January Review 1

Well as promised from last year, I have watched the three DVD’s that I won from the Australian Horror Writers’ Association (AWHA). Also I watched two more horrors pictures on Pay TV. As for whats coming in 2014 will be up to which I want to see and read. But I know that you will expect to see that a few reviews in books, videos and movies with my favourite  genres like horror, science fiction and fantasy. Also two posts about two movies from the end of last year which I had to think on because I needed to make sure it is perfect before I post them. More of them later.

Here is the first review –

Stake Land

Details

DVD by Umbrella Entertainment
A Dark Sky Films, Glass Eye Pix, OffHollywood Pictures and Belladonna Productions
Director :- Jim Mickle
Writers:- Jim Mickle and Nick Damici
Feature Length:- 94 Minutes
Stars:- Nick Damici, Connor Paolo, Kelly McGillis, Danielle Harris, Sean Nelson and more
Age Restrictions:- MA 15+

Plot

All the states of America has fallen to an Vampire epidemic. The survivors cling together in the rural pockets trying to stay alive after sunset. From a farm where the story starts with the family and soon the seventeen year old boy is apprenticed to the one who helps him survive from the vampires. These two travel to a place called New Eden where on their travels come to places where peoples live and the two become three and so on.

Review

I thought this to be a good movie to watch, however it was not as I expected for a movie about vampires. Vampires themselves were slow and almost zombie like, even growled like a monster but not like the vampires of old. These are better than the shining vamps of Meyers and yet the kill of the vampire did burnt but not like the old. Then I thought wait just one moment what could have happened that an epidemic of mass society could suffer? Unlike the zombie virus that could be and seem real in the future but then what if there was a prequel to this that I missed but there is none I could see.  Yet I wondered on the reasons why would it be a good movie and then it hit me like a match lighting a candle. The sense of any epidemic monster could be a part of any movie. Last year, a film called Battle Dogs had a photographer who was infect by a black wolf tooth and she became a werewolf and in an airport  she attacks a few bystanders and soon the army was called in to stop but the general was a bit crazy and wanted werewolves in the army. That is nothing compared to this movie but in a form of epidemic scenarios that many writers look to write. The option that the vampires were slow and growling may be just the beginning of the epidemic phase and only did I find the most excited part at the end of the movie.

Mister (Nick Damici) is an old cowboy/drifter type character who picks Martin (Connor Paolo), a seventeen year old whose parents has just been attacked by vampires. The vampires who attack did have some speed in the dark but light seemed to slow them down. It looked like there were parts that were beautiful but other times slow. The first town Mister and Martin went to were protected by a group of humans and each town became fortified towns and many gang-like places. Driving through a land where the two become three, is run by a group of cult-like group who would have pleasure and give those that didn’t follow their ways were feed to vampires.  The leader of this cult is then becomes a vampire. The meeting of two more humans and a marine soon becomes a fight to survive and  get to New Eden.

Overall it was slow with some good fight scenes and one other thing – at least these vampires has fangs. They were easy to kill it with an arrow, gunshot and stake directly in the heart. Okay even though, the slow parts of the movie were for me its downfall but something about it had me hooked like a fish to bait. In the Special Feature, it explains more about the Stake Land. In the almost two hours features, I enjoy more than the movie itself, behind scenes and how they made this movie on a small budget. I think if they had a bigger budget and a few more top name actors, then it would be a great movie. MAY BE A REMAKE should be a thought. Another movie I have in my library is Daybreakers and its almost similar to this but more action packed. I thought I should look at it again and I might.

Base on the budget of the movie and it did show in the movie and the best part of the movie is its ending for me I can only rate this – ♠♠½