Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (April 2015)

April wasn’t good to me. I didn’t watch that many new movies this month and I also didn’t see a lot of really good films either. But I did manage to make a top 5. Here are my favorite movies I watched this month for my challenge.

5. Nightmares and Dreamscapes

This wasn’t just one movie, it was a series of eight short films based on stories by Stephen King. Especially the stories with William Hurt, William H. Macy and Tom Berenger were really good. A fun time!

 

 

4. Brooklyn’s Finest

The fact that it was the same director as “Training Day” made me watch this movie. I enjoyed it, I always like movies with multiple storylines. Richard Gere did a good job, he showed us a different side of himself.

 

 

3. Oculus

I thought it was going to be another one of those cheesy horror flicks with a haunted house. Well, it was better than that. The acting was great, especially Katee Sackhoff. The movie had some good jump scares and was pretty clever. It surprised me.

 

 

2. An American Werewolf in London

A horror cult classic. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. That transformation scene really amazed me, it looks so good. Especially for that time. It’s a great horror movie with humor here and there.

 

 

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron

This was one of the movies I was really looking forward to this year. And it didn’t disappoint me at all. I prefer the first, but only a little bit. Wonderful action sequences, vibrant characters and great acting. I want to see it again, right now actually…

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Divergent, The Expendables 3

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 45: Oculus

Director: Mike Flanagan

Genre: Horror

Runtime: 103 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane, Annalise Basso, Garrett Ryan, James Lafferty, Miguel Sandoval, Kate Siegel, Scott Graham, Michael J. Fourticq, Kate Parker, Justin Gordon, Bob Gebert

 

Description: Kaylie (Karen Gillian) tries to exonerate her brother Tim (Brenton Thwaites), who was convicted of murder, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon.

 

Review: People used to think mirrors could capture your soul. After a death, they covered them up, afraid that the soul of the dead dragged the souls of the living into the afterlife. The mirror in “Oculus” takes lives by showing hallucinations. When leading character Kaylie is eating an apple, it’s actually a light bulb. Or is it? A scary image, a mouth full of blood, but the tension is there. And that’s why “Oculus” works.

The story starts with Tim Russell, who is being discharged from a psychiatric institution where he has been since he was 10. His father Alan tortured and killed Tim’s mom, and little Tim shot his dad. Tim’s older sister Kaylie remembers this differently. According to her an antique mirror drove Alan crazy. She has a plan to proof that the mirror has supernatural powers, but she needs her brother’s help.

“Oculus” is based on a short film “Oculus – Chapter 3: The Man with the Plan”, by director Mie Flanagan. Here a man is confronted with a demonic mirror. The short film was received well and Flanagan was asked to create a full length movie. He introduces two parallel story lines. One is set in the here and now, the other in the past. While Kaylie and Tim go back to their elderly house, you also see what happened all those years ago in the Russell family. This set up works very well. Although it sounds confusing, it really isn’t. it’s very easy to follow.

“Oculus” has some scenes that might shock you visually, but it’s more the threat then the gore that scare you. Because of the hallucinations, it’s sometimes hard for the audience to separate reality from hallucination. Both Brenton Thwaites and Karen Gillan, as Tim and Kaylie, do a great job. Rory Cochrane is also impressive, but it’s Katee Sackhoff that shines. Her role is not that big, but a memorable performance.

“Oculus” is definitely a horror movie worth watching!

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (123)

Here are this weeks trailers.

Better Living Through Chemistry
Description: A meek, small-town pharmacist is stuck in a loveless marriage who rediscovers himself by starting an affair with a trophy wife. After she introduces him to the pleasures of prescription drugs, things spin out of control when they begin plotting to kill her husband.
Director: Geoff Moore, David Posamentier
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Michelle Monaghan, Ray Liotta, Jane Fonda
Trailer: Trailer "Better Living Through Chemistry"
Comment: I like Sam Rockewell.

The Bag Man
Description: Jack (John Cusack) is a tough guy with chronic bad luck but human touches, and legendary crime boss Dragna (Robert De Niro). Dragna has summoned Jack and a host of shady characters to a remote bayou motel for unknown reasons, and over the course of a long and violently eventful night, Jack's path crosses with the stunningly beautiful Rivka (Rebecca Da Costa). All of their fates intertwine, and when Dragna arrives on the scene there are sudden and extreme consequences for everyone involved.
Director: David Grovic
Starring: John Cusack, Rebecca Da Costa, Robert De Niro, Dominic Purcell, Crispin Glover, Sticky Fingaz
Trailer: Trailer "The Bag Man"
Comment: John Cusack and Robert De Niro together. Hell yeah!

Blood Ties
Description: Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s.
Director: Guillaume Canet
Starring: Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldena, Marion Cotillard, Austin Williams, James Caan
Trailer: Trailer "Blood Ties"
Comment: Great cast.

Oculus
Description: A woman tries to exonerate her brother, who was convicted of murder, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon
Director: Mike Flanagan
Starring: Kate Gillan, Katee Sackhoff, Brenton Thwaites, James Lafferty, Rory Cochrane, Annalisa Basso, Garretty Ryan, Kate Siegel, Katie Parker, Miguel Sandoval
Trailer: Trailer "Oculus"
Comment: Okay, I'm already scared shitless! And that poster is very disturbing!

Run & Jump
Description: An American doctor (Will Forte) travels to Ireland to study the Casey family after 38-year-old Conor (Edward McLiam) suffers a stroke which changes his personality, leaving dynamo wife and mother Vanetia (Maxine Peake) to run the show.
Director: Steph Green
Starring: Maxine Peake, Edward McLiam, Will Forte
Trailer: Trailer "Run & Jump"
Comment: Just the kind of film I would love to watch right now.