Finding ‘Ohana
This was described to me as a modern “The Goonies”, and that is a pretty fair comparison to make. It follows a sister and a brother from Brooklyn who find a journal that leads them on a treasure hunt and helps them to rediscover their Hawaiian heritage. I wouldn’t say it was as good as The Goonies, as there was a distinct lack of traps in my opinion, but it has its own spin of perilous adventure that you can enjoy.
All the characters are likeable and funny, though I could have done without the singing part. However, it is not a musical number, just a coping mechanism for the dangers the kids are facing, so it is bearable. I especially liked the kids doing the voice-over of the re-enactment of the events in the journal, as it was hilarious.
Bleach
I really hope that they make more movies featuring the two main characters, they were a lot of fun to watch. A teenager, who has the ability to see ghosts, has to take on the powers of a Soul Reaper to protect his friends and family. Rukia, who is the former Soul Reaper/trainer for Ichigo (our protagonist) is probably my favourite to watch in this film. She adds humorous moments in-between the more tense action scenes. Talking of the action scenes, they were fantastic, with the special effects top-notch as well. I do not know if this is a good adaptation of the anime/manga, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The X-Files (rewatch)
I was surprised to find that this holds up pretty well, on a rewatch. I loved this series when I was a kid, staying up late just to watch it. Scully and Mulder are fantastic characters and the different storylines are amazing. I still am freaked out by the “Tooms” character which is pretty impressive after this many years. I am only in the start of the series, so it will be interesting to see if it holds up throughout – especially with changes in the later seasons.
Red Line
This was pretty good in my opinion, and to be honest, I am always there if John Billingsley is, as he played one of my favourite characters in Enterprise. This film features a subway train that is brought to a sudden stop, when a bomb goes off. The commuters must work together to survive and find out what happens. They soon realize that the terrorist might be among them, causing distrust and paranoia. I found the characters were all pretty well fleshed out and believable. Having the terrorist among them added an interesting dynamic and kept the suspense high. However, I felt the latter half of the film could have had a bit more punch.
Snakes on a Plane
I did not watch this when it came out because well the name is like those trashy monster movies you get on Prime Video, but this was surprisingly engaging. I didn’t think they could really go far with this idea, but I was interested the whole way through. I should have known with Samuel L. Jackson, it would have been halfway decent.
The plot of this movie is that Jackson is escorting a witness on a plane, when they soon find out that loads of deadly venomous snakes have been released in the hopes of killing his witness. I mean that’s a pretty elaborate way to kill someone, but it is a lot of fun to watch them trying to survive the snakes, so I will allow it.
Sea Wolf
This is a mini-series in 2 parts that follows a young woman running away from her fiancé, and a man who ends up adrift in the sea who is rescued by cruel captain Wolf Larsen. I have only watched the first episode so far, but it is intriguing to watch. Even though a lot of the characters are cruel and despicable, they are compelling. But the character I find most interesting Humphrey Van Weyden, who is the gentleman that is found adrift and has to make huge adjustments to a crew that neither respects nor likes him. With the complex characters, I find it reminds me a lot of Black Sails, which another sea-faring series I highly recommend.
Redwood
I was intrigued by the beginning of this film – thinking it might be a hidden gem, but once things started going I really hated the main character. This, unfortunately, along with lack of great horror moments really destroyed this film for me. It follows a couple, Josh and Beth, who after finding out Josh has cancer, go for a hike in a secluded park to enjoy what final moments they have. But after ignoring the advice of the park rangers, they venture into the restricted zone, where they come face-to-face with the dangerous inhabitants – vampires.
They never really capitalize on the horror that they could have brought with the vampires. And they aren’t that scary when you do see them. But it was the acting and writing that really brought it down. Josh was the most annoying character, constantly bringing up his illness any time he didn’t get his way. Also, they do kinda give away the ending pretty much in the first scene.
That’s all for this Chills and Thrills.
In case you missed anything last month:
- Space Sweepers Review – a fun action-packed familiar space story
- V/H/S Review – poorly executed and problematic found-footage horror film
- Hunter’s Moon Review – a werewolf movie without the werewolf
- Chills and Thrills featuring Being Human, V/H/S, The Rental…
- 12 tips and tricks for Prime Video
- Shadowhunters Review – a poor adaptation
