A Walk Among the Tombstones Movie Review 345

A Walk Among the Tombstones is a 2014 thriller directed by Scott Frank and starring Liam Neeson. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Lawrence Block. Beware that there are spoilers ahead!

                                           

Liam Neeson plays Matthew Scudder, a cop turned private investigator. He left the police force after a young girl got shot by him as he was taking out the bad guys. He turned to drink and he goes to AA. He is approached by a guy called Kenny(Dan Stevens) who wants him to find out who killed his wife. She was kidnapped for ransom. He paid the ransom but the kidnappers killed her anyway. Kenny is not a clean cut guy and he is mixed up in drugs etc. Scudder decides to take the case anyway. He digs around and finds out that there are more cases of women being kidnapped and then killed. He talks to a caretaker in a graveyard and he discovers that there are two men. They are turned on by the killing. He admits to Matthew that he was present for one of the murders but he is not like them. He feels bad over it and throws himself off a building after telling Matthew where he met them- a video store and that they have some connection with the DEA.

Matthew digs around and he finds out that they are after drug dealers and he is being helped by a little kid called TJ. Another person is kidnapped by the two killers and Matthew warns the victim to make sure that the girl is alive or there is no ransom. He knows that the two will not return her safely. Matthew also makes sure that the two have to collect the ransom in person with the girl still alive. They turn up and Matthew is there. There is a shoot out and one of the bad guys gets shot. They jump into the van and drive away, but TJ sneaks into the back.

The two killers go to their house and TJ tells Matthew where it is. Matthew arrives, prepared for a fight and he has some back up with him. He tells TJ to go to his place away from the scene. One of the baddies shoots the other so there is just one left. Matthew and co go inside and they manage to capture the remaining baddie and hold him. Kenny comes and Matthew asks him what he wants to do. Kenny wants to kill him himself so Matthew leaves him to it. Of course, the baddie gets free and kills Kenny! So, there is one last fight with Matthew and the baddie and Matthew manages to shoot the creep dead. The cops come and Matthew goes home to find TJ asleep in his house.

This was entertaining and there were a lot of twists and turns which was good. Neeson is very good in the role as the tired, grizzled detective with demons. I would recommend this as it is a solid thriller with lots of action. I am giving it a 7/10.

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 4

This episode begins with Beth waking up in a hospital. She discovers that the people there saved her life when they found her lying on the side of the road. There is a doctor called Steven Edwards(Erik Jensen) and a cop called Lerner(Christine Woods). They tell her what happened to her. The hospital had lots of survivors and Beth is told that she has to repay them for saving her life. She becomes a nurse and works with Dr.Edwards. He seems a little strange. Beth talks to a guy called Noah(Tyler James Williams) who tells her that life is not so rosy. Officer Lerner is not all that she seems either. It turns out that she lets her officers do what they want, including taking advantage of the women patients.

Dr.Stephens deliberately tells Beth to give a patient the wrong medicine and when the patient dies, he lies to cover himself. Noah takes the blame and he is punished by Officer Lerner. Noah wants to escape and Beth tells him that she is coming too. They come up with a plan and they try and get out. Noah makes it, but Beth is caught. She discovers that the reason Dr. Stephens told her to give the patient the lethal medication is because the patient was another doctor and he was afraid that the group would not need him anymore and he would lose all he has. Beth is disgusted with him and she decides to kill him, but she sees Carol being wheeled into the hospital..

An interesting episode which will tie in with the rest of the season I guess. I think that Carol will be able to get Beth out, if she is okay that is...

Hypothermia Movie Review 344

Hypothermia is a 2012 horror movie directed by James Felix McKenney and starring Michael Rooker.

The first thing to say about this movie is that it is set out on an ice lake and the story revolves around some sort of fishy monster below the ice. Seasoned fisherman, Ray(Rooker)  is ice fishing with his wife Helen(Blanche Baker), their son David(Benjamin Hugh Abel Forster) and his fiancee Gina(Amy Chan).They run into a guy called Steve(Don Wood)and his son Steve Jr.(Greg Finley). Ray is a traditional kind of guy while Steve is an idiot with all of his gear and his showing off. They meet and Steve invites them to his van and they chat. Ray and his family think that Steve is a fool.

When Steve Jr. falls into the lake, he gets bitten by something very large. Steve refuses to take his son to the hospital. He wants to stay on the ice and catch whatever the huge fish was. Ray and the others try to get him to change his mind. Steve Jr is not feeling well and his arm is infected where it was bitten. After this, they discover that there is indeed something horrible lurking in the lake. It is a man in a cheap rubber suit with a fish head. They decide to hunt it and kill it. This is where the movie becomes silly. The reveal of the creature made me laugh. It is not scary at all.

The rest of the movie is about the fishy guy running after everyone and getting them. All that is left is Helen and Gina and when the creature corners them, Helen makes a moving speech about how she has lost everything and that they didn't want to disturb the creature and it lets them live. Hmmm. Very silly. But I did like Rooker in it which is something and apart from the creature reveal and the ending, this was not too bad. Anyway, this gets a 5/10.

Annabelle Movie Review 343

 

 

Annabelle is a 2014 horror movie directed by John R.Leonetti and starring Annabelle Wallis and Alfre Woodard.

If you have seen The Conjuring, then this weird doll won't be a surprise to you. If you haven't, then there really isn't much to catch up on. Weirdo doll is possessed by an evil spirit and it brings misfortune to anyone who has it. This movie is about the first owners, Mia Form(Wallis) and her husband John(Ward Horton). John buys it for his wife who loves those creepy dolls. She loves it and puts it with the rest. She is pregnant. One night, a man and a woman from a cult break in and try to kill them after already murdering their neighbours. Mia is stabbed,but she is okay. The cops come and kill the man, but the woman has committed suicide and is holding the Annabelle doll. Now, just let me say that if I saw that creepy ass doll anywhere near my house, I would take it and smash the hell out of it and burn it. End of story.

Time goes by and Mia asks John to throw the doll in the thrash as she can't look at it anymore. He does so. They move house once she has the baby but the doll shows up in a box. Things get weird as the doll seems to cause all sorts of things to happen. It becomes apparent that the doll is bringing the Devil into their house. Mia meets a woman called Evelyn(Woodard) whose daughter died and she works in a bookstore.She gives Mia a book in which there is something about demons wanting souls and this is what Mia thinks is happening. The demon wants her daughter's soul and when she refuses to give it up, the demon wants hers. It runs off with her baby and she tries to get it back. She tries to kill herself to save the baby, but Evelyn does it instead and the baby returns, safe and sound. The couple move on and Annabelle is last seen in a shop being sold to some other victim..

This movie was not good. If you have seen The Conjuring, then this will come as a huge disappointment.It was full of horror cliches and there were only one or two scary moments when you get to see the demon. The rest of the film was just the usual jumpy moments and the fact that the doll does very little doesn't help. No eyes moving or little feet scuttling across the floor. The doll was dull.
The movie was dull. Disappointing. I give this 4/10.

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 3

In the last episode, poor Bob was being eaten by Gareth and his pals from Terminus. In this episode, Gareth tells Bob that he is going to make Rick and the others pay for killing his mother and that they will eat them all. Bob begins to laugh as he tells them that he has been bitten by a walker and they have eaten his tainted flesh. They are all shocked and Gareth knocks him out in anger. Rick and the group are still in the church. They wonder what has happened to Bob. Sasha is worried about him. They get to the truth about what Gabriel did that he was so ashamed of. He locked all of his congregation out of the church and he allowed the walkers to have them. He knows that his soul is damned to Hell.

The group find Bob dumped outside the church and they bring him in. He tells them about Gareth and the others and what they have been doing. They know that there will be a showdown and Abraham wants to head off to Washington but they convince him to stay for a while to fight the baddies. Bob is on the way out as he has been bitten so Sasha stays with him until he dies and then Tyreese has to kill him again to make sure that he doesn't turn. The group are upset by his death. Rick and some of the group go to look for Gareth and his pals while another couple are left back at the church. Gareth and his friends are hiding outside and they decide to get into the church while Rick has gone. They search for victims, but Rick and the others return before they can kill anyone and in a very violent way, Rick kills Gareth. Gabriel is horrified, but it had to be done.

Abraham, Eugene, Glenn, Maggie, Tara and Rosita head off to Washington on the bus and they want the others to come but they are waiting for Daryl and Carol to return. Daryl does return out of the the bushes and when Michonne asks where Carol is, he turns to someone and says 'come on out'.Is it Carol? This was a very good episode with lots happening. It is good that Gareth and his band of cannibals got their comeuppance but we said a sad goodbye to poor Bob who got chomped by a walker...

The Hobbit:The Battle of the Five Armies Trailer

If you love the whole Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit stories and films, then you will be looking forward to this as we are. This is the last of the Hobbit trilogy and it will be the best one yet I hope.
We loved the other two films and this one will finish up the story. I love how the books really came to life in all of the movies and they will definately stand the test of time. This one will be out next month and I am going to enjoy it! Have a look at the trailer and see what you think. It looks good to me!