Tag: Bruce Davison

THE MANOR – Review

Barbara Hershey in THE MANOR, one of the “Welcome to the Blumhouse” four-film series. Courtesy of Amazon Studios.

There have been plenty of suspense and horror flicks set in the sequestered confines of nursing homes and mental hospitals for a very good reason. When any of the residents start sensing something amiss, they’re least likely to be believed by those who might help them. When the menace comes from those in charge, the diminished capacity of their victim pools provides excellent cover for their nefarious deeds. Vincent Price comes to mind as one who thrived in the genre. Many others did so before and after his turns at chilling our bones.

In THE MANOR, Barbara Hershey plays a spry granny of 70, who realizes her Parkinson’s is starting to cause a decline she doesn’t want her family, especially her devoted grandson (Nicholas Alexander), to endure with her. She chooses a nursing home that looks good at first but soon starts seeming otherwise. That’s essential for there to be a movie in the first place. Otherwise, all you’d get is a PSA for eldercare. The sense of peril begins with rules cutting off contact with the outside world (gasp! No cell phones!), and even requiring a security code and escort to walk through the woods and garden within the remote, gated property. Several residents act fearful in various ways but it’s hard to tell how grounded or demented they may be. The film perpetuates a classic trope of dreading the attentions of the home’s black cat, which reputedly senses who’s about to die, and hops onto their lap or bed to function as a fatal spoiler alert. Draw your own conclusion about whether the cat feels glee or compassion in those moments.

Hershey finds a trio of relatively alert pals to start feeling somewhat more at home. But a variety of eerie sounds and visions during the nights could mean something wicked her way comes. Inexplicable, unverifiable events cause her to doubt her own sanity. If the menace exists, could it be from a supernatural entity? Is something malicious going on that’s of human origin, as telegraphed by a couple of Nurse Ratched types among the staff? Or could it be both? As the saying goes, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not really out to get you. Similarly, demons and villainous caregivers just might share roles in the same movie.

I’m not sure how much writer/director Axelle Carolyn’s script was more compelling than average, or the extent to which my own age made Hershey’s situation seem more relevant than the slew of analogs watched by my younger selves. After all, I’m almost four years older than her character, and several months older than the actress. What’s certain is that as director, Carolyn dangles many possibilities in an efficient package, maintaining the suspense all the way to an excellent climax. As a star, Hershey’s still got the chops to carry the ball through some challenging territory, putting this one comfortably within the plus side of the quality ledger. And she’s aging more gracefully than your faithful correspondent.

THE MANOR is available to stream on Amazon Prime starting Oct. 8.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

ALONG CAME THE DEVIL – Review

Review by Mathew Lowery

Movies about the devil and demonic possession are certainly nothing new. Ever since classics like Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, there have been countless movies made dealing with demons, exorcisms, or the paranormal in general. Some more recent favorites include Insidious, Sinister, and The Conjuring. But then, there are movies like Jason DeVan’s Along Came The Devil, which tries to go toe-to-toe with many other demon possession movies that have come before. Unfortunately, not only does this film take elements from other and much better movies, but it doesn’t offer anything new or use those old ideas in a unique way.

The plot is pretty straightforward, but it can also be somewhat confusing, and I’ll explain why. The movie follows a teen girl named Ashley, played by Sydney Sweeney Nude, whose mother disappeared when she was young and was abused by her father. Several years later, she’s living with her Aunt Tanya, played by Jessica Barth, who was actually an old friend of Ashley’s mother. They live in the small town Ashley grew up in, where she reconnects with her old friend Hannah, played by Madison Lintz, and a boy who had a crush on her when they were kids named Shane, played by Austin Filson. As time goes on, however, Ashley starts hearing strange noises and seeing weird ghostly images, making her question her own sanity. Eventually, she ends up getting possessed, and it’s up to Reverend Michael, played by character-actor Bruce Davison, and his young new pastor John, played by Matt Dallas, to save her.

If any of what I just described sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because it’s nearly beat-for-beat the exact same plot as The Exorcist. The difference being that while The Exorcist dealt with themes of doubting one’s faith, how a mother will go to any extremes for their child, and feeling guilty over a loved one, this film has none of that. Instead, it feels like the filmmakers added the basic ingredients of a standard demon possession film, but they failed to realize what made other similar movies so compelling. In fact, the actual exorcism isn’t until the last third of the movie, and even then, it feels rushed, almost like an afterthought. I mentioned before how the plot can be hard to follow, and that’s because there are scenes that are explained to us but we’ve never shown. For instance, there’s a scene where Hannah and Shane are walking out of school talking about something Ashley did at school. Hannah confronts her about it, saying, “What happened in there?” We never find out what exactly happened, we’re never shown what happened, and it’s never brought up again. Same goes for the father abuse in the beginning. We are shown the abuse Ashley and her sister went through, but we never learn why this happened or what made the father act like this.

To be fair, there are at least a few positives I can say about the film, though not much. While the script is poor and the actors aren’t given much to work with, they do a serviceable enough job. Sydney Sweeney does a good job showing some emotions, and she definitely goes all out in the possession scenes. Jessica Barth, while not very compelling, does well here and has some good scenes with Sweeney. And it is great to see such a talented character-actor like Bruce Davison show up, even if he’s playing a lesser version of Max von Sydow’s Father Merrin. There are also some decent make-up effects when Ashley is possessed, and some of the shots are fairly well composed.

Sadly, that’s where the positives I have for this end. Overall, Along Came The Devil feels like a very watered-down and less interesting version of The Exorcist that tries and fails to recapture what made other movies of its kind work.

2 out of 5 stars

Gravitas Ventures will release the supernatural horror film ALONG CAME THE DEVIL in theaters, On Demand and Digital HD on August 10, 2018.

INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY New Poster And Trailer

The creative minds behind the hit Insidious trilogy return for INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY.

In the supernatural thriller, which welcomes back franchise standout Lin Shaye as Dr. Elise Rainier, the brilliant parapsychologist faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet: in her own family home.

Watch the scary first trailer now… if you dare.

Also stars Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Josh Stewart, Caitlin Gerard, Kirk Acevedo, Javier Botet, Bruce Davison, Spencer Locke, Tessa Ferrer, Marcus Henderson.

The film is written by co-creator Leigh Whannell (Saw), who wrote the trilogy and directed Chapter 3; produced by Insidious regulars Jason Blum (The Purge series, Get Out), Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity) and co-creator James Wan (The Conjuring, Furious 7); and directed by series newcomer Adam Robitel (The Taking of Deborah Logan).

Steven Schneider, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Charles Layton, Bailey Conway Anglewicz, Couper Samuelson and Whannell serve as executive producers. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions is financing Insidious: The Last Key, and domestic distribution will be handled by Universal Pictures. Sony will handle international distribution.

INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY arrives in theaters January 5, 2017.

Spencer Locke as Melissa Rainier in the supernatural thriller, “INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY.”

Spencer Locke as Melissa Rainier in the supernatural thriller, “INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY.”

Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier in the supernatural thriller, “INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY.”

First Photos From SAVING LINCOLN

Films about the Great Emancipator have seemingly become all the rage as of late. The R rated ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER hit theaters in June to a dismal box office reception, Steven Spielberg’s LINCOLN will be released November 9 with Daniel Day-Lewis playing the 16th President and Terrence Malick’s film about Lincoln, THE GREEN BLADE RISES, was recently announced.

Not to be lost in the fray, check out these new photos from the upcoming movie SAVING LINCOLN. Directed by Salvador Litvak and starring Tom Amandes, Lea Coco, Penelope Ann Miller, and Bruce Davison, SAVING LINCOLN tells a unique tale in a unique way: using actual Civil War era photographs as locations, the film explores Lincoln’s fiery trial as Commander-in-Chief through the eyes of his closest friend and protector – U.S. Marshal Ward Hill Lamon. Production on the film wrapped July 12th.

In the process, SAVING LINCOLN officially introduces a new cinematic style to the industry: CineCollage. Developed by director Salvador Litvak, the new filmmaking technique allowed a sprawling period piece to be made on an indie budget (a full description of CineCollage is included below). While various types of layered images have been used in other films, this is the first time CineCollage, or “cinematic collage,” will be employed for every scene in a feature film, and the first time that the technique has been branded in an official capacity.

About the production process, Litvak said: “We had a huge story to tell, and we were determined to tell it. During our research, we dug into the enormous trove of Civil War photography in the Library of Congress, and I visualized scenes taking place in those locations. In the wake of movies like ‘Sin City’ and ‘300,’ I realized we could use the photos to replace physical sets. Of course, the process was far more complex and time-consuming than I imagined, but thanks to an extremely creative and passionate team, we were able to make SAVING LINCOLN a reality. Further possibilities for CineCollage are unlimited, particularly for subjects that can exploit well-photographed periods and locations.”

Based on detailed research by Litvak and writing partner Nina Davidovich Litvak, SAVING LINCOLN follows Abraham Lincoln’s journey from country lawyer to conflicted Commander-in-Chief, as recounted by his self-appointed bodyguard, Marshal Lamon. Lamon halted many attempts on President Lincoln’s life, but he was not present at Ford’s Theater the night Lincoln was shot. To understand why, one must hear his tale. SAVING LINCOLN stars Tom Amandes (as President Lincoln), Lea Coco (as Ward Hill Lamon), Penelope Ann Miller (as Mary Todd Lincoln), Creed Bratton (as Senator Charles Sumner), Saidah Arrika Ekulona (as Elizabeth Keckly), and Bruce Davison (as William H. Seward).

CineCollage, by definition, uses existing images as a backdrop to create a cinematic collage. The process combines off-the-shelf visual effects tools with techniques borrowed from theater, animation, and photography. A typical scene contains live-action elements – including principal actors, tiled layers of extras, furniture and props – all shot on a green screen stage, as well as multiple layers of location and architectural elements culled from period photography. The layers are composited together to create a stylized look that works hand in hand with the story’s narrative structure: in this case, Marshal Lamon’s very personal recollection of his friend, Abraham Lincoln.

SAVING LINCOLN is directed by Salvador Litvak, written by Nina Davidovich Litvak and Salvador Litvak, produced by Reuben Lim, and executive produced by Horatio C. Kemeny. The film stars Tom Amandes, Lea Coco, Penelope Ann Miller, Creed Bratton, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, and Bruce Davison, with songs performed by American roots-rocker Dave Alvin.

Film’s official site: http://www.savinglincoln.com/

“Like” on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SavingLincoln

Follow the stories of US Marshal Ward Hill Lamon at twitter.com/savinglincoln