Season of the Witch

Season of the Witch

 

 

 

 

This was a disappointing movie in the end. The premise had alot of potential, but I feel the movie fell short of what it could have been. 'Season of the Witch' stars Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman [Hell Boy] as two kick-ass medieval Knights who aren't all that happy with what the church expects them to do "in the name of God" during their many battles, so they leave the churches army in protest. Shortly after they are quickly rounded up and with the threat of being charged with deserting hanging over them, are persuaded to transport a young woman suspected of being a witch to some monks. The monks possess an ancient book of spells, one of which will destroy her powers and hopefully lift the curse of the black plague that has beset the land. 

 

Things I liked about the movie :

 - The opening scene was great, and perhaps is the reason I was a bit disappointed with the rest of the movie. Had the thrills, spills and scares from the opening minutes continued for the rest of the flick, it would've got two thumbs up from this little black duck. 

- Easy pace throughout. The film never wasted too much time getting stuck on anything that was unnecessary. 

- Ron Perlman was....well, Ron Perlman. Loved his character [Felson] and he certainly has an on-screen presence about him which he displayed in 'Hell Boy' and was also on show here.   

- A 'death by wolves' scene that is almost as good as the one in Adam Greens 'Frozen'.

 

 

 

Things I didn't like about the movie :

 - The script was below par. Apart from a couple of humorous exchanges between Cage and Perlman, the dialogue lacked punch.

- I got over it eventually, but the fact that most of the characters spoke with American accents even though the film was set in Europe in 1335 AD. 

- Dodgy CGI, especially in the last grand finale scene.

 

The one thing I'm still not sure how I feel about in the movie [minor spoiler alert] :

 - The "twist" towards the end of the movie involving the suspected witch. Makes the title of the film sort of redundant.

 

Overall 'Season of the Witch' won't be the worst movie I watch this year. It had it's moments, but in my opinion fell short of the better movie it could have been.

Hobo with a shotgun - Review

Hobo with a Shotgun

This is the second film spawned from the mock trailers that accompanied the Rodriguez/Tarantino 'Grindhouse' films in 2007. Like the first one 'Machete', the over-the-top 'Hobo with a shotgun' shouldn't be taken too seriously. It involves Rutger Hauer playing a hobo who as just rode into Hope Town on a train, a town that is overrun by violent criminals and crooked cops. The main villain is a character called The Drake [Brian Downey] who with the help of his sons Slick [Gregory Smith] and Ivan [Nick Bateman], has the town living in fear. The hobo doesn't like what he sees, and after a hold up in a pawn shop pushes him over the edge, said hobo becomes vigilante hobo dishing out his own brand of street justice via his trusty shotgun. 
  

Things I liked about the movie :

- non-stop action with plenty of imaginative kills that should appeal to the gore hounds out there. 

- the film definitely has that Grindhouse feel to it, with everything from it's visual style to the excessive violence spelling early 1980's Grindhouse.

- Rutger f*ckin Hauer.

- one of the greatest lines ever delivered in a movie : "I'm gonna wash this blood off with your blood".

Things I didn't like about the movie :
-  there were some flat spots, including virtually any scene involving 'prostitute with a heart of gold' Abby making friends with the hobo. 

- I love my mindless violence as much as the next guy, but blow torching a school bus full of kids with a flame thrower may have overstepped the mark even in my eyes. Although I did chuckle as "disco inferno" was playing as it happened.

Although I probably rate 'Machete' slightly in front of it, 'Hobo with a shotgun' is still a fun movie for those who like their flicks a bit cheesy and very violent. Rutger Hauer owns it, and the film doesn't take itself too seriously, hence the over-the-top violence isn't too shocking.