Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On

 "The promise of the Divine is but an illusion." -Thomas Richardson When his sister is kidnapped by an island-dwelling cult, Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) sets off on mission to infiltrate the cult and rescue her.  Things grow complicated as a struggle for power occurs on the island and the cult's beliefs might not be as phony as Thomas thinks. What Works: I love a good cult movie.  When done right, it's often my favorite horror sub-genre.  A mob of crazy religious fanatics is about as scary as it gets in my opinion.  And Apostle is scary.  It keeps you on the edge of your seat as Thomas does his best to avoid being caught.  The cult itself isn't even the only scary part.  What Thomas sees in the bloody tunnels is genuinely horrifying. Speaking of Thomas, Dan Stevens is fantastic in this movie.  He isn't some generic horror movie protagonist.  Stevens portrays Thomas as angry to the point of being reckless.  He's a fun character t...

 "If any of them are stupid enough to get in your way, kill 'em." -Ben Linus Jack (Matthew Fox) finally reveals his plan to the survivors.  When the Others come the following night, they will mark the tents like Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) is supposed to, but they will actually be rigged with dynamite and they can blow up the Others.  As the group prepares their trap, Karl (Blake Bashoff) arrives and reveals that the Others are coming tonight instead. Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) has another flash of Charlie's (Dominic Monaghan) death, but says that this flash included Claire (Emilie de Ravin) and Aaron boarding a helicopter and getting off the Island.  Charlie agrees to go along with his death this time if it means that Claire and Aaron are saved and Desmond tells him he has to flick some sort of switch before drowning in a Dharma station. Without enough time to put the trap together, Jack forms a three pronged plan.  Sayid (Naveen Andrews), Jin (Daniel Dae Kim),...

"You can't get rid of the Babadook." -Samuel Vanek Amelia Vanek (Essie Davis) is a struggling single mother, mourning the death of her husband, and trying to raise her son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman).  After finding a strange and grotesque children's book about a being called the Babadook, Samuel becomes convinced the monster is coming for them.  As Samuel's behavior grows worse, Amelia begins to suspect he might be right. What Works: The best part of The Babadook is how well written the characters are.  I'll get into talking about the two main characters shortly, but it isn't just them.  Even the supporting characters are well written, even if they are unlikable in the process.  Their characters are developed enough where it's easy to understand their point of view. Essie Davis is fantastic as Amelia and showcases an extremely wide range of acting ability.  We get to see her as happy, angry, and sad, but mostly she's just exhausted.  Her performance wo...

 "They're back!" -Carol Anne Freeling A year after the events of the first film, the Freeling family is trying to move on with their lives.  Unfortunately, the evil spirits are not so willing to let Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) go.  Their leader, Kane (Julian Beck), tracks down the Freeling's to their new home to take Carol Anne back. What Works: Most of the cast from the first film returns, which I'm very happy about.  I love Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams as the Freeling parents and they have great chemistry.  Heather O'Rourke is just incredible and any time Carol Anne is scared or sad, it devastates your emotions. The Beast from the last film takes human form this time around as Kane.  Julian Beck does a fantastic job in the role and is incredibly creepy.  His scenes all made my skin crawl.  I only wish he had more screen time. Finally, there are some cool special effects.  The best is the worm that possesses Steve.  It's utterl...

 "I was one of the people that was smart enough to make sure that I didn't end up in that ditch." -Ben Linus "The Man Behind the Curtain" kicks off in a flashback to the birth of Ben (Michael Emerson), where we learn his mother died just after he was born.  Years later, Ben's father, Roger (Jon Gries), gets a job working for the Dharma Initiative, so he and Ben move to the Island.  Ben is miserable there as Roger is always drunk and emotionally abusive and he starts seeing the ghost of his dead mother.  When he goes into the jungle to look for her, Ben meets Richard (Nestor Carbonell), who is somehow the same age he is in 2004.  Ben wants to join the Others and Richard says he will have to be very patient if he wants to do that. Years later, Ben and Roger take one of the hippie vans out into the jungle to drink beer and celebrate Ben's birthday.  However, Ben gasses Roger and leaves his body out in the jungle.  He returns to the Barracks where Richard ...

It's that time again: The Snubby Awards!  For those of you who don't know, the Snubby Awards take a look at all of the Best Picture nominees from a given year and determine if the best film won or if one was snubbed.  If that's the case, they win the coveted Snubby Award! This time we'll be taking a look at the 2008 Oscars, which was a solid field with an extremely tight top 2.  The nominees were:  Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, and There Will Be Blood, with the winner being No Country for Old Men.   Did No Country for Old Men deserve to win or did another movie get snubbed?  Let's find out!   #5. Michael Clayton A legal thriller that follows a corporate fixed (George Clooney) as he weaves his way through a web of lies and bankrupt morality.  Michael Clayton is a solid enough film, but I feel like I've seen this movie before and done better.  Maybe it was a bigger deal for it's time, I don't know, but it doesn't do a lot to stand apart fro...

 "F**k it.  I'll do it myself." -John Ottway A plane full of oil workers crashes in remote Alaska and they quickly find themselves being hunted by a pack of wolves.  With no hope of rescue, wolf hunter John Ottway (Liam Neeson) leads the survivors on a dangerous journey to find help. What Works: Survival movies are my favorite genre of movies.  I love watching a small group of characters in a desperate situation trying to survive with very little to work with.   The Grey fits this bill to a tee.  It's a very well made movie in my favorite genre.  Of course I'm going to like it. This movie is more than just a film about survival.  It's a bleak philosophical film, which I also enjoy.  The theme of this movie is; God isn't going to save you, save yourself.  It isn't even implied.  It's right on the surface thanks to some interesting discussions between the characters.  I don't see a lot of movies with this sort of philosophy and i...

 "You're following me, you guys!" -Kurt Kunkle Rideshare driver, Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery) is desperate to be a social media influencer, but hasn't had much luck.  But, now he has a plan to go viral by taking his passengers on a deadly ride. What Works: This movie only works because of Joe Keery.  With a lesser actor in the lead role, this movie flops hard, but Keery keeps it going.  While Kurt is far from a likable protagonist, he has a certain charm and earnestness, while still being socially awkward.  Keery manages to perfectly strike the needed balance for our protagonist.  While we may not like Kurt and we aren't rooting for him, there are at least moments where you feel sorry for him. This is basically a found footage movie and uses livestreams, app footage, and security camera footage.  I love when movies can pull off this sort of creative format.  The Unfriended movies do something similar and I think it works well here.  Plus with a ca...

 "One minute I'm in a car wreck and the next minute I'm in a pirate ship in the middle of the jungle." -Anthony Cooper "The Brig" picks up with Locke (Terry O'Quinn) returning to camp in the middle of the night looking for Sawyer (Josh Holloway). Locke tells him he has kidnapped Ben (Michael Emerson) and wants Sawyer to kill him.  A suspicious Sawyer eventually agrees to go with, but refuses to kill Ben.  Locke says he will change his mind when he hears what Ben has to say. They make it to the Black Rock, where Locke has his prisoner in the brig.  He locks Sawyer inside with the prisoner, who turns out to be Anthony Cooper (Kevin Tighe).  After talking for awhile, Sawyer eventually figures out that Cooper is the original Sawyer, who stole his parents money and indirectly caused their deaths.  Sawyer takes out the letter and forces Cooper to read it.  Halfway through, Cooper rips up the letter causing an enraged Sawyer to strangle Cooper to death. ...

 "It's the little things that get you caught." -Joe Deacon Former Los Angeles detective, Joe Deacon (Denzel Washington) returns to the city and get wrapped up in a series of murders that remind him of an old case that haunts him.  He teams up with hot-shot detective Jimmy Baxter (Rami Malek) and they go after their number 1 suspect, Albert Sparma (Jared Leto). What Works:   I'll be honest, very little about this movie works.  There is a few moments with interesting cinematography and lighting, with the best example being with Washington looking at himself in a bathroom mirror.  The final scene of the movie is also an interesting reveal and is one of the few character moments to make any sense.  That's it. What Sucks: Right off the bat, this movie feels like a rip-off of Se7en  that was written by an alien who only saw Se7en once and fell asleep through part of it.  Everything this movie does, Se7en does a million times better.  I've seen plen...

 "Pull me out." -Tasya Vos Spoiler alert!  Spoilers ahead!  I can't really talk about this movie much without spoiling it.  This is an incredible film and I highly recommend it.  Go watch the movie and then come back and read this.  Spoilers ahead!  You've been warned. Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) is an assassin who takes control of other people's bodies to perform her hits.  As she prepares to take on her most important assignment yet, she finds herself in the body of a man who is not so easily controlled. What Works: This film was written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, the son of David Cronenberg, who is famous for his films about body horror.  Brandon is a chip off the old block.  While there isn't a ton of body horror in the film, when it does appear, it is very effective, if metaphorical.  The scenes where Colin (Christopher Abbott) tries to separate himself from Tasya and where he winds up wearing her face are incredibl...