

If you're coming into this thinking it might be a connection to the other movies, you're gonna be disappointed. It does make clear that it is part of the same universe as the other movies but leaves more answers than questions by the end. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself though so let's start from the beginning.

The movie follows a team on a space station that is basically a giant particle accelerator as they attempt to create an endless energy source for Earth, due to the planet being down to it's last few bits of energy, almost causing wars between nations. This was almost more interesting as every crew member on the station is from a different nation, so it does seem like the potential wars on Earth could affect their relationships, but it's only really brought up once.

After testing the particle beam, they find that Earth has disappeared and they need to find a way back. This also seems to mess around with their reality as shit hits the fan and weird occurrences start to happen which I won't go too deep into.

First off when it does get to this point in the movie, it does start to feel a little similar to other isolation in space movies such as Event Horizon, Alien, and even some episodes of Doctor Who. Kind of appropriate since the main character 'Hamilton' is played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw who also appeared on that show a few times.

Speaking of Hamilton, she's the only character here that gets any sort of backstory with everyone else just kind of being there, and it makes it hard to care when anything happens to them. You're really only behind Hamilton because she's the only one we've gotten to know. The next best developed character is her husband Michael (Roger Davies) and even then he only gets this subplot to show what's happening on Earth while the space station has disappeared and it kind of distracts from the movie as the more interesting plot points are happening elsewhere. He's only really there to link this to the first movie and didn't feel that necessary.

Don't get me wrong the performances are all fine here and everyone works as well as they can with the material they're given. If you enjoyed Chris O'Dowd in The IT Crowd, then you'll definitely enjoy him here.

The movie is pretty intriguing all the way through, even if the payoff is slightly disappointing, but it's central mystery will keep you interested. The only issue with this is that there isn't much replay value. I do enjoy watching movies over and over again, but I don't think this is one I'll be checking out again anytime soon. While it is intriguing it can be a little slow and can drag at certain points.

I do wish they had done a little more with the distorted reality as it feels like they could have been very creative here and done a bit more but it just feels like they weren't trying too hard on the ideas.

Still it is a decent sci-fi movie and I'd say check it out if you're into the Cloverfield franchise to get your own thoughts on it. I still have no real idea on how their connecting everything, but maybe some of you will. Or maybe we just need to wait on the next one.

Verdict: 6/10

Ross's Reviews: Alien

So my current plan is to review the entire Alien franchise from beginning to end in order of release date which is why Prometheus will have to wait. I'm a big fan of this series so this should be a lot of fun.

Will I eventually do the Alien vs Predator movies? We'll see how I get on with these six movies first.

As a sidenote, I'm watching the original theatrical versions rather than the directors cut and I'll be doing that for each one. Also while I normally go with spoiler free reviews, this time every review will include spoilers as this is quite an old series, even if Alien Covenant is pretty recent.

Let's get started.

This is kind of a tricky one as you can probably guess my opinion on this one. I mean it's freaking Alien. It's one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made and has been this way for almost 40 years. If you haven't seen it, what the hell are you doing reading this? Go watch it and come back and I'll explain why it's so great.

Let's start with the story.

The mining ship known as the Nostromo is on it's way home when it intercepts what seems to be an SOS message from a nearby planet that they're now contracted to investigate. All seems normal while checking out the seemingly abandoned ship from which the message originated, until Kane (John Hurt) finds some dormant egg-like objects and then the shit hits the fan. A murderous Alien creature ends up emerging and picks off the crew of the Nostromo one by one.

One thing I really enjoyed about the movie is the aesthetic. It feels like the future while also retaining some of the past to give the ship and the characters a gritty feel to them, something that director Ridley Scott would go back to when making Blade Runner years later. This isn't Star Wars as even the technology used looks exactly like the same kind you would get in the 70s, and yet somehow it still comes off as timeless. I love it.

Speaking of the characters, pretty much all of them are terrific. They all have their own personalities and don't just feel like a makeshift buffet for the monster to eat at it's leisure. Everyone here feels important and any deaths that occur feel like they matter and feel like a gut punch at times. That is except for the character of Lambert. She's not terrible but she does nothing but scream and shout the whole time and I didn't really care for her. Thankfully she's not focused on all that much.

There are a couple of standouts, as I've always loved Ian Holm as science officer Ash. Of course he turns out to have the big twist towards the end when he's revealed to be a synthetic (robot). Watching this over again, you can see his little ticks that hint towards his true identity like the way he speaks to everyone and it's just some terrific acting and directing.

Of course you can't mention Alien without mentioning Sigourney Weaver as Ripley. While she wasn't quite the badass we would come to know and love later on, she's still great here and feels more like a survivalist more than anything. She's definitely the smartest of the group too as she actually tries to follow protocol when Kane is attacked by the face-hugger so that the rest of the ship isn't infected. If only they'd listened. 

You also have the absolute star of the show in our main villain: the Alien, also known as a Xenomorph. This thing is absolutely gorgeous and the design can only be described as perfect. Well it is the perfect organism after all. This thing is freaky looking, with it's strange double mouth and it's acid for blood. While it actually isn't in the movie all that often, it steals the scene whenever it appears and it just feels like this ever-present entity as it could be anywhere at any time.

Being a film from the 70s you would think it couldn't be that scary but oh you would be wrong my friend. This film knows how to disturb as well as shock. While it does have a couple of cheap jumpscares (that fucking cat Jones comes to mind) some jumpscares are masterful, like the Alien attacking Captain Dallas in the air vents, only revealing itself when the tension and dread is at it's maximum level. And I can't have been the only one that covered my eyes when the crew was searching for the missing face-hugger. That shit freaked me out. 

The famous chestburst scene is still fantastic and one of my favourite movie scenes. Knowing that the crew had no idea what was happening really adds to it and makes it seem that much more real and visceral. It's still shocking to watch and I absolutely love it. 

The last act of the film is a total adrenaline rush, as Ripley, now last survivor, has to contend with a self-destructing ship as well as the bloodthirsty Xenomorph to past so she can get on the escape shuttle. Even when she gets there and makes her escape, it turns out the Xeno is still on board as she has to contend with it one last time. 

Needless to say, I adore this film and to me it's practically perfect and is only really succeeded by it's sequel but that's a story for another review coming soon. I have only one word for this: masterpiece. Even if you've seen it already, go ahead and pop it in again for another watch. You won't regret it. 

Verdict: 10/10

My Favourite Movies of 2017

Happy New Year everyone! I know this list is a bit late since we're halfway through January now, but better late than never.

Just to note these are just my personal favourite movies of the year, so it's less to do with the film's quality and more to do with my personal enjoyment of each one.

2017 wasn't my best year movie wise as there's still a few releases I haven't watched yet such as Baby Driver or It Comes At Night but I'll get to those another time. Let's get started.

No spoilers for any of these movies.

I'll start off with a few honourable mentions that didn't quite make it.

Beauty and the Beast
Annabelle Creation
Alien Covenant
Gerald's Game

And now to the main list.

10. Thor Ragnarok

This is a bit of a weird one for me as I honestly didn't enjoy it that much the first time round but I think that was me getting into the hype a bit too much as I did go to see it a second time and enjoyed it way more.

It definitely has it's issues that still slightly irk me like being quite unfocused in places and could feel slightly messy at times. That didn't matter too much in the end as this was a ton of fun with great jokes, great visuals and great action. 

9. War for the Planet of the Apes

This was one of my most anticipated movies of this year and it did not disappoint. While I still consider 'Dawn' to be my favourite of the trilogy, this was an excellent way to seemingly end this part of the franchise. It may not have a lot of action, this is all about the story and it was wonderful to watch. I don't know if there are any more sequels planned but I would not complain if there was.

8. Spider-Man Homecoming

Finally Spider-Man made his way to the MCU after all these years and was it worth the wait? I'd say it was. While I wouldn't go so far as to say this is the best Spider-Man movie yet (Spider-Man 2 FTW) this is still a fantastic outing and one of the better Marvel releases of the last few years. This felt like a more personal superhero movie as this was all about Peter Parker (played amazingly by Tom Holland) and even though Iron Man did appear a couple of times, it never once hindered the story. I look forward to seeing more of the webhead in future.



7. Wonder Woman

Oh look another superhero movie. This one was definitely a surprise seeing as I haven't been a fan of the DC movie universe so far (Man of Steel and Justice League are ok, but BvS and Suicide Squad can fuck off). This was definitely the ace that they needed though and gave us a standard of quality to hold the other movies to. 

While the climax was slightly iffy the rest of the movie held up spectacularly, including the brilliant visual of Wonder Woman crossing No Mans Land in a scene that still gives me goosebumps. Come on DC, now we know you can do better. 

6. Get Out

I was a bit late to the party with this one as I didn't see it until around October last year and was worried that the hype surrounding it would leave me disappointed. It definitely didn't. I don't want to say too much as this is a film you need to watch without knowing anything so that it leaves a bigger impact. It's smart, funny, and disturbing as hell. All qualities that I love in a good movie. Check it out.


5. La La Land

I had to double check that this was a 2017 movie, but yes it was released here in January so it totally counts. I'll admit that I have seen this a movie a total of five times now since it's release and I never get tired of it. Everything is great here from the acting (Emma Stone is amazing) the music and the story with an ending that totally kicks you in the balls and some people don't seem to like it for that reason. I love every moment and highly recommend this.


4. IT

No surprise here considering I've been gushing all over it since release. Hell I've even just pre-ordered the Blu Ray release so it arrives here on Monday. I've seen this one a total of four times in the cinema, and like La La Land, never gets old. 

I'm a big Stephen King fan and while this can't overtake The Shining as my favourite adaption, this is still up there with a fantastic young cast that put in a great, funny performance, and Bill Skarsgard's epic turn as Pennywise. Can't wait for part 2 so I can start floating again. 

3. Logan

This is where it starts getting tricky as I changed around the top 3 so many times as I love them all but I had to come up with an official order so here it is. First off Logan. Holy shit how did this movie end up so good? This might actually be the best comic book movie since The Dark Knight which is saying A LOT, it's that good. 

We all knew this was Hugh Jackman's final ride as Logan and he was sent out in spectacular fashion in a heartwrenching story that may leave you with a few tears. So long Wolverine. 

Number 1 and 2 are basically interchangeable seeing as I keep changing my mind on which one I like more. 

2. Blade Runner 2049

I was nervous about this one before release. I'm a big fan of the original Blade Runner, and making a sequel at this point just seemed like a cash grab. Turns out that was far from the truth as this may actually be better than the original. Sadly it didn't do too well at the box office which is a shame because I would love to see more movies like this. Visually stunning, a great cast, intriguing story and a ton of symbolism make this an absolute must watch. Can't wait for the Blu Ray release. 

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

I think everyone knew this was going to be here. I'm actually just back from seeing it for the fourth time and I still think it's an absolute masterpiece. It's definitely a controversial one as it has split the fan base down the middle due to some of it's story choices. While I won't spoil them, I love the story here and how it totally played with our expectations while providing a massive sci-fi blockbuster for the ages. Hell I'll even say it's my second favourite in the franchise. 

Well here's my choices for 2017. I'm gonna start reviewing fresh soon, so keep an eye out for more reviews. Also make sure to check out Chew Bubblegum and Kick Ass on Facebook where I post my reviews and there's some other great posts and podcasts worth a look as well. 

Ross's Reviews: Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

This is gonna be a hard one. I always like to keep my reviews spoiler free and this time I feel like I can't talk about anything without it being deemed as such. Still, I'll try my best.

I did actually go to see the midnight opening on Wednesday night for this as part of a double bill which started off with The Force Awakens (6th time seeing it in the cinema) and I was planning on reviewing this the very next day. After seeing it the first time, I wasn't too sure what to make of it and I decided to wait until I'd seen it again before I gave my thoughts on it.

Well this morning at 10am, I got to see it a second time and I feel like I now have my thoughts firmly set. So how was it and how did it compare to the rest of the legendary saga? Let's take a look.

The movie kicks off just about where Force Awakens ended with a few new plot threads beginning. After learning the location of the Resistance base, the First Order is hot on their tails in their plans to destroy the entire fleet and put an end to their crusade.
Rey meets up with Luke Skywalker to try and talk him into coming back home to help in the fight against Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke.
Finn wakes up after healing from his injuries at the end of the last episode and joins up with new character Rose on a quest to help the Resistance defend the fleet from attack.

Aside from that there's not much else regarding plot details I can go into without it being considered a spoiler. I really need to start doing spoiler reviews at some point to make this easier.

So the biggest part that people may have been looking forward to would be Mark Hamill reprising his role as Luke after giving us a massive cliffhanger in Force Awakens. I know people didn't think much of Mark's performance in the original trilogy, but here he really gives it his all and puts on his best performance yet as seamlessly manages to act like the old Luke we know while also looking like he's been through a ton of shit.

Carrie Fisher returns as General Leia in what will sadly be her last performance in a film due to her tragic passing last year. As expected she is awesome here, and while she doesn't appear too many times, it's hard not to feel a bit emotional when she does appear especially with one scene in particular I won't go into (damn spoilers).

Of course we have our new characters such as Kylo, Rey and Finn back to mixed results. Finn didn't do as much for me here as while he is still a good character, there didn't seem to be any kind of change from the last movie. In the opposite case, Rey and Kylo are definitely stand outs here. Daisy Ridley feels way more confident in her role as Rey and she does feel like she has evolved over the two movies.

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren may be my favourite though. A few people weren't happy about the portrayal of the character in Force Awakens as he came across as more of a whiny teenager than an imposing figure like Darth Vader. I myself loved this as it was a bit different from other villains especially given his family past which is explored further here. He really comes into his own here and manages to become an even more complex villain while actually coming across as a very threatening figure.

In terms of the overall story, I loved it. The First Order seemed like such an oppressive force for the first time, and didn't need a death star copy to do that. This time you really get a feel for how both sides work and how their military minds think.

This does end up being one of the darker Star Wars movies and it doesn't come across as forced at all which I was worried it would be. The story goes in places you don't expect and there are great surprises and revelations throughout.

While Force Awakens did at times feel like it was a copy of A New Hope, Last Jedi feels like it's own film with only a copy of scenes that felt similar to the original trilogy and they came across as more homages rather than copies.

The only small complaint I have is that the story arc with Finn and Rose is a bit out of left field and does slightly affect the pacing of the first act and I really feel that this could have been trimmed way down. On second watch it wasn't too bad and it does only take up about 20 minutes of the overall film so it didn't really do any damage.

There's so much I love here as it's such a different Star Wars movie than what you would expect which may be why the audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes may be so low as it isn't the movie you expect to see and it may even piss off a few fans with the way it messes with the lore of the force. Hell I wasn't even sure I liked it on first viewing, but I went in with way too much hype which is why the second viewing was necessary.

This is how a blockbuster movie should be done and I do plan on seeing this a few more times before it leaves the cinema, and I have a feeling it will become one of my all time favourites quite quickly. I'd even currently rank it as my second favourite Star Wars movie I enjoyed it that much.

Full of action, emotion, a compelling story and some of the best visuals and music you'll ever hear in a film, this is must see viewing. Check this one out immediately and give it a chance.

Verdict: 10/10

Ross's Reviews: Jigsaw

Hey look we're way past Halloween and I'm still doing horror reviews, what are the odds?

This is one I've had my eye on for a while as I have to admit that the previous Saw films are a bit of a guilty pleasure. I haven't watched any of them since 2010's Saw: The Final (ha!) Chapter so I have no idea if they hold up or if I'll get any enjoyment out of them. Then again I did just recently purchase the complete collection on blu ray so it may be time to take another look at them (hint hint).

So this new one seems to be a reboot of sorts as I guess Lionsgate studios needs a bit more money after the Hunger Games series ended and this was the best they had. So is the movie any good and a return to glory or is it a pointless entry in the series? Let's take a look.

There's no spoilers for this movie but I may end up spoiling the older movies in the series so if you haven't seen them or don't want to know what happens, avoid the rest of the review.

The movie immediately starts with a brand new Jigsaw 'game' starting up as five victims wake up with buckets on their heads and chains around their necks as they are forced to fight for their lives and follow Jigsaw's rules, no matter how insane they may be.

Each of the victims seems to be harbouring a criminal past that they'd rather stay quiet about while Jigsaw's game revolves around them confessing their sins to be freed from their traps.

While this is going on, Detective Halloran and Officer Solomon try desperately to solve the case with the help of medical staff Logan and Eleanor as they rake through clues from the bodies of the deceased to figure out where the game is taking place and how they can stop it.

Has Jigsaw returned from the dead, or is there a copycat out there trying to emulate their sadistic hero?

First off, just like a lot of the later movies in the franchise, there were no characters here that stood out to me. Everyone was just kind of plain and spouting exposition so that you know the personal history of each character.

It doesn't help that the victims of the game have obviously done something regrettable in their past and it really doesn't make you empathise with them at all and it kind of ruined the tension of the traps when I didn't care if anyone died.

Don't get me wrong though this still has the gory torture porn goodness I've missed from these films and the mystery of the game did keep me interested throughout, although when it does leave the game to focus on the investigation, it can be pretty boring. The film does seem to know it's audience though as it consistently throws curveballs in the plot to make you rethink if you figured out the twist or not.

All Saw films have had some sort of twist to them to keep the story going and this one was no different. I spent the whole film trying to guess what it would be and in the end the film still managed to surprise the hell out of me with a twist I never saw coming.

It's a decent twist too as it makes sense even if I do have some slightly story related issues with it but I'll discuss that with anyone that's seen the movie.

Overall while I did have a few issues with the movie, I did have a fun time with it, but opinions will definitely vary on this one. It's without a doubt a movie made for the fans and it felt quite nostalgic for me.

If you like these films you'll enjoy this. If not then there's not much here to make you a fan of the series as you may need to catch up on the previous movies to understand some specific moments.
As a popcorn movie it definitely works even if you may be spitting that popcorn back in disgust.


Verdict: 5/10