A Review of Things.

"Fuck the cops. Fuck 'em!"

  

Well I hope some of you took my advice last time and watched Seven Psychopaths. And you can now appreciate just how great Sam Rockwell is. It was one of the best films released last year and had a lot more going for it than all the summer blockbusters combined. The story was ingenious: a screenwriter trying to write a new film and not realising how his own life was actually playing out better than any film he could come up with. Every actor put  in a great performance. I'm not going to praise Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell  because we all know that they never let you down. I was never a fan of Colin Farrell but after watching him in this I have kind of forgiven him for being out-acted by his own eyebrows in all the crap he usually decides to make. As for Woody Harrelson, he's at his best when he's allowed to play the over-the-top character. Even Tom Waits adds a bit of cool eccentricity to an already eccentric cast of characters. And of course the best part of the film is the shoot-out in the cemetery. That scene alone puts almost every other action film to shame.

"Groovy"

This week i decided to watch the original Evil Dead films before going to see the remake/reboot or whatever they decide to name these superfluous abominations. Abomination may be a strong word for this remake. But it's almost perfect for the likes of The Thing premake and the Saws.

While Evil Dead (2013) isn't exactly a terrible film it could, however, be any horror film. The only thing that ties it to the original is the fact it's set in a cabin and has a book of the dead, which in no way looks as awesome as the one from Evil Dead 2. I wouldn't even pick it up if i saw it at a book sale, human flesh cover or not. Where the original had the young folk find a tape recorder and accidentally play the incantation to release the demons, this one has the guy with the glasses read it from the book despite all the warnings he saw written throughout it. Seriously, how can the guy with the glasses be such a dipstick?

Evil Dead (2013) relies too heavily on the usual horror clichés that most new horror films overuse. I could actually name them all right before they happened. And when will people learn that jump scares are not scary? In the original Evil Dead when the camera runs through the forest you get the sense that something is coming but in this one it just feels like someone is running through the forest with a camera. Also there was no imagination with the look of the possessed people. If they have red contact lenses and some blood on them then you can assume they are possessed.

At this point you're probably wondering why I said this wasn't a terrible film and then did nothing but complain about what it did wrong. The thing is I can't really say what I liked about it but I just didn't hate it. Maybe it's because since this did well there have been rumours about Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell teaming up again to make a new Evil Dead or Army of Darkness. And that can only be a good thing. Even if we have to put up with a cliché ridden remake.

In conclusion I would recommend Evil Dead (2013) to anyone wanting to see a new horror film. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking or overly memorable. If, however, you wasted money every year on Paranormal Activity or Saw before that then please don't hesitate to spend money on this. You will be giving me and other real horror fans the chance to see a proper Evil Dead made with Bruce Campbell.

"Hey! I'll swallow your soul! I'll swallow your soul!"

So there it is. My somewhat 2 star review of a film I would recommend. But of course the best way to make up your mind is to watch it yourself. You'll either like it or gain a new found respect for the originals.

Now for my suggestion on what you should watch:
Gentlemen Broncos.
If you don't laugh your Broncanus off then you should check your pulse. You may already be dead.

Until next time, beware of the surveillance does. I hate those.