Meant to be empowering, in a feminist way. Girls are meant to identify with the female heroine. She is remarkably beautiful; if a bit smarmy, and tiresome. You can usually tell the age group a film is targeting, by the age of the protagonist. The exception is the Van Damme, Seagal, Statham, Lundgren group; who are older than anyone. Films get a five.
6 Reviews
Edited/directed well, but somewhat tired characters/themes.
welshnew5015 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The mixture of different types of camerawork + delays on some of the close-ups, does combine well for tension in this movie, without the movie being as concentrated-on thriller/horror type build up, to occupy too much of the screen-time, which leaves room for enough witnessing of the sisters in the family's internal-comfort-zones vs. Hesitation & caution when-outside, which in terms of the constant plot-dev. Need to seek out the source of their troubles, turns out to be distinct from what occurs inside the house, which works as a parallel to the incest? Theme, with their demonic grandmother and eventually re-married new dad-inlaw/grandfather , when their mum's not around,..
... which, having said that, only-because it is in a demon / manevolence context , actually works by-contrast of their attached-at-the-umbillical-cord auntie? Who goes down when the cave goes down, whose perspective is although left ambiguous, potentially explorable at least in contrast to their mum, who'se hopeless , so there's a lot missing in terms of internal-role-models , and the two's interdependency was to some extent refreshing despite the amount of tiresome cocky-teen dialgoue.
SPX wise, this film isn't totally-terrible, but it's not top-notch either, however it does use foreground-focus well-enough combined with the length of the action sequences and set-ups well enough that you're not sitting there watching something terrible for-long , and because there was a reasonable amount of directive and scene-setting skill used in setting up the scenes in terms of what's going to be IN, each scene, i've forgotten all the job-names sorry ... the mmm ... pace, of the story returning to it's heroine soon picks up again, so to it's credit, it does not waste time unlike some films who spend too much on particular scenery and then try to use it because of the amount of money spent on it already, that end up becoming limited in following a character around through different parts of a story in different places at times, and with different scope, or different encasement? Limited distance in a shot, which limits how many things you can be focused upon. That then means that you have little choice but to notice the most of the time well acted anticipations particularly as well as reactions, in relation to various characters, as the family breaks apart, and outside characters are brought in.
And THAT, means for good face-paced character introduction in a theatrical sense, without making them un-recognisable by having it too fast paced.
Like in some horror films of the 80s, where side-actors are although disposable-characters, used to bring focus back on the main character/s , such as in Beetlejuice or Evil Dead - there are few characters that make repeat appearances, but they're there for as-long-as-needed, for the plot to keep going instead of a decision having been made to cut heaps out, and try to use imagined-context. Not everyone will be able to imagine what context was in a novel, or whatever the producer & director think they'll get ... so movies where you can tune-out and let the overal high number scenes 'explain-more' , mean you can get more out of the same amount of time,..
... even if you've had to sacrifice some of the budget on SFX, or more expensive sets. In horror in the 80s, that meant cheap ones could be INDOORS ones, but this one is not that cheap, and does choose the right kinds of mood/atmosphere setting shots for it's outside shots, the camerawork on their bizzare graveyard-shooting sequences, and the forest-shillouette encounter are a good example - used temporarily, and then later on we're getting more of the area in-shot once we know that there's a large cavern system nearby. In that sense it's quite well balanced of close ups and long-D. Shots, the one plot-related thing that could've been developed in terms of getting a sense of surroundings though, is more types of plant life, to get more of a sense of what kind of demonic miasma, or whatever, is supposed to be existing outside as well as inside the caves - there's some root shots, and you get a little idea what they've been using when trying to get a foothold terrestrially (shadow/shade) , but, you don't get much of a sense of ... is it a swamp? Just thick-forest? Are they in some alcove alongside a mountain?
A squirt-more surrounds shots and maybe some APPROACH shots, with some ominous music, when it came to the (walking)approach to the cave, and maybe some daylight contrast shots of the nearby surrounds, even if only farmland, with the rock outcropping, or hill, or whatever it was meant to be, would've given more of a sense of distance - i could not help but wonder why after the graveyard shooting-practice scene, that neighbours weren't supposed to be complaining / reporting it ... weren't in previous shots, the houses quite close together?
Or am i just forgetting that i have bat-ears? Rrrrmphh.
... which, having said that, only-because it is in a demon / manevolence context , actually works by-contrast of their attached-at-the-umbillical-cord auntie? Who goes down when the cave goes down, whose perspective is although left ambiguous, potentially explorable at least in contrast to their mum, who'se hopeless , so there's a lot missing in terms of internal-role-models , and the two's interdependency was to some extent refreshing despite the amount of tiresome cocky-teen dialgoue.
SPX wise, this film isn't totally-terrible, but it's not top-notch either, however it does use foreground-focus well-enough combined with the length of the action sequences and set-ups well enough that you're not sitting there watching something terrible for-long , and because there was a reasonable amount of directive and scene-setting skill used in setting up the scenes in terms of what's going to be IN, each scene, i've forgotten all the job-names sorry ... the mmm ... pace, of the story returning to it's heroine soon picks up again, so to it's credit, it does not waste time unlike some films who spend too much on particular scenery and then try to use it because of the amount of money spent on it already, that end up becoming limited in following a character around through different parts of a story in different places at times, and with different scope, or different encasement? Limited distance in a shot, which limits how many things you can be focused upon. That then means that you have little choice but to notice the most of the time well acted anticipations particularly as well as reactions, in relation to various characters, as the family breaks apart, and outside characters are brought in.
And THAT, means for good face-paced character introduction in a theatrical sense, without making them un-recognisable by having it too fast paced.
Like in some horror films of the 80s, where side-actors are although disposable-characters, used to bring focus back on the main character/s , such as in Beetlejuice or Evil Dead - there are few characters that make repeat appearances, but they're there for as-long-as-needed, for the plot to keep going instead of a decision having been made to cut heaps out, and try to use imagined-context. Not everyone will be able to imagine what context was in a novel, or whatever the producer & director think they'll get ... so movies where you can tune-out and let the overal high number scenes 'explain-more' , mean you can get more out of the same amount of time,..
... even if you've had to sacrifice some of the budget on SFX, or more expensive sets. In horror in the 80s, that meant cheap ones could be INDOORS ones, but this one is not that cheap, and does choose the right kinds of mood/atmosphere setting shots for it's outside shots, the camerawork on their bizzare graveyard-shooting sequences, and the forest-shillouette encounter are a good example - used temporarily, and then later on we're getting more of the area in-shot once we know that there's a large cavern system nearby. In that sense it's quite well balanced of close ups and long-D. Shots, the one plot-related thing that could've been developed in terms of getting a sense of surroundings though, is more types of plant life, to get more of a sense of what kind of demonic miasma, or whatever, is supposed to be existing outside as well as inside the caves - there's some root shots, and you get a little idea what they've been using when trying to get a foothold terrestrially (shadow/shade) , but, you don't get much of a sense of ... is it a swamp? Just thick-forest? Are they in some alcove alongside a mountain?
A squirt-more surrounds shots and maybe some APPROACH shots, with some ominous music, when it came to the (walking)approach to the cave, and maybe some daylight contrast shots of the nearby surrounds, even if only farmland, with the rock outcropping, or hill, or whatever it was meant to be, would've given more of a sense of distance - i could not help but wonder why after the graveyard shooting-practice scene, that neighbours weren't supposed to be complaining / reporting it ... weren't in previous shots, the houses quite close together?
Or am i just forgetting that i have bat-ears? Rrrrmphh.
MALICE!
BandSAboutMovies7 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Malice began as a web series created by Philip J. Cook. Desperate for a fresh start after Nate Turner's (Mark Hyde, who shows up in nearly all of Cook's films) return from active duty in Afghanistan, the Turner family retreats to their late grandmother's house in rural Virginia.
However, mother Jessie (Leanna Chamish) and their daughters Abbey (Rebekkah Johnson) and Alice (Brittany Martz) - who becomes the hero of this series - barely have time to unpack before all sorts of horrors show up, as the house is the gateway to another dimension.
Tensions start to ramp up as family members one at a time start to disappear. It's up to Alice - the youngest and the one with the richest imagination - to solve the mysteries of her family's plight and survive.
Basically, imagine Alice In Wonderland but made by someone in love with the idea of making everything a digital world, much less one that has a mushroom god living under a house and a father who bonds with his daughters by sharing a beer and shooting the heads off statues in a graveyard with an M16. Like everything. Cook has made, this is very much his own vision of what a movie should be and I wouldn't have it any other way. The world has too many people willing to make movies that have the edges all sanded off that fit together in artificially perfect ways. When I seek out a movie made by Cook, I know that perhaps some things may not look real, but they end up being better than that, because they're exactly what he wanted them to be.
I just wish I had been watching these episode by episode on the internet and waiting for the next episode as if it were a modern movie serial.
However, mother Jessie (Leanna Chamish) and their daughters Abbey (Rebekkah Johnson) and Alice (Brittany Martz) - who becomes the hero of this series - barely have time to unpack before all sorts of horrors show up, as the house is the gateway to another dimension.
Tensions start to ramp up as family members one at a time start to disappear. It's up to Alice - the youngest and the one with the richest imagination - to solve the mysteries of her family's plight and survive.
Basically, imagine Alice In Wonderland but made by someone in love with the idea of making everything a digital world, much less one that has a mushroom god living under a house and a father who bonds with his daughters by sharing a beer and shooting the heads off statues in a graveyard with an M16. Like everything. Cook has made, this is very much his own vision of what a movie should be and I wouldn't have it any other way. The world has too many people willing to make movies that have the edges all sanded off that fit together in artificially perfect ways. When I seek out a movie made by Cook, I know that perhaps some things may not look real, but they end up being better than that, because they're exactly what he wanted them to be.
I just wish I had been watching these episode by episode on the internet and waiting for the next episode as if it were a modern movie serial.
This is the perfect example that you can make a great movie on a low budget
eprusulis25 February 2021
I'm very shocked on how good of a movie this was this would usually not be the type of movie I would watch as a kid hero it's a good movie for pretty much all age groups but it's very good written there's no big name actors in it but the acting is really good.
This is surprisingly good
the_doofy14 June 2020
If U like game of thrones, U will probably not like this at all. No graphic sex, gore or extreme violence
If U like goose bumps then U will like this quite a bit; Its kind of a hallmark horror flick, my wife and I enjoyed it
Acting by the main characters is pretty good, the whole thing is carried and narrated by a talented actress
the script is quite good, and the plot makes sense--got some creepy and some humor and mystery
TY Phillip cook
If U like goose bumps then U will like this quite a bit; Its kind of a hallmark horror flick, my wife and I enjoyed it
Acting by the main characters is pretty good, the whole thing is carried and narrated by a talented actress
the script is quite good, and the plot makes sense--got some creepy and some humor and mystery
TY Phillip cook
Macabre spin on the Alice in Wonderland theme
dmvierling28 October 2021
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