Weekend Double Feature- After the Dark (2014) & Wicked Blood (2014)

We got hoodwinked by these movies. Bamboozled. Duped!

We thought they'd be Horror-ish, or at least Thriller-ish, so as to fit into our creepy purview, but we were wrong.

Wicked Blood is at least a Crime Thriller, and a good one at that, so it fits in well enough with the things that we watch around here, but After the Dark... well, that one is just a silly morality play that literally never leaves the classroom.

Spoilers ensue below, so beware.

Going into it, we thought that After the Dark (aka The Philosophers) was going to be a Post-Apocalyptic Thriller involving some schoolkids fighting to survive, or something to that effect. We were wrong.

What we did get with After the Dark, was a movie about a bunch of students sitting around in a classroom, playing what amounts of a deeply philosophical game of "What if?"

A Teacher basically tells his class to pretend that the world is about to end via atomic bomb, and to imagine that there is a shelter that can keep 10 of them alive for a year. He then asks them to decide who would get to enter the shelter and survive, who would be left outside to die, and why. The try the experiment again, using scenarios involving an erupting volcano, and a pending bombing of a small island.

In the classroom.

Sounds like a pretty interesting premise, right? Well it is. After the Dark is a really well-made movie with a great premise, and it's populated by a bunch of talented young actors... but the story is just so lame and silly that none of those good qualities resonated with us like they should have, had the movie been anything more than a bunch of "what if" scenarios.

After the Dark is not about survival at all, it's about a Teacher riling his kids up because he's a pouty bitch. Nothing really happens in the movie save for a bunch of kids sitting around in a classroom, engaging in discussion. Sure, we the audience get to "see" the imagined scenarios play out on screen, but knowing that none of it is real just robs it of any sort of impact.

We don't know these characters, aren't invested in them, so how in the world are we supposed to be enthralled by them sitting around and talking about the end of the world? I'm definitely oversimplifying the main plot in some ways by saying "sitting around and talking about the end of the world," because at its heart, it's also a story about a jilted lover. Yep.

To us, this movie felt like it was trying to be the Young Adult version of 12 Angry Men. Had the director stuck with that format- the kids just sitting around engaged in heated debate- it may have worked a lot better. Making the decision to add in the "action" scenes, and show us what they are all discussing/imagining, just made it all feel superfluous.

We don't mind movies that twist and turn, or think outside the box, but we do mind a movie that feels disingenuous in its mechanics.

Still in the classroom.

As for the philosophical/moral aspects of the film's plot, here's how I'd play this hypothetical game: "I enter the shelter, along with any of my loved ones who are with me, and anyone who tries to keep me out gets their heads caved in." There's no morality about it. It's survival. Of course everyone wants into the shelter so that they can live, survival is a base instinct shared by all humans. All I'm saying is that there's not going to be some dumb-ass group decision that keeps people out because they are "less important" or some such shit.

If you're going to go with a plot like that, at least make it unfold during an actual Apocalypse of some sort, so that it feels as if it has some weight to it other than "Why do you like him better than me? Waaa!" Because that's what the entire thing was about; a jilted Pedo-Teacher using hypothetical situations to mess with the young girl who dumped him, and the younger, more appropriate boy, that she dumped him for.

Right.

Well give this one a few points for its technical merit, and the fact that the actors did a good job with the material that they were given, but it's that very material keeps this movie from being anything but a frustrating exercise in "None of this shit is happening, but if it was, boy would it be intense!"

If you're expecting this one to be a Post-Apocalyptic movie of some sort, just skip it, because it is not. If you're down with a group of kids Role-playing the Apocalypse, then this may just be your thing. In the end though, After the Dark is a well-made mess of a film that tries to be too lever for its own good.

After the Dark is available on VOD now, and on Blu-ray/DVD on May 6th.

D

Nope, still in the classroom.

Where After the Dark left us cold, Wicked Blood warmed things back up again, and made us feel a lot better about our Double Feature gone wrong.

Wicked Blood is the story of a Hannah Lee; a smart young girl that is surrounded by nothing but skeevy morons, thus is living a lonely life. So alone is she in her level of class, that her only escape is to play chess.

Her Sister is a bit of a bitch (and a slut); her lovable (but pathetic) Uncle is a Meth cook (and user); and her other Uncle (Frank) is the Crime Lord of their small, podunk town (and he's also an intimidating, dick.)

When Hannah Lee gets tired of Uncle Frank's crap, she devises a plan to save her family from the whiskey-tango hell that he's got them all living in. Of course, given her hobbies, it all plays out like a crazy game of chess... only with higher stakes! Yes, it's all very dramatic.

"Check and Mate, bitch!"

What we liked most about Wicked Blood was that even though it was a fairly "generic" Crime Thriller, the talent involved in the movie made it feel like anything but.

Abigail Breslin is a star on the rise, and she's great here as the smart, plotting girl who turns everyone's life upside down. Sean Bean is Sean Bean, so he's always awesome. James Purefoy is an actor that used to rub us the wrong way (not exactly sure why), but who has grown on us in recent years. His character here only served to make us like him even more. Lew Temple was really good here as the sympathetic Uncle, who despite being a bit of a loser, really loved his kin, and tried to do right by them as well as he could. Really nice work here by him.

And when did Alexa Vega change her name to PenaVega? We get why she did it, but it just sounds so odd...

She is way to young for you, dude!

We were really pleased to see how the plot played out in this one; it so could have been a generic mess, but the twists and turns that it took worked, and worked well. Keep in mind when we say "twist" in reference to Wicked Blood, we don't mean some crazy, dramatic reveal, only that the narrative went in some interesting directions.

Best of all, without spoiling anything, was the way that Wild Bill's character arc played out. We were totally waiting for his story to end up being a repeat of some tired old cliche', but it was really nice to see it play out in a different way.

Wicked Blood is a solid little flick, that while not being as "Horror" as we'd thought it was going to be, ended up being a pretty enjoyable watch for us. It's got a decent story, is filled with some solid performances, and should fill the void for anyone jonesing for a Southern Crime story. It's definitely worth a rent.

Wicked Blood is available on Blu-ray and DVD now.

B-

And for the ladies amongst us, here's a little bit of Sean Bean for you to ogle. *This one's for you, Warmy!

10 Posters: The Crawling Edition

We never realized just how prevalent crawling away from something terrifying was, until we saw these posters. Even our banner* up there is getting in on the act! *Taken from the Grave Encounters 2 poster.

Apparently crawling away from such menaces as maniacs, ghosts, trucks, birds, or wolves is the way to go, because why would you want to run instead? We all know that running is nowhere near as fast as crawling is, hence why the Olympics feature so many crawling-based events...

What we found really crazy about this trend, was just how much alike these posters look. These are all newer, cheaper Horror flicks, so there's no homage or tribute going on here... Maybe it's just best to say that most of these posters were "inspired" by the  others. Yeah, that sounds far less accusatory than "copied," or "ripped-off."

It looks like Dead of Winter (2006) started the recent "crawling" poster trend, but never fear, other movies like Absentia perfected the art form. We don't know who started the whole thing, and it doesn't really matter. All that does matter is that these posters look a lot alike. You could honestly take any of the girls on these posters, Photoshop them into any of the other posters, and it would look perfect.

You gotta love low-budget Horror!

Is that carpet that she's digging her nails into? Because you can't really do that with rock.

Dirt, you could probably dig your fingers into. It's going to be painful, but it can be done.

She has the exact same hairdo as the chicks in the first two posters do!

Maybe she slipped and fell, because, black ice.

Is she really watching TV like that? And what exactly is on Channel 3?

That dark, side-swept hairdo is back!

You can't out-crawl a truck, dummy! (Unless of course, it's stopped.)

Where exactly is she crawling to? Her hand is probably touching the wall in front of her!

Can't really criticise her for crawling, because she's not outrunning a wolf anyway.

That's a big, big shed.

Blu-ray Essentials: The Returned: Season One (TV, 2013)

The Returned (Les Revenants): Season One (2013)
Music Box Films
Price: Currently $32.96 on Amazon (click pic above to order.)
Discs:
50 GB Blu-ray Disc
2 Disc Set
Video:
1080p
MPEG-4 AVC
1:78:1
Audio:
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 
Subtitles:
English
Region: A

Les Revenants marks the first time that we've ever watched a French Language TV Show. French movies? We've seen more than our share of those, because they are plentiful, and easily accessible to foreigners like us. There aren't many French TV Shows that we've even heard of though, which is why we were so happy to have found this atmospheric little gem.

The Returned is the story of a small French town that is shaken to its core when a small group of people believed to be dead, show up one day as if nothing has happened; they don't know that they are dead, and their loved ones can't begin to understand how they can be alive. For some, it has been decades since they died, for others, only a few years, but all of their re-appearances send shock-waves throughout the small mountain community,, in different ways... and that's all we're going to say. It's plot points are really better left to be discovered by you, in as much of a natural manner as possible.

"Jean Luc Pierre Remy Francois? But how is thees possible!"

Truth be told, we were absolutely hooked after the first scene in episode one. That "holy shit!" moment set the bar for everything that was to follow after, and none of it disappointed. The show's concept, acting, and visual aesthetic are all top notch. It's a gorgeous and intriguing as it is creepy and unsettling. The way that it twists and turns throughout kept us at full attention for all eight of its episodes, and left us wanting more. It was a unique viewing experience, to say the least.

The Returned has atmosphere and mood to spare. It's quiet and ethereal in its mechanics, and almost dreamlike in parts. Haunting, even. It's sharp and gorgeous to behold (the locations are fantastic), and its characters are as compelling as is the mystery that surrounds them. How are these once-dead people alive and "well" again? What does this mean for everyone in the town? What is with that creepy church in the reservoir? Why is that little kid so damned creepy!?!

This creepy little creep gave us nightmares, both waking and while asleep.

If there's anything negative that we could say about The Returned, its that the communication between some of the characters was frustrating at times. It's always maddening when people in a story could solve their issues and move the plot along substantially if they would just talk to one another, and a lot of that does go on here. Hopefully in the Second Season, the writers won't make the characters' evasiveness as much of a plot device as they did in the First. This show is solid enough on all levels that such writing tricks are not necessary.

There's a lot of ambiguity in this show, and it frustrated us at times for different reasons, but its just so solid in most of its other aspects, that we didn't dwell on its shortcomings for too long. 

"I've got a message for you, mon ami, and you're not going to like it."

Despite a lot of the show looking and feeling "washed out" as far as its color schemes go, everything here looks gorgeous. The show's creators obviously played with color quite a bit in this one, which definitely adds to the story's style and mood, almost as if the visual aspects are its own character. As "grey" and drab as it looks (and feels) at times, there are plenty of noticeable instances where colors pop in vivid detail. We're sure that true Videophiles could point out flaws and weaknesses in the transfer, but to our average eyes, it all looked great.

I'd run.

Clear, crisp, clean and immersive; we can ask no more from the audio on any Blu-ray disc. The audio mix on these discs delivers on all of those aspects, even if that delivery is more subdued than it is bold. You're not going to put these discs on to showcase your DTS & Surround Sound setup, but the audio mix here serves the show well enough.

Knives being stabbed into bellies sounded particularly crisp in this one.

Save for a pretty impressive little booklet, this set is as bare-bones as it gets. That is to say that there are no Special Features at all.

The packaging for this set is and over-sized, tri-fold cardboard type of deal, so if you aren't a fan of Digibook-style packaging, it might drive you a little bit nuts. *For the record, we tend to prefer normal amray casing for our Blu-rays, mainly because we're a bit OCD about uniformity. We couldn't help but buy this set though, because it was just something we needed to own. Going against our organizational OCD in that way is saying a lot for the quality of this Blu-ray set, believe me.

Q: Which one of these two are dead? A: It's a trick question!

If you love good TV Shows that captivate you with ambiance and atmosphere, and aren't bothered by watching something with subtitles, then you have got to see The Returned. The overall experience of watching this show left us thrilled, and dying to see more, and we can't imagine that most Horror fans won't feel the same way if they give this show a chance.

The Returned easily fits in with the True Detectives and Hannibals of the TV world, both in quality and creative vision.

For those of you hesitant to blind buy something without sampling what it's like first, it's streaming on Netflix right now. Whichever way you decide to go, just give it a chance. You won't be disappointed.

A+

*It's an A+ not because it's a perfect show, but because the experience that it offers is about as close to perfect as it gets. We just wanted to make that distinction, lest you thought we were hyping this one up a bit too much. It's just really, really good.

Whether playing it creepy or just being plain old lovely, the women of The Returned definitely did their acting Coaches/Teachers proud with their work in this one.

The Digital Dread Report for March 4th

It may not actually hit shelves until Friday, the 7th, but The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is sure to be the most in demand title of the week. Every major retailer will have their own Special Edition of Catching Fire, in addition to the regular version, so whether you're a lover of Digibooks or Steelbooks, Blu-ray or DVD, you'll have no shortage of options come release day. 

They may feel as if they're geared more towards a "younger" audience, but the Hunger Games movies are well-made and entertaining, none the less. We're sure that Catching Fire is going to look gorgeous on Blu-ray, and we'll let you know once we've given our disc a spin.

On the Blu-ray front this week, Wicked Blood and Cold Comes the Night are at least worth a rent (or a Blu-ray buy at the right price), as is The Last Days on Mars. The Visitor is sure to please the Retro Horror/Sci-fi lovers amongst us as well.

On the DVD front this week, Big Bad Wolf is one that we've been waiting to see for a while now, and Rabid Love and Children of Sorrow have us curious as well.

So really, it's Catching Fire's big week, but there's still plenty of other good movies to spend our time and money on too. You can never have too much variety, right?

And as always, click the pics to order yourself some flicks!