Summary: Twenty-five years after the original series of murders in Woodsboro, a new Ghostface emerges, and Sidney Prescott must return to uncover the truth.

Year: 2022

Cinema Release Dates: 13th January 2022 (Australia), 20th January 2022 (Thailand), 14th January 2022 (UK), 14th January 2021 (USA)

VOD Release Dates: TBA

Country: USA

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Screenwriter: James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick

Cast: Sonia Ammar (Liv McKenzie), David Arquette (Dewey Riley), Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks-Martin), Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Reggie Conquest (Deputy Farney), Courtney Cox (Gale Weathers), Kyle Gallner (Vince Schneider), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks-Martin), Roger Jackson (Ghostface (voice)), Mikey Madison (Amber Freeman), Heather Matarazzo (Martha Meeks), Dylan Minnette (Wes Hicks), Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter), Jack Quaid (Richie Kirsch), Marley Shelton (Deputy Judy Hicks), Christopher Speed (Movie Randy), Chester Tam (Deputy Vinson), Skeet Ulrich (Billy Loomis)

Running Time: 114 mins

Classification: MA15+ (Australia), 18 (Thailand), 18 (UK), R (USA)

OUR SCREAM REVIEWS

David Griffiths’ Scream Review:

For a generation of cinema fans Scream was the film that got them hooked on horror. At a time when the slasher horror was starting to go through a bit of a resugiance the original Scream film stood out from the rest because of the fact director Wes Craven (A Nightmare On Elm Street) and Kevin Williamson (I Know What You Did Last Summer) used the film to almost mock the tropes of what made a slasher film a slasher film.

But the film wasn’t a parody, oh no Craven and Williamson did something that cinema had never seen before. They exposed popular horror tropes but still made this a film with an original story and characters likable enough for horror fans to fall in love with.

Somewhere down the line though Scream films started to take themselves way too seriously. That wit that saw the original film almost have a go at the genre it rested nicely in was gone, but thankfully now with Scream 5 it feels like directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (Ready Or Not) and Tyler Gillett (Devil’s Due) have had enough of the rot and once again we have a Scream film with a contained story that is also self-aware of where it sits within modern day horror.

This time around the murders seem to be occurring around Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera – In The Heights) who hastily makes a trip back to Woodsboro after her sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega – Iron Man 3), is attacked by the brand new Ghostface killer.

Urged on by Tara’s friends and her boyfriend, Richie (Jack Quaid – Rampage), Sam decides that the only way that they can get to the bottom of who Ghostface is is to bring in those that have been there in the past starting with the now retired Dewey Riley (David Arquette – Never Been Kissed). At first Dewey doesn’t want to get involved but once he realises just how serious things are he is straight on the phone to warn his ex-wife Gale (Courtney Cox – Friends) and original victim Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell – Wild Things) that Ghostface is on the run again.

It is almost an impossible task to review Scream 5. Because on one hand the plot and premise of the film is paper thin, but to be honest it is also one hell of a smart ride. Screenwriters, James Vanderbilt (Independence Day: Resurrection) and Guy Busick (Read Or Not), bring back the magic of the original film by taking a fair swipe at the tropes that we have come to expect with re-boots or re-quels as they are becoming known. They also have a fair bit to say about the so called ‘intelligent’ horror films that seem to have replaced good old slasher films in cinemas.

In a way Scream 5 does exactly what the original Scream did. It not only makes a statement about horror today but its characters almost parody what you would expect to see in a re-boot but at the same time the film has a plot that is completely contained within the film. The great thing about that is that while the film is very self-aware of itself and at times the characters speak like they know they are characters in a film nothing trips up the plot and once again we have a Scream film that is a fun whodunit.

To the credit of the screenwriters the film also ties in the characters from the past remarkably well. Unlike other franchises that have tried to bring old-school characters back into new releases the screenwriters have kept the characters true to what we have known them to be the past and they are there to move the story along not just to get the actors’ names in the credits.

Acting wise many of the cast step up and deliver exactly what they need to do for such a film. Jasmin Savoy Brown (For The People) steals the show as the horror film obsessed Mindy while returning veteran David Arquette puts in one of the most emotionally driven performances ever seen in the Scream franchise. It’s certainly a surprise to see such a performance in a stock standard slasher but Arquette is certainly up to the task.

Scream 5 is a reminder of just how fun cinema can be. Does it make a statement about the world today? No! Does it make a statement about the horror films that we are watching now? Hell yes! The film is full of likable characters, has a witty script and is fun enough to have you guessing who is the killer and whose pulse will stop next.

Dave’s rating Out Of 5

Average Subculture Rating:

Other Subculture Scream Reviews:

You can read our review of Scream that appeared in The Phuket News right here – https://www.thephuketnews.com/scream-like-the-days-of-old-82814.php

Trailer:

Summary: Katniss and Peeta are dethroned from their respective victory riches and are put back into the arena for the most climatic and menacing of the Hunger Games, known as the Quarter Quell.

Year: 2013

Australian Cinema Release Date: 21st November, 2013

Australian DVD Release Date: TBA

Country: USA

Director: Francis Lawrence

Screenwriter: Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt, Suzanne Colllins (novel)

Cast: Nelson Ascencio (Flavius), Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket), Bruce Bundy (Octavia), John Casino (Woof), Sam Clafin (Finnick Odair), Lynn Cohen (Mags), Rita Conte (Hob), Stef Dawson (Annie Cresta), Rode Ferland (Marcus), Wilbur Fitzgerald (Cray), Meta Golding (Enobaria), Bruno Gunn (Brutus), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy), Megan Hayes (Female Morphling),, Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Plutarch Heavensbee), Maria Howell (Seeder), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Toby Jones (Claudius Templesmith), Bobby Jordan (Blight), Lenny Kravitz (Cinna), Sandra Ellis Lafferty (Greasy Sae), Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Jena Malone (Johanna Mason), E. Roger Mitchell (Chaff), Amanda Plummer (Wiress), Jack Quaid (Marvel), Alan Ritchson (Gloss), Elena Sanchez (Cecelia), Stephanie Leigh Schlund (Cashmere), Willow Shields (Primrose Everdeen), Taylor St. Clair (Ripper), Patrick St. Esprit (Commander Thread), Donald Sutherland (President Snow), Stanley Tucci (Caesar Flickerman), Jeffrey Wright (Beetee)

Runtime: 146 mins

Classification:M

OUR THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE REVIEWS & RATINGS:

Adam Ross: You can read Adam’s full The Hunger Games: Catching Fire review on The Crat.

Nick Gardener: You can read Nick’s full The Hunger Games: Catching Fire review on Southern FM

David Griffiths:

The original “The Hunger Games” film left audiences in the middle. On one hand it was a better teenage genre flick than the later “Twilight Saga” films, but on the other hand the fact it was aimed at a younger audience meant that director Gary Ross held back on some of the darker elements that were portrayed in the novel.

Now comes “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” the difficult second film in the trilogy. Some three-part franchises choke when it comes to the second film, the film does nothing to bridge the first to the third film and becomes a dull affair for the audience. That certainly can’t be said for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” that equals the original film and overcomes a couple of flaws by director Francis Lawrence’s (“Water For Elephants,” “I Am Legend”) decision to allow the film to find its dark side.

Following the series of novels by Suzanne Collins “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is set twelve months after the original film. The young hero Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence – “The Devil You Know,” “Silver Linings Playbook”) is back living in District 12, although this time she is the nicer diggings of the Victor’s Village. Life is far from easy for her though as Katniss is forced to live a double life. Behind closed doors she is sorting out her feelings for good friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth – “Paranoia,” “Empire State”) while in public her fake relationship with fellow Hunger Games winner Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson – “Epic,” “Red Dawn”) must continue.

On the eve of joining the promotional train for the 75th Annual Hunger Games Katniss’ life is further turned upside down when she learns that her’s and Peter’s actions have seen them become the face of a threatened revolution. After a threat from President Snow (Donald Sutherland – “Jappeloup,” “The Best Offer”) Katniss realises that she must ‘tow the line’ but with that not working she soon finds her and Peter having to team up with Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson – “Out Of The Furnace,” “Free Birds”) to survive a new game thought up by Snow and his new right-hand man Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman – “A Late Quartet,” “The Master”).

Francis Lawrence does push the boundaries of this franchise a little more. He makes it a bit bloodier and even enhances the metaphor of Snow’s regime being similar to Nazi Germany but sadly Lawrence and his cinematographer Jo Willems (“Gotham,” “Limitless”) leave the audience a little underwhelmed with the film awash with a bland look.

Still that doesn’t put too much of a dampener on the film because the story really does come to the forefront. This film raising the stakes for most of the main characters certainly brings more suspense to the screen and despite some badly signposted areas of the film there are enough unexpected twists and turns to warrant the audience paying full attention. Unlike most teenage franchises you also get the feeling that this is one series that isn’t too afraid to kill off main characters if the story calls for that, at the end of the day that just enhances the suspense even more.

One disappointing thing about “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is that Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence just seem to breeze through their performances. Lawrence has shown in films like “Winter’s Bone” and “Silver Linings Playbook” that she is one of the finest young actresses going around but she never really gets to show those skills this time around. A real waste of an Oscar winner if I’ve ever seen one.

Liam Hemsworth also doesn’t get any decent screen time but Donald Sutherland is rewarded for his patience with the first film with the chance to really sink his teeth into a really menacing role… something that he seems to grasp with two hands. But stealing the show are Woody Harrelson and Stanley Tucci (“The Fifth Estate,” “Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters”). Harrelson continues to remind audiences what a fine actor he is with his great portrayal of the alcoholic Haymitch while Tucci shows his versatility by showboating as the energetic master-of-ceremonies Caesar.

There is no doubt that Francis Lawrence certainly lifts this franchise to a different level with his darker approach to “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” Sure there will be some out there that simply want to put the film down because it is part of a popular franchise but truthfully this is fairly decent film that certainly isn’t a waste of time to take a look at.

Average Subculture Rating (out of 5):

IMDB Rating:

Other Subculture Media Reviews of ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire′: You can also read Dave’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire review on The Book The Film The T-Shirt.

Trailer:

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Tagged: Jack Quaid

[FILM REVIEW] SCREAM Review (2022)

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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

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