EVIL DEAD RISE : a confined film that excels

Posted on by Edris Matu Segawa

As a screenwriter myself, I’m often critical of the screenplay and plotting of any movie I get to see. Despite late rewrites and unforeseen production challenges, the finished edit more so often looks a bit different from paper and at times drastically apart. This can better the film or destroy the vision. So when a story unfolds as tightly as possible on the screen, my hat is off for the team.

Evil Dead Rise understands its limits and utilises the playground available in almost all the clever ways the Horror genre can allow. Location, Time, Cast and a budget of 19 million dollars with a box-office of 90 million as I post this, That’s good business.

*SPOILERS AHEAD

THE GOOD.

a. A confined story

Director and writer Lee Cronin keeps things intimate, tight and confined. One main location, 2 lead actors, 3 supporting and an affordable entire movie cast of about 10 characters. Either limited by budget or carrying on the franchise’s theme of a ‘small group of people trapped in a house’, Lee strikes the right horror chords with a simple linear family story that is relatable, scary and gory. The whole film lasts for one day’s night to dawn. This lends the story urgency and the claustrophobic element that works with horrors.

Evil Dead Rise centres on two partially estranged sisters; Beth and Ellie, who are struggling with life individually but find themselves trapped in this old pre-condemned apartment with Ellies’s three kids and few cleverly numbered neighbours. The two sisters are both at the precipice of their old lives and need each other to start anew in life, but after a mild earthquake unearths the book of the dead and curious teenage son Danny plays one of the old phonograph records, a demonic entity is summoned. The evil posses Ellie and she charges through the building to kill everyone before dawn. Simple and Effective.

There is barely a boring pass-time moment in the film. From the first drone frame flying through the woods to the last similar shot in the building basement, Evil dead rise is on a budget and has neither time nor space to waste. Lee escapes the need to meander locations and backstories flashbacks, turning his shortages into gold. Most of the creative choices the production team makes are on point. They serve the film not hinder it.

b.Creative shots and tricks

With over 1000 Films released a year, as a viewer you’re always looking for something fresh and intriguing. It may be recycled but the application of a skill or trait can turn something old anew. Three moments stood out for me in the film.

1.The drone and peephole shots. At the opening of the movie Cinematographer Dave Garbett utilises a drone shot that slithers through the woods and works efficiently to represent an ominous evil entity but most importantly sets the tone; This is a scary movie and something bad is about to happen. The same shot goes on to represent moments of possession for Ellie and Jessica effectively as the unseen demon watching our unknowing characters. It’s brilliant. Now you might argue that drone shots are not a new thing today and you are right, but the application here felt necessary as opposed to coming off as a trick that the cinematographer wanted to experiment with. It serves purpose.

After possession, Ellie is locked out of the house and roams the hallway killing, waiting and trying to cunningly persuade pre-teen daughter Kassie into letting her in. We are immersed into the peeping of what is beyond the room through a concave lens shot of a peeping hole and it works beautifully. To reiterate, this shot is not a new invention but the..application.

2.The grater. The moment when Bridget attacks Beth in the kitchen and grates her calf was something unexpected. Gory and befitting of the genre. It reminded me of a scene in the (2005) House of Wax slasher film where a character’s Achille’s tendon was cut with scissors. Such simple yet outstandingly clever moments can make a movie stand out and in today’s market, you always want to have such trend worthy moments. Look at how the dancing scene at the stairs turned (2019’s) Joker into a billion dollar film.

3.The elevator semi-contortion. Ellie’s possession is a thing of bondage and bone breaking. The demon finds her in the elevator returning with laundry and then in horror fashion uses the lift wires and cables to twist and bend her midair into an artistically painful work of art. I’m not sure why, but this scene reminded me of (2000’s) Hollowman and Scarymovie 2.

c. Alyssa Sutherland.

Not related to Jack Bauer (Keith Sutherland), Alyssa Sutherland is a star born! For both Director Lee Cronin and actress Alyssa, this movie might be their launchpad to blockbuster budgets and hotcake casting respectively. I first watched Alyssa on the tv show Vikings and understandably she neither had much to do there nor stand out for me then. Evil Dead Rise might just make her the next horror leading lady or villain! She has an interesting face which she plays with during the demon possessed scenes and quite scary might I add. She carries the film and propels herself to the summit of the Evil Dead Rise’s excellence. Let’s wait and see if Hollywood has noticed.

THE NOT SO GOOD

Despite the exciting visuals per budget and neat screenplay, Evil Dead Rise has a problem.. wait. I can not think of a major issue with this movie worth writing about. It is not perfect, but it is mostly good for what it is.

CONCLUSION

I have not watched the original trilogy or the 2013 soft reboot but Evil Dead Rise is a four star Horror film for anyone looking for some good old scares. The film is well paced and fundamentally grounds itself in reality. Be prepared for some out of the seat jumps and face cover moments that will have you peeping through your fingers.

For those in Uganda, the best cinema to go to is CENTURY CINEMAX. Experience the latest in HD Surround Sound at all 3D Cinemas located at Acacia Mall kisementi, Metroplex Naalya & Arena mall Nsambya. For bookings and more information visit their website @centurycinema.co.ug

ABOUT ME:

I’m a God fearing Ugandan writer, film producer and artist working in the Ugandan media industry for over the last ten years now and am thankful for the experience, the people I’ve met and the modest living I’ve earned along the way. Thank you for reading this blog. You’re a unicorn. So continue being awesome and kindly share with a friend, leave a comment and subscribe to keep in the know of what I write weekly every Friday! See you next time. Stay Kind.

Find me @edrismatu on Twitter, Instagram,YouTube, and Linkedin

Dungeons and Dragons: a fun spectacle that stumbles on plot

Posted on by Edris Matu Segawa

‘Who needs Heroes when you have Thieves?’ – is a clever tagline to the movie reboot of the Dungeons and Dragons trilogy (previously released twenty three years ago); Dungeons and Dragons: Honour among thieves. In a movie industry saturated with superheroes and IP driven films, it’s apparent that D&D is Paramount studios’ counter-attack at box office glory whilst launching anew the D&D franchise in the post COVID-19 pandemic era. Question is, will D&D achieve the intended purpose or drown to the bottom of the box office flops? Actors Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis and Hugh Grant feature in a clip placed ahead of the movie screenings thanking the cinema audience for making the effort of coming to the the cinema and watch D&D ‘the way movies are meant to be seen’ rather than stream it from the comfort of their homes. So, is Dungeons and Dragons: Honour among thieves worth the trip to the multiplex? Let’s get into it.

THE GOOD

a. Show not tell

So many intended blockbusters do fault at using expositional monologues to tell us about the past. How characters got to where they are in life or what major plot catalyst occurred way back then to propel the story forward. Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein don’t fall prey to this avoidable trap but utilised one of the most significant rules of cinema – Show Don’t Tell!..and it works really well. From the first 5 minutes of the movie, when Edgin and Holga (Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez) face the council and eventually escape, it’s one fantastic visual flash back to another with no expense spared. (One could say the whole movie was a flashback through the eyes of Forge (Hugh Grant) as he too faces the council to plea for his freedom at the end of the movie) Refreshingly there’s no crucial piece of the story that is not shown to leave you wondering what that looked like or hhhmmm, I wish they showed us that instead of this, no sir! We see everything we need to see in this adventure flick and more, which leads me to the next good thing..

b. The Cinematic aesthetic

Production design ✅ CGI ✅ Cinematography ✅ Editing ✅

150 million dollar budget WELL SPENT.

D&D feels grand, epic and a true adventure movie in scale and scope. From incredible action sequences to dramatic quiet scenes flourished with cinematic enviroments, this movie feels and looks good. Many blockbuster movies leave you wondering where the money was spent but not here, you get the sense that the crew had something to prove, this was their baby and indeed they delivered. Maybe some awards along the way? We shall wait and see. So if you were wondering if this a movie for the big screen, yes it is. Wait to be dazzled with overhead moving shots, clever screensaver worthy closeups and lord of rings-like landscape drone frames to quick editing and a fairly good score. James Cameron might need 10 years to evolve cinema, the guys on D&D didn’t disappoint him one bit.

c. The Actor’s Ensemble

Team movies are not an easy thing to pull off, they can either crumble due to behind the scenes egos, imbalanced level of talent and screen time or they can click and make silver screen magic as recent memory serves with the Avengers movies serving a peak for the marvel franchise. The Dungeons and dragons cast leans on each other’s strengths for a bold, funny and acting balanced tale. Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez lead the team with charm and experience as the planner and muscle of the thieving group respectively while younger actors Justice smith, Sophia Lillis and Chloe Coleman lift their own weight while the villain duo of Hugh Grant and Daisy Head do play their parts as required. These are not Oscar performances but this is a popcorn adventure and a thrilling ride worth a watch.

THE NOT SO GOOD

d. The Plot or what it could have been

Putting the witty dialogue and all the other excellent stuff aside, D&D’s plot lacks something vital and that is – High Stakes. The sort of pressure point that drives Heroes into sacrifice and having to save the world. The emotional beats that move you as an audience to care and root for these characters. As an audience, we need to feel that our characters have to do whatever it takes to fight evil, save the girl or achieve whatever goal they set out on. It has to be important, personal and convincing, that if they fail, the consequences are directly dire to them or those they love. Sadly, D&D got bloated with too many stories to check, that writers Michael Gilio and the Jonathan directors failed to put us at the edge of our seats rather delivered a story that sacrificed stakes for casual playfulness and spectacle. Evidently producing a fun movie that has a weaker main plot.

Chris Pine’s character ‘Edgin Darvis’ is a member of the Harpers (an order of peacekeepers) who turns to theft after the death of his wife. He then hesitantly raids a harper stronghold with his team including conman Forge and a Red Wizard, Sofina who is in search of a mystical horn, but Edgin is after the ‘Tablet of reawakening’ a magical relic he could use to resurrect his wife. The group is bursted by the Harpers and Edgin and Holga end up captured while the rest of the accomplices escape. After two years, Edgin and Holga creatively attain freedom from imprisonment and return to find that Forge has turned Kira against her father and Edgin sets off on a journey to repair his father-daughter relationship with Kira and maybe save her from Forge? Simple right?

d (1) Weak motivations

Naturally in such stories, we are accustomed to the protagonist of our story wanting something and the villain standing in their way of getting it. This old tradition of story telling is tested and proven to deliver results. So, who is our protagonist and who is our villain?

PROTAGONIST: Edgin Darvis

GOAL: To repair his relationship with daughter Kira by robbing the Tablet of reawakening from Forge and resurrect his wife?

VILLAIN: Forge stands in Edgin’s way by lying to Kira that Edgin left her for treasure.

The thing is, Kira is never really Forge’s prisoner or in danger at any given moment, she’s just a teenage girl mad at her Dad and confused about the truth on why Edgin was captured. Nevertheless, Forge’s motivation to lie to Kira and keep her away from Edgin is far-fetched and off character. Forge really doesn’t need to keep Kira, she serves him no purpose as a conman. There is no benefit in this endeavour apart from trying to give Edgin something to do. Edgin goes through so much to get back the tablet as his way to prove his innocence to Kira that indeed he was captured trying to resurrect her mother, but in the end Kira doesn’t need the tablet to forgive her father. The macguffin ends up not serving it’s purpose and falls flat even when it’s used to bring Holga back. The emotional beat intended feels cliche and not in a convincing way.

d (2) Disconnected plots

VILLAIN 2 : The Red Wizard

GOAL: To use the curse that destroyed the Thay and turn the people of Neverwinter into the undead army. (To what end? I’m not sure)

Now this is a villain with high stakes, but ultimately her plans have nothing or little to do with Edgin and his team. To the extent that when the theives take Forge’s boat away from him after rescuing Kira, it’s done for Edgin. He has everything he set out to get and the movie could as well have ended with them sailing off into the sunset. Oh wait, we forgot about the a Red wizard after world domination, let’s go back and have a third act action sequence. The disconnect is jarring and an Achilles’ heel to a rather well made movie.

At the end, D&D felt like two movies lumped together. One, about Edgin saving his daughter from Forge and another led by Xenk Yander (Regé-jean Page) with Doric saving Neverwinter from the Red wizard.

CONCLUSION

Dungeons and dragons : Honour among Thieves, is a fun ride with spectacle and dazzle, witty dialogue and a good looking ensemble cast but falls short on threading the story into a 1billion picture. The Jonathan Directors make a case for a franchise launch and your ticket but I will wait to see if this reboot has legs to green light a sequel. Until then..

ABOUT ME:

I have been working in the media industry for over ten years now and am thankful for the experience, the people I’ve met and the modest living I’ve earned along the way. Thank you for reading this blog. You’re a unicorn. So continue being awesome and kindly share with a friend, leave a comment to continue the conversation and let’s get talking. See you next time.

Find me @edrismatu on Twitter, Instagram,YouTube, and Linkedin

REVIEW: The peak Age of Ultron missed.

Posted on by Edris Matu Segawa

With a great movie comes great sequel expectations.
After the first Avenger movie made over 1billion dollars($1,518.6b for figures’ sake), Age of Ultron had big shoes to fill… but after stepping out of the Ultron’s screening, I was a little disappointed and wondered if this new entry will deliver…and here am not talking of box office. (That boat will sink in money.) I’m talking about keeping us (movie lovers) excited and still invested in this ever growing marvel universe. I write this article entirely because I have watched and loved movies since childhood. I am now a TV producer and talking film is something I do every single day. So why not share my thoughts on this box office buster.

A hero is expected to beat the bad guy and save the world or the girl or something? So what makes one hero more of a hero than other heroes? (Clark no hurt feelings ). The answer to that is ‘the villain our hero has to beat.’ The stronger and harder the villain is to beat the more a hero attains glory in our eyes.

Marvel introduced LOKI early in the first Thor movie and by Avengers we knew, felt and understood his villainous intentions. Sadly for ULTRON, he is created in five minutes and struggles to connect with us over the mind blowing action sequences, the twins’ debut (scarlet witch and Quicksilver), the long line-up of super heroes and a hot Scarlett Johansson kicking butt! In the end, as a movie goer I fail to see Ultron’s bad guy effect and see him as a cool idea on paper but missed the target on screen.

Don’t get wrong, Age of Ultron is a good movie but at this point or phase (as marvel calls it) it needed to be a classic and it failed for me and here is why. (in hope marvel works this out). The rush syndrome . In the first few minutes of Avengers: age of Ultron, Tony Stark gets a crazy idea of creating an AI to simplify the Avengers’ job (lazy people have great ideas) that gives birth to Ultron. In the next two minutes, Ultron is already terrorizing the Avengers and in the next, he has a collaboration with the Twins and has built a machine that can lift a town to space and he is presumably killed by Vision in next thirty or so.  If you think Quick Silver was fast think again.

They are not that connected. Remember when this was one of marvel’s selling points? How all movies are connected? Well Age of Ultron feels like a stand alone movie that comes and goes. Apart from having the same actors and characters and well the infinity stones..uh this movie doesn’t feel that connected. I wonder if Tony had started working on Ultron back in IRON MAN 3 and we had seen Ultron show signs of him manifesting into the terror he is supposed to be maybe this would have made a difference. (just thinking)

The twins. Readers of comic books might well be aware that The scarlet witch doesn’t join the Avengers till later but Marvel felt the urge to make  her a hero as soon as possible. This didn’t really establish her as a main avenger but a side kick who can wave her hands at objects and they fly or burst into tiny little pieces. I wonder if the Quicksilver’s fate would have been shared by her but she’s an awesome character and I just wish they had given her and us time to know her a little better on screen.

Are the Avengers exhausted? Maybe it’s Joss or the Avengers themselves but I could not stop Tony Stark’s words from echoing in my head that he was tired and wanted to go home. The whole movie felt tired of saving the world and probably our heroes need new motivation and not to simply be a 911 to world disaster.

Congested.Like most posters for Age of ultron, the movie suffered from congestion and thus most of the short comings I have talked about. I understand the need to do better and bigger but it’s a road to carefully take.

All said, I love comic movies and I hope ANT-MAN can be a fresh sunrise to the Marvel universe. Probably DC can be more cautious on wearing out the hero movie era and keep it interesting and fresh each time we step into cinemas. Age of Ultron is a fun movie with great action sequences and trust that you will need more popcorn.