Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

8/10 In 17 th century Italian convent a nun is accused of interacting with Satan when her priest lover commits suicide. Priest’s brother Federico comes to the convent to plead for his brother not to be ostracized and not to be buried on a donkey cemetery, where the suicide victims end up. His only chance is for the accused nun, Benedetta, to confess she had a pact with Satan to mislead his brother. As Benedetta goes through medieval   trials Federico struggles with his own passion towards the fallen nun. Is there a way for him to escape the seduction of flesh? Flash forward to modern times, the same town, the same church is now a derelict building where a mysterious old man called Count Basta is hiding. He had disappeared from sight eight years ago, and now thought to be a vampire, only coming out at night. When his home is under threat of being sold to a wealthy Russian businessman, he is forced to come out to sort out this problem. What he sees is the world he strug

  7/10 Ryota is a middle aged man who is frustrated with his life. Many years ago he had high expectations of becoming a famous writer and had even published an award winning novel. Now he is working part time in a detective agency, pretending it's a research for his new book, he spends time gambling and spying on his ex wife who since had moved on with a new man. Why did his future turn out like this? An approaching storm will reunite him with his ex wife and his son for one night at his mother's apartment. Will they finally find understanding and what happens next when the morning breaks? Reflecting of how one sometimes has to let go of some ambition to enjoy everyday life, the movie contemplates that people need time to develop their "flavour". Just like a stew, as the mother of the main character wisely admits. AFTER THE STORM is a subtle drama, a very Japanese movie which unfolds slowly, taking time introducing the characters and situations. It is no

6/10 Jim Kirk, Spock and the team are following a distress call to some unchartered territory, only to be attacked and brought down, Enterprise destroyed. Scattered in a foreign world the team has to find one another, escape the clutches of their persuaders and figure out what is the formidable foe they are up against. This new adventure is full of thrills, but I was thoroughly missing JJ Abrams' take on Star Trek universe. While Justin Lin does a decent job, some things are lacking. Abrams’ strength is to introduce depth to the character through action and some very concise dialogue. Justin Lin was given a great script, but some funny lines fall flat, and the character dynamic is lacking. The dilemma of Kirk and Spock whether to stay with the crew of Enterprise has a predictable resolution and the action pieces, up until the last 20 minutes, lack originality. The big explosive finale partially redeems the film, and there is a mystery surrounding the main villain

9/10 When the lights go out the creature called Diana stalks the halls of Rebecca’s family house. With her mother Sophia suffering from mental illness and her young brother Martin experiencing sleep depravation, it is up to Rebecca to figure out what is going on and fight off the creature of the dark that is ready to consume her family. LIGHTS OUT was introduced early in the year with a very effective trailer, showing a dark shape that can only be seen in the dark and disappears as soon as the lights come up. When the lights go out and come up again, the creature stands a little bit closer. Until it’s so close there’s no escape.  That one gimmick shown in a trailer, has been thrown at you left right and center through the film, but it never gets boring. With its short running span of 81 minutes the movie cuts straight to the chaise, giving very little time for the audience to catch their breath. The flickering light has never been so unnerving, but the darkness is neve

8/10 Will is returning to his old home for the first time since the separation with his wife. She's got a new boyfriend and Will had also moved on. It is weird for him to enter the house that holds so many memories - some of them good, some of them terrifying. As evening unravels Will cannot shake off the feeling that something is very wrong. But is it his imagination or his ex wife and her new man have a sinister plan in place? Think about it. When you visit someone's home, come for dinner, you put yourself at the mercy of your hosts, physically and emotionally. Playing on the fears of this vulnerability THE INVITATION effectively turns the safe environment of the old friends' gathering on it's head. The warning signs come in flashes and some bizarre behaviour of the guests. Although it is somehow hard to separate Will's imagination from what's real, the tension is just building up until the explosion of somehow expected, but nonetheless terrifying f

6/10 Lord Greyctock has moved on from his past incarnation as the jungle lord, the only reminder of Tarzan being "penny dreadfuls" sold in London. He is a celebrity, however, and is invited by the King of Belgium to visit Congo once more. But this is a trap, and when his beloved Jane is taken hostage, Tarzan has to return to make things right. Let the adventure begin! As a child I read all 24 Tarzan adventures, and entering the movie theatre I was hoping for one thing - that the film delivers on the atmosphere and makes me feel like a kid again. Did the movie achieve it? Yes and no. My main problem with THE LEGEND OF TARZAN is the plot. We only get a glimpse of the story of Tarzan's origin and his meeting with Jane, (not a bad thing), but at the same time it leaves too much to interpretation. There is a feeling you have missed the "Part 1" which lingers until the movie ends. For the lengthy run of the film Tarzan does not have enough exciti