News

Eli Roth’s ‘Death Wish’ is a Misfire

Published

6 years ago

March 5, 2018

When I walked into the theater for Eli Roth’s Death Wish (which is a remake of a 1974 ‘exploitation’ film of the same name) I expected to feel…something. Eli Roth is a horror film director with a storied history.

I was skeptical of this departure from his usual genre, but if nothing else, I expected Death Wish to be too much. Too offensive. Too visceral. Too…anything.

Instead, what I got was a fairly bland action flick, starring a rather bored-looking Bruce Willis, and featuring the kind of formulaic “Good Guy with a Gun” plot that one would expect in a direct-to-video film starring Steven Seagal.

The film revolves around Willis as Paul Kersey, a trauma surgeon working in the apparently war-torn city of Chicago. If this film’s portrayal is correct, then teams of people must have to walk the streets every morning cleaning up bodies. I don’t live there, but I have a distinct feeling that living in Chicago is not akin to living in The Purge.

Bruce Willis as Paul Kersey in Death Wish

Paul Kersey is well respected, and we are made to see him as an earnest saver of lives. Things change, however, when Paul’s wife and daughter (played briefly by Elisabeth Shue and Camila Morrone, respectively) are attacked during a botched break-in of their family home.

Paul’s wife is killed, and his daughter is left in a coma. And thus, probably the two best actors in this film disappear (with respect to Vincent D’Onofrio, this is not quite his best performance).

As Paul becomes increasingly filled with a need for vengeance, he begins to research guns and harbor thoughts of vigilante justice. In the end, he steals a Glock from a dying patient, ends his night-shift early, and kills two men who are attempting to steal a truck. He does all this while wearing a grey hoodie, leading to the local tabloids dubbing him “The Grim Reaper” (cue the chills and shudders).

The plot from here proceeds pretty much exactly how one would expect. One by one, Paul hunts down the men responsible for the death of his wife. He dispatches them with little difficulty, while the detectives on the case (played by Dean Norris and Kimberly Elise, who are the only two people who seem like they’re having any fun), draw ever nearer to him.

Paul Kersey “The Grim Reaper”

Eventually Paul’s brother, Frank (Vincent D’Onofrio, who probably should have played the lead but is instead playing a walking cartoon character), finds out about his heinous crimes, and…just…kind of goes along with it? Frank’s reaction sums up this film’s largest flaw: there are absolutely ZERO consequences or stakes for Paul.

Death Wish could have been a morality film. It could have portrayed the tragic story of a practitioner of medicine descending into a world of crime and murder. Eli Roth makes horror films, so one has to think that he has some understanding of the horrors of the human mind.

But, sadly, no.

Paul makes the transition from life-saver to brutal executioner with zero resistance. He never once seems to question his actions, never once stares at his own hands as a man’s blood drips from his fingertips, never looks at himself in the mirror and whispers “my God, what have I become…?”

Nothing.

Eli Roth seems all too eager to get all this mushy stuff out of the way and get on with the bloodletting. And that’s fine! If this had been a true modern exploitation film, in the vein of Robert Rodriguez’s GRINDHOUSE or Jason Eisner’s Hobo with a Shotgun, then I at least could have given it credit for that.

Instead the violence feels oddly gutless. It’s too clean. Too precise. Too…Hollywood. And the one “cringe-worthy” moment in the film, when Paul gleefully cuts open a perp’s leg as a form of torture, just feels out of character and sadistic, not boundary pushing and gutsy.

Death Wish tries to be a morality film. Death Wish tries to be an exploitation film.

Unfortunately, Death Wish is only shooting blanks.

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

5 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

6 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

8 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.