BLOOD WORK: August 2023

Saturday, August 26, 2023

SILVER TONGUED SILVER SCREEN: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART 1 (2023)

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART 1 (2023)

We here at Blood Work love a good action film, the genre being among our favorites. John Wick Chapter 4 and the Finnish film SISU were among some of the best action films this year, both worthy of owning. Of the films we've seen this year, there is another movie that stands right beside John Wick and Sisu: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING.

Admittedly, we're not die hard Mission Impossible fans. We saw the first and second Mission Impossible movies WAY BACK when they first debuted in theaters. But after that we fell off of the series. After Ghost Protocol though we started hearing people talk about Mission Impossible again. Then again with Rogue Nation. When Mission Impossible: Fallout came out all of the buzz surrounding the series finally tempted me to watch again.

The entire series was streaming on Amazon Prime a few years ago. I started with MI4, then MI5, and finally watched Fallout. By the end of my watching I found myself saying, "Wow... I'm actually excited to see the next Mission Impossible movie!" That was the first time I ever said that and I went out to the theaters to see Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1.

I say again for the second time ever, "Wow... I'm actually excited to see the next Mission Impossible movie!"

I loved Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1!

THE PLOT

Ethan Hunt and his crew are tasked with tracking down an activation key for the most advanced artificial intelligence program ever devised. Enemies and allies from across the globe gather around them as the race to control this A.I. begins. Among the opposition is an enemy that seems to know every move Ethan and his crew are about to make, seemingly predicting their future to frightening accuracy. To defeat this new enemy Ethan must outthink himself and everyone else.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

This movie was meant for theaters and delivers one of the best theatrical experiences I've seen in years. The cinematography of this film is intense and immersive, zooming in on hand to hand action sequences, elevating the intensity, and zooming out for the expansive shots of death-defying stunts Tom Cruise has been known for. This movie is a feast for the eyes in terms of cinema. And the sound design is incredibly complimentary with the visuals, enhancing the entire experience. The film uses the theatrical surround sound to great effect, all of it adding up to an experience you can only get in the movies.

Like most Mission Impossible films, the plot of this movie is pretty standard, spy versus spy, race to stop Armageddon, and all that. It's a typical plot, but that's not necessarily a negative. There is something to be said for a movie that knows what it is and executes a genre experience to perfection. In this film the "typical" spy formula is handled very well, while feeling fresh and exciting. Mainly in how the core characters are written, the returning cast each feeling like themselves and acting how we've come to know them. These characters who we've been following for nearly 30 years now, continue to be endearing, charismatic, and entertaining, this film growing our investment in them. As a result of this, I think I've become a genuine Mission Impossible fan.

This is a franchise that has been maintained and curated very well in a time period where so many franchises have been mishandled, mistreated, and outright ruined. But I digress...

The new characters too are both intriguing and welcomed additions. Haley Atwell plays the character of Grace and is the showstealer of the new characters. Why she hasn't been in more movies is a mystery because she is wonderful in this film. Pom Klementieff too is great as one of the villains, badass, creepy, and relentless. Returning stars Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby round out a stellar cast of women in this film, Ferguson being the best beside Atwell. Esai Morales kills it as the villain too, bringing a cold and calculating menace to his character. There is no weak member of this cast.

At nearly three hours long (2 hours, 43 minutes to be exact), this movie flew by. The pacing moves at a rapid clip without sacrificing plot or character development. All in all, this was one amazing movie, maybe my favorite or at least tied for my favorite new movie of 2023.

THE VERDICT

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 is a great example of a properly maintained franchise and a spy film executed to nigh perfection. And this movie is an incredible theatrical experience meant to be seen on the big screen! The visuals and sound remind you of what a great time you can have at the theater. All of the actors deliver great performances and give it their all. I can't wait for Mission Impossible 8 and you better believe I'll be there at the theater for it!

Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10

I loved this movie! Go out and see it for yourself while you still can!

For more of my thoughts on action films over the years, check out these other posts below!

SISU (2023)

JOHN WICK CHAPTER 4 (2023)

JOHN WICK CHAPTER 3: PARABELLUM (2019)

RAMBO: LAST BLOOD (2019)

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL (2017)

ATOMIC BLONDE (2017)

BABY DRIVER (2017)

FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017)

TOP TEN ACTION MOVIE HEROES

TOP TEN 80'S MOVIES I GREW UP WITH

TOP TEN CINEMA SAMURAI

Saturday, August 19, 2023

THE HORROR HARVEST: THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (2023)

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (2023)

Dracula is truly immortal. When Bram Stoker's novel Dracula was first published in 1897, did anyone foresee the story's longevity or evergreen potential? The story and character of Dracula has continued to endure and rise from the grave for more than a century in film (Nosferatu, the first Dracula film adaptation, was released over 100 years ago) and will likely continue to for the next hundred years.

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER is the latest resurrection of the immortal monster in film and media. From director Andre Ovredal, the same director as the great found-footage monster movie TROLLHUNTER (2010) and SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK (2019) among others, comes a new look at horror's most iconic character.

Rather than another full retelling of the Dracula story, this film explores a specific section of the novel, expanding upon the story in fresh and gruesome ways. After seeing the first trailer for this movie and learning what its focus was going to be, I became very excited for this film, loving the entire conceit of this idea. And the movie itself, for the most part, is pretty damn good.

THE PLOT

A cargo ship called the Demeter sets sail from Varna, Bulgaria bound for London, England with a small crew and a charter of several large crates, their contents unknown. A four week long voyage turns into a descent into Hell as one by one the crew falls victim to strange and mysterious wounds at night. Believing the voyage to be cursed, the surviving crewman band together in the face of an evil more monstrous and deadly than they ever imagined.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The film begins by letting the audience know that it will only be adapting the Captain's Log from the novel of Dracula, going so far as to state explicitly that the film is adapting a section of Dracula. This little text card I could've done without. I wish the filmmakers wouldn't have given away that it was Dracula at all. Let those who know revel in excitement of a "stealth" Dracula movie and let those who don't know be surprised. Alas, this is just a minor qualm, no big deal.

From here we jump into the movie and the wonderful trappings of 1897 Varna, Bulgaria as the crew of the Demeter load up their cargo. Not only is this a period piece monster movie, but the film itself is presented almost like a movie made 20 or 30 years ago. It just has that sorta feel to it, which is one of the shining aspects of the movie. It feels like this movie could've been made in the 80s or even the 70s and I love that about it.

What follows is a classic-style old fashioned monster movie, something of a rarity in recent years. This movie feels like it would fit in well alongside classic Hammer horror films or iconic classics from before then or after. The events proceed like the events in 1979's ALIEN or 1987's PREDATOR or even an 80s slasher flick. With a few moments as the exception, this film feels timeless as you don't get a sense of modernity or distinctive moments that feel like the era it was made in. When you watch this movie ten years from now this movie won't be filled with 2023 cringe (mostly, as there are a few instances that scream current year Hollywood, but they were few, thank god).

Dracula is mostly kept to the shadows during the first half of the film, opting for a less is more approach and slowly revealing the monster over the course of the movie. This tactic again lends the movie that classic feel. There are many great moments in the film in which Dracula and the presence of Dracula are felt, growing in intensity and greater horror as the film builds to its crescendo, one of my favorite moments involving the character of Toby, the Captain's grandson. This moment has stuck with me now for a week after seeing the movie.

Dracula himself is unnervingly realized, to great effect in my opinion. We've seen Dracula so many times over the last 100 years of cinema and this film gives us a large unique and distinct vision of Dracula than what we've been privy too. He changes and evolves over the course of the film too keeping you surprised and terrified as the film progresses. If the imagery is reminiscent of anything, it's Dracula's look from F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu, evoking thoughts of Max Schrek's iconic image. This is very appropriate as I feel the only other noteworthy film adaptation of the Demeter voyage is the small sequence from 1922's Nosferatu.

A combination of elements brings Dracula to life in this film: one, the great physicality of actor Javier Botet (and his unnervingly elongated body). Two; the amazing practical effects and prosthetics. And three; CGI for the final transformation, all of it nearly seamless. To me, Dracula's other forms and transformations haven't been explored too often in film history, the 1992 film; Bram Stoker's DRACULA being the major exception to this. Seeing this side of Dracula almost exclusively here was a delight. What's really incredible about this approach is that the monster being Dracula is quite incidental to the plot. You could swap another monster in his place and the film would play out similarly.

The only aspect of this film that really didn't land with me was the ending. When I saw the first trailer and realized what the film was going to adapt, I had hoped for an ending to this film that mirrored the book (as you should). An ending like John Carpenter's THE THING or better yet, an ending where everybody is dead and the monster reigns victorious (like how this section ends in the book). Sadly, this ending goes full Hollywood and even has the audacity to set up a sequel. It's studio interference at its best, folks. I sincerely hope there is an alternate ending that aligns with the book.

Lastly I'll touch on the actors, all of whom do a great job. I was initially concerned with actor Corey Hawkins though as he seemed out of place here (or could've been the fulcrum for this film's potential cringe modernity, and in a few instances he is used that way, sadly). Overall I thought his character was handled very well (save for a few instances) and the actor himself does a great job with the material. There is a theme with his character that all he longs for is "for the world to make sense." It's established that he's a doctor and a firm believer in science and the natural law (insert modernity here).

But this is a great setup for him to face down an evil that doesn't make sense with the world he believes in, a decidedly unnatural foe. The potential for his character here is wonderful, his last moments potentially having him staring this supernatural enemy in the eye as he perishes, the unknowable mysteries of the old world leaving his beliefs shattered, challenging everything he thought true... Or rather this is what I would've liked to have been his character's end (spoiler alert, he doesn't die... he should've died though). God, how I hope there's an alternate ending on the home video release, that would bump this movie up a point in my book, maybe even make this nigh perfect for me.

THE VERDICT

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. Aside from the ending, the film is executed to great effect, feeling timeless and classic, yet a new and fresh approach to the Dracula story. It's a potent old fashioned monster movie, a genre which is growing increasing rare in this day and age. As a lover of character and the book, this movie is a welcome addition and well worth your time. It will definitely be added to my home video library. See it while you can before it leaves theaters.

Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

For more of my thoughts on other Dracula films and vampires in general, check out these other posts below

NOSFERATU ~ A SYMPHONY OF HORROR (1922)

DRACULA (1931)

THE HORROR OF DRACULA (1958)

NOSFERATU ~ PHANTOM DER NACHT (1979)

DRACULA (1979)

Bram Stoker's DRACULA (1992)

DRACULA UNTOLD (2014)

BLACK SUNDAY (1960)

FRIGHT NIGHT (1985)

LIFEFORCE (1985)

VAMPIRE HUNTER D (1985)

FROM DUSK TILL DAWN (1996)

John Carpenter's VAMPIRES (1998)

A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (2014)

UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS (2017)

MORBIUS (2022)

THE HORROR MOVIE MASTER LIST

Friday, August 11, 2023

THE HORROR HARVEST: INSIDIOUS - THE RED DOOR (2023)

INSIDIOUS - THE RED DOOR (2023)

It's been 13 years since the first Insidious film debuted in theaters. A sort of sister-series to the Conjuring universe, I personally have enjoyed all of the Insidious films and have been looking forward to more. With INSIDIOUS - THE RED DOOR, the fifth film in the series, we see the original cast reunited for the first time since 2013.

Where Insidious Chapter 3 and Insidious - The Last Key were prequels to Insidious 1, The Red Door is the long awaited direct sequel to Chapter 2. So, if you haven't seen the last two Insidious films, you're okay to go into this one.

We here at Blood Work haven't missed an Insidious film in theaters since 2013 (we sadly did not get to see the first film in a theater), so there was no way we were going to miss this one! A friend and I went out to see this latest installment in the series not too long ago. While not reaching the highs of the first two films in the series, Insidious - The Red Door was nonetheless a solid film with some great moments.

THE PLOT

It's been over a decade since the Lambert family had endured the horrors of the Further. Even though they've escaped the evil spirits, their family has still deteriorated over the years leaving them a broken home. But what has caused their family to fracture and is it connected to the Further? As Dalton goes to college he begins having visions of something insidious clawing at the edges of his mind. And Dalton's father, Josh, begins uncovering the horrible truth about what happened to them... and it reaches farther back than any of them had imagined.

INITIAL REACTIONS

It's great to see the original cast together once again. Instead of James Wan in the director's chair, actor Patrick Wilson pulls double duty here as director and reprising his role as Josh Lambert. Everyone does a great job here and is a welcome sight to see. The film has a slow start, which may leave some feeling a little impatient, but the film builds into a frightening and exciting final act.

The film's focus is on the Lambert family, particularly Josh and Dalton, the father and son relationship being central to the film. The movie begins with them estranged and we gradually see the two of them come together to confront the literal demons plaguing them. Not only that, but Josh's own father and the relationship between them plays a key role in the film. This father/son dynamic is a great strength of the film and the backbone of the narrative. A positive father/son relationship feels like a rarity in films today and it is executed very well here.

Sadly, this means that the ghouls in the Further take a bit of a backseat in the film, opting for a "less is more" approach. While I would've liked to have seen greater emphasis on the "Lipstick" demon and the lost souls of the Further, ultimately I felt this approach worked. The Lipstick Demon receives a bit of a redesign here, much to the character's benefit, once again portrayed by the film's composer, Joseph Bishara. By the end of the movie I feel satisfied in saying goodbye to the Lamberts, but I still want more of the Lipstick Demon. I feel far from done with the Further and its denizens.

THE VERDICT

Insidious - The Red Door is not my favorite film in the franchise. It fails to reach the heights set by both the original and Chapter 2. But what it does do very well is wrap up the story of the Lambert family and finally closes the door on their terrifying experiences with the Further. The core message about fathers and sons comes across very well and heartfelt. And while I would've liked more with of the Lipstick Demon and the ghosts, what little we get is potent and done well.

Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10