Writes and Frights

Welcome to writesandfrights, a small writing blog where we review and discuss the shows and movies we watch. For more information please visit our info page.👽👻💀

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Short Report: The Thing (1982)

Plot

A team of researchers in the Antarctic find their base infiltrated by a malicious, humanoid creature that can metamorphose and imitate other life forms. Confusion and panic ensues as the team can no longer differentiate between who is real and who is the Thing. In the end, everyone on the research team ends up dead apart from MacReady and Childs, who burn the Thing to death and enjoy a moment of victory together.

Production

To say this is an 80s horror movie, the graphics and design of the Thing are actually pretty great. It’s menacing, gruesome, and creepy – all the things a horror movie monster should be. The gore is a little over the top at times, which makes it slightly more humourous than scary, but not very often. Most of the movie was shot on artificially frozen stages in L.A., although the last few weeks were spent filming in British Columbia; the icy conditions give an air of authenticity to the movie, since it is set in the Antarctic. The research base was also built by the film crew, which I think shows dedication to creating such a movie, and is quite impressive. Near the end of the movie, when MacReady, Garry, and Nauls dynamite the entire base, the explosions look convincing and it’s a well-filmed scene.

Watchability

Despite being a horror movie, I didn’t find ‘The Thing’ scary or entirely entertaining. Some sections of the movie went into a lull, and I got a little bored watching at times. It didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, as there wasn’t much use of tension, and even when the Thing was revealed at various points throughout the movie, it didn’t have the impact of a decent jump-scare. Perhaps it’s because I’m watching it in 2016 and have seen more well-made movies with better plots; it is very much a movie of its time, and that’s forgivable. On a lighter note, I enjoyed scenes with the Thing, as it was a well-designed and interesting monster. In addition, the gory and twisted appearance of the Thing wasn’t the only aspect of it that made it a convincing antagonist. Its ability to mimic crew members led to a psychological, thriller-type element of the movie as the characters as well as the audience attempt to figure out who is the Thing, and the idea that if it managed to escape it would wipe out the entire human (and probably non-human) population added a new level of danger to the situation.

Overall

I’d rate this one as a Born To Be Mild; it’s a good movie to watch on a night with friends if you want to have a laugh and be mildly entertained, but honestly it’s nothing special. The plot was tedious at times, and I found the ending thoroughly disappointing – I mean, Childs disappears while MacReady has a dramatic fight with the Thing, then re-appears at the end and they just have a casual drink together? There I was expecting a plot twist, but no such luck. On the other hand, it’s a pretty iconic horror movie, so I’d say it’s worth giving it a go.

Scores: Plot:  Production:  Watchability:  Overall: 4.5/5

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Short Report: Happily, Ever After

Plot

Happily, Ever After (also known as Snow White in the Land of Doom, Snow White: Happily Ever After and Happily Ever After: Snow White's Greatest Adventure) is an unofficial sequel to Disney’s Snow White…Not made by Disney. 

The film tells the story of the evil wizard Lord Malis who returns to find his sister the Evil Queen has been killed. He vows revenge onto Snow White and her Prince, taking the form of a dragon to attack them, ala Sleeping Beauty. Snow White escapes and teams up with nature themed ‘Dwarfelles’ the cousins of the original 7 dwarfs, appointed their powers by the grand Mother Nature herself. Snow White then spends the rest of the movie fighting Lord Malis in order to find and save her prince all whilst being pursued by the mysterious frog-like Shadow Man. 

Production

The production of this movie is low, that’s all we can say. For such an interesting idea, the plot and designs were poorly executed which really drags down the film. Prince is essentially a ginger he-man, and sunburn actually burns eyes. Thunderella suffers most from this poor character design, for being arguably the most important member of the Dwarfelles, her design is just really bland – it doesn’t reflect her powers and feels off compared to other more themed members of the cast, leaving her as just generic ‘cute’. 

Watchability

Despite the above the film is decently watchable. The plot was engaging enough for a child to be entertained. Malis was a pretty cool villain, with a pun for a name and a dramatic nature which can be pretty damn funny at times and Snow White was given more personality than the original even if it’s not by much – her design is pretty too. 

That being said, the side characters could be grating at times and were given next to no characterisation past their introduction, which could be a flaw of having a cheap children’s movie with a large cast, but made several characters feel pretty useless. The movie was also not-quite a musical, which started off with three atrocious expositional songs that then tapered off to nothing more, like they got halfway through and ran out of budget.  

Overall we’d rate it as a Jam, interesting if you have nothing else to watch. It can entertain kids and the story is more interesting than Disney’s Snow White at least, if less well made. It falls short in execution, but has an interesting twist which we wouldn’t normally expect in a movie this low quality, pre-frozen anyway. 

Scores: Plot: 4/5 Production: 2/5 Watchability: 3.5/5 Overall: 3.2/5

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Short Report: X Files Fight the Future (1998)

Plot

The first two scenes of the film are exposition for the alien virus, a key aspect of the main plot later on; the first scene takes place in North Texas, 35,000BC, where two cavemen are attacked by an alien life form (one of them is killed, and the other infected by the alien’s blood), and the next scene involves a boy falling down a hole and getting infected by the same virus, in present day Texas.

Since the film takes place after season 5 of the X Files TV series, FBI Agents Mulder and Scully are dealing with other projects after the X-Files got closed down in the season finale. They are investigating a bomb threat in Dallas when we first see them, and soon find out that the bomb (which destroyed half a building and five people) was set to cover up the fact that the five people were already dead as a result of the alien virus.

Mulder and Scully later go to Texas and follow a train hauling tankers to a cornfield concealing two giant domes; when they enter them, they are attacked by a swarm of bees and some helicopters, but they manage to escape. Later, Scully is stung by one of the bees which was stuck under her shirt collar, and falls fatally ill from the virus it was carrying. An ambulance arrives to take her away, and Mulder gets shot when trying to go after her. He soon recovers and meets up with a government man who gives Mulder the vaccine for Scully’s virus and her location (in Antarctica), and travels there to save her. Mulder finds Scully in an underground lab and gives her the vaccine in time, but awakens a load of aliens in the process. They escape, and discover that the lab was an alien vessel which flies off soon after they reach the surface. The film ends with Scully agreeing to continue working with Mulder, and the X-Files are re-opened.

Production

Being a film version of the X Files TV series, Fight the Future clearly has a bigger budget and is on a much grander scale, with more filming locations and special effects. Despite these noticeable differences in the feel of the film, it is not so far removed from the original series that it feels unfamiliar; the dark atmosphere and settings are very much rooted in the show’s origins. The giant bomb explosion in the first part of the film was visually stunning, and I especially enjoyed the scene near the end when the alien spaceship bursts out of the ice and travels back to space.

Watchability

I found the plot fairly easy to follow; it was a little slow starting, but the first couple of scenes introducing the alien virus were good exposition for the plot. I loved that Mulder and Scully’s investigation into the alien virus culminated in a fast-paced race against the clock to save Scully from getting killed by it, it was very compelling to watch, especially when the Antarctic facility came crashing down as they were trying to escape from it.

Chris Carter explained that his main problem in making the film was ensuring that viewers would not need to be familiar with the premise or history of the X Files TV series in order to understand the story. I suppose I’m biased since I’d watched the first five seasons of the show before watching the film, but I think he succeeded in this. Mulder and Scully were well-established as the protagonists of the film, and I think their relationship was made clear. Of course, other staple characters of the show were included in the film, such as the Cigarette Smoking Man and the Lone Gunmen, but CSM’s motives and personality were revised, and the Lone Gunmen served such little involvement that new viewers wouldn’t have been alienated by their inclusion.

As for characterisation, I thought Mulder was written wonderfully – he maintained his intuitive nature, but had a little added humour than he usually does in the show, which made him a more interesting character to watch. He also got to swear more, which I personally thought fit really well, especially considering his bitter attitude towards authority. However, I thought Scully’s characterisation was off – she was still established as the logical, procedure-following one, although she seemed unrealistically jolly, and was far more assertive than usual. I couldn’t help being bothered by the fact that she took on the damsel-in-distress role too, since I much prefer it when Mulder is in that position as a subversion.

Overall

I’d rate this as Born to be Mild, verging on Jam. I generally enjoyed it, as I thought the plot was great, and I liked that it was similar to a usual X Files mythology episode, only extended and on a bigger scale. However, I feel like certain parts of the film could have been a little more fast-moving to engage the viewer. The odd way in which Scully was written was also slightly off-putting at times, though I doubt it would have been noticeable to anyone who hadn’t seen the show before.

Scores:

Plot: 3.5/5 Production: 4/5 Watchability: 4/5 Overall: 4/5

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Review; Godzilla Raids Again

Plot

Two pilots Tsukioka and Kobayashi, are forced to land on a nearby island when Koba's engine stalls.The two stumble upon Godzilla and a new monster fighting. Returning to Japan to report what they saw the kaiju is identified as being an angilosaurus (Angilas) a rival of Godzillas that has also been affected by the H-bomb testing. 

Doctor Yamane resident Godzilla expert from the first film comes up with a plan to distract them by using flares because light pisses him off - which now I think about it makes sort of sense in the first film. 

So, when Godzilla shows up they put the plan into action, enforcing a citywide blackout and deploying the flares. And what do you know? It actually works! Godzilla starts heading away from the shore and towards the fairy lights. That is until a group of criminals use the black out to escape, steal a truck of gas and promptly crash into a factory, causing a raging inferno that draws the big fella back over to land. Nice one guys. 

Well, at least it can't get any worse, oh wait! Here comes Angilas. He and Godzilla tussle around, breaking things and setting fires until a well placed bite to the throat and some atomic fire extinguisher breath leaves ol' Angie dead in the dirt. 

Tsukioki and his fiance attend a party with some old college buds and work friends and Koba gets completely smashed, then a guy runs in declaring one of their boats has sunk. And of course, 'The only possible explanation is Godzilla.' Tsuki heads out in his plane, joined by Koba to try and locate him. 

Godzilla's on some sort of snowy island covered in ice caps. A bunch of planes try to bomb him but of course that doesn't work. Godzilla uses his atomic breath on Koba's plane, setting him on fire and making him crash into a mountain, sending down a small avalanche. Tsuki is devestated but gets a bright idea - they can shoot the mountains to bury Godzilla in ice! Which they do after a bit of flying around and going back to get more bombs, and flying round more and shooting things and... that's pretty much it. Godzilla gets buried and Tsuki goes home to his fiance and I presume live happily ever after.

Production

The most noticeable comparison between this film and the first one is the tone. While the first one was serious this one is full of laughs and inside jokes between characters that unfortunately don't always land, however still lift the mood. But, I definitely prefer the original over this, I found the pacing a little off and some of the action scenes failed to grip me at all. It also just didn't have the impact the first one had. Overall it's still a decent movie, even if some scenes are a little confusing with unfortunately very little Godzilla action.

Ratings

Plot  I didn't really understand much of this film. I don't know whether its due to the translation, cultural difference or just me being an idiot. I didn't really connect with the characters, but I did understand each person and their relationships between each other, which I thought was believable and well done in this film. Some of the dialogue didn't really come across but that's probably just down to translation.

Watchability  Some parts of this film really dragged on, and the action sequence at the end just didn't grip me at all. I didn't dislike the film but I didn't love it either. I would probably buy it (if i didn't already have it) if not just to complete the collection, but there are certainly better Godzilla films to watch.

Effects  I don't know whether the effects were truly worse then the previous film or I could just see them better? Either way they didn't really hold up, especially with Angilas. The destruction and fires worked best but in my opinion the monsters themselves haven't really stood the test of time. But for some that may be part of the charm.

Godzilla  Godzilla didn't really do much this film. He showed up, fought angilas, wrecked a few buildings and that was really the meat of his performance. He shows up a few more times but doesn't really do much else aside be seen by people, hit a few planes and get swallowed up by ice. Not his best run to be honest.

Overall, this film is born to be mild, not horrifically bad but there is better out there.

Scores:

Plot 5/10 Watchability 5/10  Effects 3.5/10  Godzilla 3/10 Overall 4.5/10

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Riverdale Theory

Based on Riverdale Chapter 2, A Touch of Evil, I believe that Riverdale may introduce supernatural elements, mainly witchcraft OR is leading up to an introduction of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. 

Explanation:

In Chapter 2, during Veronica's apology to Betty, Kevin mentions Madam Satan. Madam Satan is actually a character from the Chilling adventures of Sabrina comics, in which two witches (Betty and Veronica) accidentally summon a seductive and vengeful witch from hell. At first I thought this was just a cool reference. However, as the episode went on, I started to wonder if it was something more. 

Later in the episode Betty's mother is seen burning sage in the house to cleanse it from Cheryl Blossoms presence. Though nothing big by itself – it is popular within some Witchcraft circles. Then here’s the kicker – she then says that “I’m wondering if the Blossoms didn’t kill Jason themselves, sacrificed him to some dark pagan god that they worship…” 

This along with Cheryl apologising for “being such a witchy-witch” and then her arrest for Jason’s murder, led me to think that perhaps the Blossoms do have something supernatural going on, and Cheryl genuinely believed that he would “come back” i.e. not remain dead. I do however believe that it is unlikely Cheryl was the one to kill Jason, as if this were the case she would have no reason to attempt to get information about Polly out of Betty.

Though the show runners did say that that they’d be unlikely to follow a supernatural route, the hints towards an inclusion of Sabrina leads me to believe that if this isn’t going to go with a Supernatural route, then it likely working towards an introduction of Sabrina.

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Review: Ghostbusters Reboot 2016

Plot

After a tour guide is attacked by a malevolent spirit, we are introduced to Erin Gilbert, a humorous yet professional physics professor at Colombia University. When she finds out a paranormal-themed book she co-wrote with her childhood friend Abby Yates has been published online, she freaks out and goes to visit her. Soon enough, Erin finds herself dragged back into investigating the supernatural with Abby and her eccentric assistant engineer Jillian Holtzmann permanently as she gets fired from her job.

Along the way, bold MTA worker Patty Tolan and dumb receptionist Kevin Beckman join the team in their development of anti-ghost technology and aiding people with paranormal misfortune. However, they soon run into trouble with disillusioned scientist Rowan North, who is set on unleashing Hell on Earth by releasing all spirits from their dimension. Fortunately, the Ghostbusters inevitably save the day by firing proton streams left, right, and centre, and closing the portal, trapping Rowan in the other dimension.

Production

Special effects have taken a giant leap forwards since the original Ghostbusters was released in the ‘80s, so the CGI definitely looks cool, especially in the big fight scenes (e.g. Times Square). However, it did feel over-used at times, to the point where it was a little unnecessary. Saying that, the design of the ghosts was creepy and appealing; even the Ghostbusters-logo-on-steroids at the end was kind of terrifying! Costume and set design was also great – even though they stayed very much loyal to the original looks in terms of the Ecto-1 and beige boiler suits, it worked well in a more modern setting. Aside from the generic Ghostbusters outfit, I thought the other clothes were nice too, especially Holtzmann’s; her style was wonderful.

Watchability

Due to the straightforward yet engaging plot, the film was easily watchable. The actions went from A to B, which was simple enough to understand, although it was rather fast-paced which made for entertaining content. It was also incredibly fun to watch thanks to the comedy and hilarious characters – I found myself smiling through most of it.

Comedy

Speaking of which, brings us to an assessment of the jokes. The film isn’t classed as being solely that of the comedy genre, although humour is rather a large aspect of it. Personally, I think it works very well. The mixture of sci-fi/supernatural and jest made for a compelling watch, and I genuinely thought the majority of the jokes were laugh-out-loud funny. Especially the Mike Hat/my cat joke, I loved that one.

Characters

The characters could be said to be exaggerated and unrealistic, but I think that’s the point, especially in a comedy. Kevin’s astounding stupidity creates many laughs, and Holtzmann’s enthusiastic-bordering-on-worryingly-obsessive attitude is extremely entertaining.  The only real criticism I have is that Rowan wasn’t a brilliant villain – his motives were kind of strange, Erin somehow managed to figure out his evil plan in an unlikely short amount of time, and he just generally wasn’t very memorable (honestly, I didn’t even know his name until researching to write this review). He was at his best when possessing Kevin, and I think that’s mostly down to Chris Hemsworth’s acting.

Overall I’d definitely rate this one as a Jam. I found it really enjoyable, despite the ridiculous amount of hate surrounding its release. It wasn’t made as a political statement, but rather as a way of showing that women are just as interesting at the centre of a film as men. I loved the cast choice too, and thought their chemistry made their interactions delightful to watch. All-in-all, I’d certainly recommend Ghostbusters 2016, for fans of the originals as well as those new to the film.

Scores: Plot: 4/5 Production: 4.5/5 Watchability: 5/5 Comedy: 5/5 Characters: 4.5/5 Overall: 4.5/5