Film reviews

Isleen Pines Review

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Written and directed by Matthew Festle and Alexys Paonessa, two filmmakers who do all they can to ensure their projects have meaning and are high quality. Their direction is exhilarating and spellbinding in Isleen Pines which is an adventure of creepiness that keeps delivering. Isleen Pines has a cinematic vibrance that lets audiences know that they are in for a true treat. From theopening credits, you feel like it is time to party thanks to joyful tunes and Halloween decorations that help set the stage for an unknown chain of events which are about to arise.

Isleen Pines is the name of the town on Halloween night where the holiday festivities abound. The first party guest is The Vampire (played by Jackson Turner) and the second is The Ghost (played by Matthew Festle). The host of the party is The Witch (played by Naiia Loije), and then there is The Zombie (played by Darren Deng). The character names are labeled to correspond to the characters they are dressed up as. This is awell-written way of keeping track of the Halloween-style scares. In the town, The Man (played by Glen Plummer) is not so sold on the Halloween holiday because he is clearly introverted. For those hoping for a relaxing Halloween celebration…they are in for an unexpected treat.

I love how the film begins with a boiling point conversation between The Vampire and The Witch. This discussion creates an odyssey of tension before the party gets more wickedly crazy. The horror of moving parts with creepy vibes gradually intensifies in Isleen Pines. There is also a table moment between The Witch, The Ghost, The Zombie, and The Vampire. There is a creature found by The Ghost that the other individuals do not take seriously.  Their thinking, however, has irreparable consequences. The Ghost then starts to feel repulsive and suffersside effects which are grotesque and uncomfortable. Still, the party goes on. Isleen Pines tests its limits by pushing the envelope during scary moments which are sparked by innovative creativity. Soon, the Halloween party starts to push anxiety to the highest peak.

With an ugly aftermath, the film finds itself in a place of shock and confusion. It is an immersive and psychological experience where time is of the essence. An alien-creature egg leads to the film’s evil doors waiting to be opened. The joy of Halloween is stolen due to the terror which impacts the party guests. With no signal to call for help, spirits are lurking, and the fate of Halloween is in jeopardy in Isleen Pines. The movie’s many moving parts create a dynamic of how it feels to be really scared.

This film is a revolutionary Halloween thriller. While many are enjoying Halloween activities, others are dealing with various scary situations. The statement, “We have to come up with a plan to leave or fight back,” speaks to how serious the terror is.  Isleen Pines is extremely creepy and fun. It stays on track and evolves in an attention-getting way. The presentation of the film makes it seem like the setting is a safe community…but beware! Four stars!

Film reviews

Monkey Man Review

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This is an experience which will make audiences’ blood rush. A new hero is born due to revenge that has been endured for so long. Monkey Man just keeps giving with angry vibes of classic destruction. The film is directed by and stars Dev Patel in a role that is like Slumdog Millionaire meets John Wick. The streets of India are full of dark allies and Patel’s direction and performance are wickedly rapid. With all the jumps and craziness in Monkey Man, I felt like there was an army of monkeys getting into fights all around me. Patel, however, is the strongest and most ruthless of them all.

In Monkey Man, the film introduces us to Kid (Patel), a young man living in a world of anger and destruction. At night he is astreet fighter at a club run by a man named Tiger (played by Sharlto Copley). Kid wears a gorilla mask when he is a street fighter and fights to help ease his anger. He feels rage from his childhood days when his mother was murdered. Kid has tried for much of his life to let go and take his fears elsewhere, but without success. Due to his continuous fights and earning little money, fighting has not helped him grow as an individual. Kidtakes a job at a high-end club and puts together the pieces of the wealthy men involved. With the help of a colleague named Alphonso (played by Pitobash), Kid’s anger eventually leads him to a connection with the man who killed his mother. This is where the rage really sets in.

Once Kid finds out who was involved in the killing of his mother, the true ape side of Patel’s character explodes. He goes on a tirade of destruction in which he destroys criminal operations, destroys bad people, and destroys businesses. Soon the authorities are on to him. But Kid won’t stop until he feels there is true justice for his mother. India’s landscape is theplayground for Kid’s destruction and the bad guys keep appearing out of many different corners. Patel’s angry side shines vividly in Monkey Man. How bad do things get? How violent does the film get? The answers to these questions are part of this film’s bonkers adventure.

As part of this massive display of revenge and destruction, I found the film to be very effective at tying in culture. The death of Kid’s mother had to do with land and poverty. The concept of unnecessary suffering fueled additional anger which causedrapid damage throughout the film and led to one of Patel’s finest performances.

With fighting and violence on the streets, Patel plays onedangerous man who is a winner as both an actor and as a director. This movie is a vivid heart-pumping rollercoaster rideand truly one of the top films of the year so far. I found this film full of clashes and explosions to be an insane and triumphant experience. Four out of four stars for Monkey Man.

Film reviews

In The Land of Saints and Sinners Review

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This film is set in Belfast in the 1970s. The title speaks truly and thoroughly about its events which evolve with drastic and attention-grabbing tension. It is directed by Robert Lorenz, and written by Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane. The writing is subtle in portraying a vast landscape of bad judgment and good intentions. In the Land of Saints and Sinners is a story of a man seeking redemption. However, that concept comes with a challenge with an array of bad choices throughout one’s life.

Liam Neeson plays Finbar Murphy. Finbar is a man who kills bad people and buries them in a secluded forest. If anyone has done a bad deed, he makes sure that they suffer…quietly. He is determined to find peace in his life and disregards this behavior. That is not as easy as it seems. Ciaran Hinds plays Vincent O’Shea, a police officer that has a close friendship with Finbar. He does not know about Finbar’s secret side of being a killer of bad people. Kerry Condon plays Doireann McCann, an individual with a bad vibe throughout the Irish village. Finbar realizes there are signs of abuse of a young girl. This puts Finbar in the mode to make the abusers suffer. The bad characters (associated with Doireann) are Curtis June (played Desmond Eastwood), Seamus McKenna (played by Seamus O’Hara), and Conan McGrath (played by Conor MacNeill). There may be a line up of thugs, but the viciousness of Finbar does not stop him from finding redemption. With the help of a friend named Kevin Lynch (played by Jack Gleeson), they both work together to put an end to the tormenting behavior that lurks in the Irish village.

With Neeson in his role as a hero, this is one of those where he is saving someone from a political and detrimental tide that also has culture tied to it. There are frequent classy moments of Finbar smoking his pipe and having a fascination for planting. The planting expertise links to his organized killings though. He is a man with a harsh life determined to take down harsher people in this Irish village. This setting may seem predictable, but has hidden gems that evolve over time.

Through the vast landscapes of Ireland, its writing creates meaning in terms of its setting. Whenever Finbar goes to his hidden graveyard with an individual it means that a consequence is about to happen. Whenever Finbar goes to an Irish pub, it means that there is an unlikely moment of torment bound to happen. The tension keeps building amongst the thinking of revenge for its audience in a spectacular aspect—someone will have a price to pay. The question though is one of Finbar being able to move on with his life after accomplishing what must be done for those who he truly cares about. Does Vincent truly know what kind of activities Finbar is into in his spare time? How dangerous is the gang for Finbar? Can his sidekick Kevin be a big help for his detrimental actions? The vibe of bad attitude in this film stirs with compelling thoughts. The Irish setting boils to the breaking point. A crime-thriller with meaning where consequences make their mark. Three out of four stars.

Treating cinema in many forms of art!