Month in the Movies: April

April was another busy month for myself at the movies, with myself being able to see 11 new films at the cinema. If you aren't sure what this post is about, each month I look back at the movies I seen in that month and rank them based on a combination of how good the movie was and how much I enjoyed it.  Now that's been explained, lets get started with the list!

11. Jane Got A Gun

What could of been a great time to build a great female character, Jane Got A Gun really failed to capitalise on its concept. The film also doesn't use its strong cast to their full capability in what was a drawn out western.

Final Verdict = C

Check out my review for Jane Got A Gun here

10. Midnight Special

A highly anticipated movie for me that turned out to be quite meh. Very slow paced with not a lot happening and then a very bizarre ending didn't quite connect with me as I hoped it did. The same goes with the impressive cast which was a big part of making me excited for this film. For me one of the biggest disappointments of the year so far. 

Final Verdict = C

Check out my review for Midnight Special here

9. Hardcore Henry

The first person action movie was fairly entertaining at times and did feature some very impressive work. However the style does get old after a while and really does lose its effect. A poor ending as well contributed to its downfall. The reason it is higher than Midnight Special and Jane Got A Gun is due to enjoyment of the film with some great action as well as fantastic work from Sharlto Copley.

Final Verdict = C

Check out my review for Hardcore Henry here

8. Huntsman: Winters War

I definitely feel I'm in the minority when it comes to this film. I had a good time with this one and I feel this was quite a lot down to the cast. Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain delivered with Nick Frost bringing in the humour in which most others have heavily criticised. It's not a masterpiece but I feel there's definitely enjoyment in this film.

Final Verdict = C+

Check out my review for Huntsman: Winters War here

7. Friend Request

I went into this film thinking it was going to be complete garbage. However I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. A good lead along with a new take on witchcraft lead to some creepy scenes throughout. The film undoubtedly could've been better if it had not used so many loud noises for scares.

Final Verdict = C+

Check out my review for Friend Request here

6. Bastille Day

Idris Elba's James Bond audition went very well and has cemented himself as a main contender to be the next 007. A highlight of the film also featured his charisma and chemistry with co-star Richard Madden made for some very funny moments. Some nice action scenes as well made Bastille Day a pleasant viewing.

Final Verdict = B-

Check out my review of Bastille Day here

5. Miles Ahead

A very interesting look at a famous musicians life in what was lead actor Don Cheadle's directorial debut. An impressive debut to say the least with some good work from co star Ewan McGregor. The film slows down at parts which gets in the way of it being a great film. However Miles Ahead is worth checking out for sure!

Final Verdict = B

Check out my review of Miles Ahead here

4. The Jungle Book

The live adaptation of The Jungle Book was a huge success with possibly the most impressive uses of CGI in film history. That wasn't the only good thing about the film with the stellar cast putting in wonderful performances in each of their voice acting. This film may of convinced me that these live action films might be a good idea and well worth my time.

Final Verdict = B

Check out my review of The Jungle Book here

3. Green Room

This indie horror-thriller is one of the surprises of the year for me so far. This incredibly dark film is full of suspense throughout the run time and has you gripped. Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots bring some fun to the film with Patrick Stewart leading the sinister villains as it balances tones incredibly well. Well worth checking out, I was fortunate enough to see a pre screening for this great film!

Final Verdict = B+

Check out my review for Green Room here

2. Eye In The Sky

Eye In The Sky is possibly the best thriller of the year. Morally complex to the core and full of dilemma's, this movie will most definitely create discussion to those who watch it. A fantastic cast really deliver in what is a thrill ride from start to finish. One of my favourite movies of the year and one that I have seen twice in the cinema!

Final Verdict = A-

Check out my review for Eye In The Sky here

And my number one movie in April is...........

'Friend Request' Review

'Friend Request' is a supernatural horror film that's events take place due to the suicide of a teenage girl. To exact her revenge in a demon form, she will ruin the reputation of one of the most popular girls and looks to cause havoc on the lives of her friends. The social networking sites these people use may just be the demise for them as she uses them against her victims. Wait a minute..... didn't this already come out last year?

Not only does the plot carry a lot of similarities to last years 'Unfriended' but the original name was almost identical. In Germany the film is still called 'Unfriend' but was changed elsewhere to avoid confusion with Blumhouse Productions internet horror. It has even been considered to just simply be the German version of 'Unfriended' although taking different routes in the story and different techniques in the filming. Although there are comparisons between the two, 'Friend Request' overall is the superior film. 

One of the strongest points of this film comes at the start as we see what goes on to cause the death of 'Marina' (Liesl Ahlers). We get introduced to our protagonist Laura Woodson (Alycia Debnam-Carey) who is one of the prettiest and most popular girls and has over 800 friends across her social networking sites. Marina wants to have that feeling due to being lonely ever since she was a child. We see some good character in Laura as she is kind and welcomes Marina to being her friend and even takes an interest in her creative- but very creepy and odd- videos and pictures. Due to this, you grow a liking to Laura and then you have an interest in the main character. To me, that's quite refreshing. How many horrors do you watch and you just cannot stand the main character. It's good to have someone who you'd actually like to see still alive by the end of the run time.

Marina (Ahlers) looking to become friends with Laura (Debnam-Carey)

The way that Marina acts towards Laura continues the creepiness and really is stalker like which makes Laura very uncomfortable. She tries to deal with this as nicely as possible without trying to hurt her new friends feelings but Marina doesn't see it this way and confronts her. These parts have some sort of realism within them as Laura doesn't necessarily do anything wrong and acts how I feel most people would be in order to not hurt someone's feelings. Again this adds to our character as she isn't just some sort of ruthless bully in this situation and does try to defuse this confrontation. The realism is added with the real effects used on social networks whether it is from text alerts to Skype calls that was also apparent in 'Unfriended'. The drama that has unfolded then makes Laura to cut connections with Marina and gets on with her life. Unfortunately this isn't the case for Marina who takes her own life.

Now this is when the horror fans get to dive into what they paid to see. Marina had recorded her brutal suicide and back in demonic form, is here to cause great devastation to Laura and aims to make her feel as alone as she was. Everyone close to Laura is in danger and Laura herself is not safe but in a different way. Each time something happens, the recorded footage winds up appearing on her timeline which she cannot do anything about. Now this part of the film drew mixed reactions from me. The horror elements of this film did bring out some very creepy scenes and there was a lot of tension building up waiting for scares to deliver. However like a lot of horror films, there are some moments that are pretty ridiculous that might make it hard for the viewer to not laugh at. For instance there is a scene in which one of Laura's friends is in a hospital bed and she sits up like 'The Undertaker' which seems to be a near perfect imitation. 

Laura soon realises that she is no longer in control of her social network sites

'Friend Request' really had the potential to be more than just a fairly good horror movie. The reasoning to why these things were happening and how Marina was able to do this was quite clever and in depth relating it way to back to old folklore about witches. This was a great way of telling a story about demonic presences but in a modern way that will appeal to the youth in countries that use the forms of communication. It wasn't just 'oh no the computer is haunted and now bad things are happening'. Credit to the writers for taking the time to look through old rituals to add to the story which was much a better reasoning rather than just 'evil'.

There is also a pretty surprising twist within the film that came fairly unexpected. This is especially so when you consider the two characters involved and the suggested history between the two and what is shown on screen. Most definitely something I didn't expect and it worked to good effect.

However that may be the case, the film does let it's self down at points. As I mentioned before, the film really created some creepy atmospheres and settings that are the stuff from nightmares- which is literally true in this film. Although they do this, the end product is mainly just a loud noise going off or something jumping out at you. Two of the cheapest tactics that can be used in the horror genre and unfortunately, they were deployed more often than I would have liked.

I also mentioned that I had a particular liking for the main character throughout the film. The feeling wasn't mutual for a handful of her friends who straight from the start carried the trope of having annoying characters in a horror film. There stupidity isn't more clear than when Laura alerts them that she is not the one posting these messages. She is even in the company of her friends when these posts are being published and has them watch as she tries to not only delete the posts but also her entire page. However this doesn't stop them from questioning her and accusing her of doing these terrible things. As we've seen Laura and co desperately try to stop this, the scene in which they seem to turn against her do seem quite dumb.

Now we've had 'Unfriended' and 'Friend Request', what's next? Blocked? DM'd? Poked? Hopefully not the last one actually. Anyway who knows what will be the next in what seems like a new trend for the horror genre. In fairness if it can follow and improve from 'Friend Request', I am all for it.

Final Verdict = 

The film most definitely surprised me and has some great moments within it. However there are some negatives that hold the film back for me.

So have you seen 'Friend Request'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful and maybe convinced you to go and check it out sometime. Once again thank you for reading, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor