Coming Attractions- The Surfer

 

Director- Lorcan Finnegan

Release Date- May 2, 2025

You can see the transition to nutty Nicolas Cage towards the end of the trailer, and everything leading up to his breaking point. Cage obviously seems like a nice guy, carrying around some heavy emotional wounds. Going by the trailer, The Surfer will be loaded with carnage and violence, when Cage finally snaps and he decides to stand up to the local bullies.

The Surfer’s trailer shows a lot, but it’s also trailer that does a good job of hyping up the movie. There’s an eeriness and strange vibe here, showcasing a movie that potentially has strong emotional depth about a man, who’s just looking for peace, but he chooses violence to protect himself and his son. Cage churns out A LOT of movies, but he’s been far more consistent over the years, so hopefully he’ll continue that streak with The Surfer.

Trap (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert headlined by Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan), a popular pop singer. Unbeknownst to Riley, his wife, Rachel (Alison Pill), and his son, Logan (Lochlan Miller), Cooper lives a secret double life as The Butcher, a smart and calculating serial killer.

Cooper runs into an unexpected dilemma, when a merchandise stand worker named Jamie (Jonathan Langdon) reveals the concert is actually an elaborate trap designed to catch The Butcher. With Lady Raven’s help and guidance from FBI profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), the seemingly air tight trap complicates Cooper’s plans to escape.

Cooper devises a series of schemes and distractions, but the walls are closing in. Lady Raven has a chance to save Spencer (Mark Bacolcol), The Butcher’s latest victim, but Cooper comes up with a plan to escape with Riley….

My Thoughts- He’s a husband, a father, a firefighter, and a serial killer! Cooper is a man of many faces. Josh Hartnett delivers an amazing performance, playing a dangerous chameleon, who’s capable of switching personalities at the right time to fit whatever the situation calls for. Cooper is a devious and persistent tactician, who won’t be denied. The details and the little nuances for Cooper really pulls everything together. Whether it’s calmly cleaning or neatly folding a shirt in highly stressful situations, you can clearly see Cooper is a man with a lot of loose screws.

The narcissism, his massive ego, the constant lies, the phony good guy persona, and the fact that Cooper’s troubling problems are all rooted in serious mommy issues is noticeable. But you can also tell Cooper is a man, who truly loves his family. 

Yes, he’s a cold-hearted egomaniac, who doesn’t hesitate to step on anyone to get what he wants. But Cooper wants to be around for his children. Notice how excited Cooper is, while he’s basically playing the “cool dad” with Riley at the concert. Hartnett does a good job of being convincing as someone, who’s torn between the sadistic lifestyle of a serial killer and a family man, especially towards the end. Cooper wants it all, to have his cake and eat it too, and he becomes furious, when he realizes he’ll probably lose everything.

Saleka Night Shyamalan’s character is carefully crafted for Trap. She’s already a pop star in real life, so it’s not surprising that she’s noticeably comfortable playing Lady Raven, including the performances. It’s a role that suits her, and well, you have to believe she’s just being herself, or a more exaggerated version of herself. 

Lady Raven is a likable character, someone, who’s humble and compassionate. The final stretch gets a little weird, when Lady Raven tries to play mind games with Cooper (specifically that scene in the car). I’m not saying it’s bad acting, but certain parts are kind of awkward, and they do feel a bit forced. 

M. Night Shyamalan completely lost me with the ending. So let me see if I have this right. You pull out all the stops to catch The Butcher. Hordes of cops, tactical teams, and you set a trap for him during a concert. EVERYTHING except for the National Guard and the Navy Seals to stop this guy. And for some reason, when he’s completely surrounded by cops you let him touch a bike, giving him the opportunity to grab a spoke off of the wheel? On top of that, Cooper uses that spoke to unlock his handcuffs, so now there’s a chance to escape? Again?

It’s a bummer for me, because I was completely hooked in for everything leading up to the ending. The tense moments between Cooper and Rachel in the kitchen, the cat and mouse games between Lady Raven and Cooper, including Raven racing against the clock to save Spencer, and knowing Cooper was so close to completely losing it and killing Rachel. And Cooper finally giving in to visions of his deceased mother (Marcia Bennett), after trying so hard to ignore her throughout the movie.

But if you’re going the route of capturing The Butcher, then he should’ve been caught with no shenanigans. It just defies all kinds of logic after all the careful planning, having an expert FBI profiler on the case, and numerous strong walls of security. Why? Because he’s that good? Sorry, I just didn’t buy the whole idea that The Butcher is supposed to be Houdini, when he’s surrounded by a group of armed officers. 

The close calls are tight and there’s a few good nail-biters, while Cooper improvises his possible escape routes. But for me most of it is undone with the ending, because there’s just too much ridiculous BS in the final moments. 

Hartnett is fantastic. There’s no denying that, but it’s a case, where Shyamalan gets a bit too enamored with Cooper/The Butcher. There’s absolutely no reason why what happened should’ve happened during the ending, considering the circumstances, and knowing how dangerous Cooper is and what he’s capable of.

Still, Trap is an entertaining psychological thriller. Good methodical pacing, the concert scenes have a strong sense of realism, and there’s one brutal scene involving a deep fryer. There’s also something genuinely creepy about Cooper explaining why he goes after his victims. The Butcher believes no human being is truly whole, and that mindset plays a big role for him, when he decides to literally cut his victims into pieces. Really the kind of stuff that makes your skin crawl. 

This is The Josh Hartnett Show. Hartnett’s tour de force performance is impressive, but there’s also some noteworthy performances from the supporting cast. Ariel Donoghue playing the exuberant teenage girl, or Alison Pill showing believable emotions for a conflicted Rachel, because she still wants to believe Cooper is a good person. Also, Hayley Mills is appropriately cast as the wise old veteran character, who’s smart  and knows how to keep her composure. 

There’s also some good humor here. Jonathan Langdon has his moments (I genuinely laughed at Jamie’s reaction during the mid-credits scene, when he finds out Cooper is The Butcher.) as the upbeat and enthusiastic vendor. Kid Cudi is good for a few laughs as Thinker, an egotistical diva with a bad attitude. Marine McPhail-Diamond is hilarious as Jody’s (Riley’s ex-friend) mother, the sort of unhinged Pollyanna, with a “dark side.” 

And of course it wouldn’t be an M. Night Shyamalan without a cameo from the man himself! As usual, I don’t mind Shyamalan’s cameos. It’s a brief appearance, and his character (he plays Lady Raven’s uncle) moves the story forward without unnecessarily taking anything away from the developments during the home stretch. 

The story of the firefighter living in the suburbs, moonlighting as an infamous serial killer was loaded with potential. I had high hopes for Trap, but it’s not a complete misfire. Shyamalan’s still capable of delivering wild and thought-provoking stories, and Trap proves he doesn’t need to rely on a big shocking twist. I was waiting for the swerve, because it’s Shyamalan, but I’m glad he decided to go with a more straightforward style of storytelling.

Rating- 6/10

Trap (2024)(Minor Spoilers)

  

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert headlined by Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan), a popular pop singer. Unbeknownst to Riley, his wife, Rachel (Alison Pill), and his son, Logan (Lochlan Miller), Cooper lives a secret double life as The Butcher, a smart and calculating serial killer.

Cooper runs into an unexpected dilemma, when a merchandise stand worker named Jamie (Jonathan Langdon) reveals the concert is actually an elaborate trap designed to catch The Butcher. With Lady Raven’s help and guidance from FBI profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), the seemingly air tight trap complicates Cooper’s plans to escape.

Cooper devises a series of schemes and distractions, but the walls are closing in. Lady Raven has a chance to save Spencer (Mark Bacolcol), The Butcher’s latest victim, but Cooper comes up with a plan to escape with Riley….

My Thoughts- He’s a husband, a father, a firefighter, and a serial killer! Cooper is a man of many faces. Josh Hartnett delivers an amazing performance, playing a dangerous chameleon, who’s capable of switching personalities at the right time to fit whatever the situation calls for. Cooper is a devious and persistent tactician, who won’t be denied. The details and the little nuances for Cooper really pulls everything together. Whether it’s calmly cleaning or neatly folding a shirt in highly stressful situations, you can clearly see Cooper is a man with a lot of loose screws.

The narcissism, his massive ego, the constant lies, the phony good guy persona, and the fact that Cooper’s troubling problems are all rooted in serious mommy issues is noticeable. But you can also tell Cooper is a man, who truly loves his family.  

Yes, he’s a cold-hearted egomaniac, who doesn’t hesitate to step on anyone to get what he wants. But Cooper wants to be around for his children. Notice how excited Cooper is, while he’s basically playing the “cool dad” with Riley at the concert. Hartnett does a good job of being convincing as someone, who’s torn between the sadistic lifestyle of a serial killer and a family man, especially towards the end. Cooper wants it all, to have his cake and eat it too, and he becomes furious, when he realizes he’ll probably lose everything.

Saleka Night Shyamalan’s character is carefully crafted for Trap. She’s already a pop star in real life, so it’s not surprising that she’s noticeably comfortable playing Lady Raven, including the performances. It’s a role that suits her, and well, you have to believe she’s just being herself, or a more exaggerated version of herself. 

Lady Raven is a likable character, someone, who’s humble and compassionate. The final stretch gets a little weird, when Lady Raven tries to play mind games with Cooper (specifically that scene in the car). I’m not saying it’s bad acting, but certain parts are kind of awkward, and they do feel a bit forced.

The close calls are tight and there’s a few good nail-biters, while Cooper improvises his possible escape routes. But for me most of it is undone with the ending, because there’s just too much ridiculous BS in the final moments. 

Hartnett is fantastic. There’s no denying that, but it’s a case, where Shyamalan gets a bit too enamored with Cooper/The Butcher. There’s absolutely no reason why what happened should’ve happened during the ending, considering the circumstances, and knowing how dangerous Cooper is and what he’s capable of.

Still, Trap is an entertaining psychological thriller. Good methodical pacing, the concert scenes have a strong sense of realism, and there’s one brutal scene involving a deep fryer. There’s also something genuinely creepy about Cooper explaining why he goes after his victims. The Butcher believes no human being is truly whole, and that mindset plays a big role for him, when he decides to literally cut his victims into pieces. Really the kind of stuff that makes your skin crawl. 

This is The Josh Hartnett Show. Hartnett’s tour de force performance is impressive, but there’s also some noteworthy performances from the supporting cast. Ariel Donoghue playing the exuberant teenage girl, or Alison Pill showing believable emotions for a conflicted Rachel, because she still wants to believe Cooper is a good person. Also, Hayley Mills is appropriately cast as the wise old veteran character, who’s smart  and knows how to keep her composure. 

There’s also some good humor here. Jonathan Langdon has his moments as the upbeat and enthusiastic vendor. Kid Cudi is good for a few laughs as Thinker, an egotistical diva with a bad attitude. Marine McPhail-Diamond is hilarious as Jody’s (Riley’s ex-friend) mother, the sort of unhinged Pollyanna, with a “dark side.” 

And of course it wouldn’t be an M. Night Shyamalan without a cameo from the man himself! As usual, I don’t mind Shyamalan’s cameos. It’s a brief appearance, and his character (he plays Lady Raven’s uncle) moves the story forward without unnecessarily taking anything away from the developments during the home stretch. 

The story of the firefighter living in the suburbs, moonlighting as an infamous serial killer was loaded with potential. I had high hopes for Trap, but it’s not a complete misfire. Shyamalan’s still capable of delivering wild and thought-provoking stories, and Trap proves he doesn’t need to rely on a big shocking twist. I was waiting for the swerve, because it’s Shyamalan, but I’m glad he decided to go with a more straightforward style of storytelling.

Rating- 6/10

Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions (2021)

 

**This post contains spoilers, including thoughts on the alternate opening and ending **

The Story- Continuing their pursuit to expose Minos, Zoey (Taylor Russell) and Ben (Logan Miller) travel to New York to find more evidence. But things take an unexpected turn, when a homeless man lures Zoey and Ben into another one of Minos’ games by stealing Zoey’s necklace.

Zoey and Ben are forced to survive another series of escape rooms with former winners including, Theo (Carlito Olivero), Brianna (Indya Moore), Rachel (Holland Rode), and Nathan (Thomas Cocquerel). The players are put to the test and pushed to their limits, and a surprising return forces Zoey to make a difficult decision.

My Thoughts- Tournament Of Champions knocks it out of the park again with a different set of more grandiose escape rooms. Each escape room is uniquely different and has its own brand of chaotic life or death danger, especially the bank and vault escape room. The subway train, the bank and vault, the beach, and the outdoor New York City escape rooms all had genuine awe-inspiring atmospheres, but the smaller and more modest escape rooms also worked here. The water cage and the sauna escape rooms fit within the story to play up the claustrophobia and anxiety more, so you still get that strong sense of panic and dread, just on a smaller scale.

Escape Room 2019 took the clever approach to use the participant’s personal tragedies and traumas as tie-ins for the escape rooms and the clues within the rooms to add an emotional layer, but that’s not the case in the sequel. They were clearly going with a bigger razzle-dazzle style for the escape rooms here and more complex problem solving. It’s a noticeably different approach that still works. The strong sense of urgency is intact, and there’s a few believable tense moments, with a lot of good close calls in the NYC acid rain and the bank escape rooms. Including two exits during the beach escape room delivered more hysteria, because when you consider everything she’s been through, it’s easy to buy into Zoey’s desperation to finally escape the game.

The teamwork in Tournament Of Champions is more cohesive and fluid, and you won’t see any selfish characters resembling Jason from the original. Everyone in the sequel is a former champion. They know how dangerous the games are, and they know Minos means business. You can say the stunt he pulled in the bank escape room was stupid, but Nathan solely risked his life twice to help the group.

We already know about Zoey and Ben’s stories and their motivations, and I was hoping for more character depth for the rest of the contestants. Brianna is a social media influencer and a travel blogger, and that’s it? Rachel has a high tolerance for pain, but they never go into any details about her being a “pain freak.” Nathan is traumatized. He’s an alcoholic, and something about his life as a priest is clearly bothering him.

The original did a good job of exploring the traumas behind each contestant, and working their traumatic experiences into the escape rooms. With the exception of Nathan and to a lesser extent, Theo (he loves his wife and doesn’t want to be late to her birthday party), there’s no real attempts to explore the backstories behind the contestants. So if we’re talking about performances, the cast is basically limited to frantic shouting and panicky reactions.

Amanda is alive! That’s the big surprise towards the end. But it’s not a happy reunion with Zoey and Ben, because it’s revealed Amanda has been working with Minos to design escape rooms. We know for sure the beach escape room was Amanda’s brainchild, and she’s only working as an escape room builder, because Minos kidnapped her daughter. Of course, Amanda comes to her senses and helps Zoey and Ben escape, after Zoey refuses Minos offer to work for them.

So they’re in the clear and Minos is done for, right? Well, Zoey and Ben are stuck in another escape room on a plane to end the movie. Zoey realizes something is wrong, when she sees her therapist (Lucy Newman-Williams) on the flight, who’s revealed to be a plant from Minos. It’s the plane crash escape room that was teased at the end of the first movie, and it plays into Zoey’s fears of flying.

But wait there’s more! In the alternate opening and ending, we learn more about the Puzzle Maker, Henry (James Frain) his daughter, Claire (Isabelle Fuhrman), and his wife, Sonya (Tanya Van Graan). There’s a twist, where it’s revealed Claire is the true Puzzle Maker and architect behind the escape rooms, and Henry’s been stealing her ideas and passing them off his own for years. All the escape rooms were inspired by events during Claire’s childhood, and as a child, Claire is the one who killed her mother with the sauna escape room.

So which ending is better? I have to go with the ending in the alternate version. It’s a definitive ending with more closure. Claire helps Ben and Zoey escape. There’s no cliffhanger for their ending, and Amanda and her storyline are completely cut out of this version. There’s also a slight crack in the door to continue the story. Claire presumably kills Henry, and she promises to fulfill her true potential after she escapes from her prison. 

Fuhrman and Frain delivered a pair of solid performances, and their characters added a good emotional layer to the movie, with the unusual and dysfunctional family dynamic. The extended cut also shows more footage, with Zoey struggling to get on a plane again. The scene where Zoey envisions her mother warmly encouraging her to join her on the flight did a good job of  showing why Zoey is still paranoid, and you can understand why it’s not so easy for her to move on.

I don’t hate the theatrical ending, but it’s too wide open. All of the struggles Zoey and Ben went through are meaningless. On the plane, Zoey mentioned the escape rooms were “too easy” this time around, and Amanda revealed the reason for that earlier. It was all one big recruitment scheme to get Zoey to work for Minos. Going back to the NYC acid rain room, it’s easy to see how things were set up for Zoey to be the winner. Rachel and Brianna never had a chance to get inside the taxi. 

So if we’re going by the theatrical ending, everything was a ruse to get Zoey to lower her guard and finally get on a plane. Zoey and Ben didn’t really accomplish anything, and Amanda’s shocking return is wasted.

I never believed Zoey and Ben were in any real danger, but Tournament Of Champions is still a satisfying sequel. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Tournament Of Champions delivers consistent thrills and suspense with a speedy pace. The sequel is also loaded with amazing set pieces and good eye candy. Logan Miller and Taylor Russell share believable chemistry as best friends, and there’s slight teases for a possible romance. Zoey and Ben developed a tight bond, and they’re genuinely willing to risk their lives to keep each other safe. 

The theatrical ending and the extended ending are completely different with two separate paths. The big difference is, and I’ve said this before, but the extended version’s ending gives you the impression a sequel could happen. The theatrical version’s ending will leave you with the impression that a sequel NEEDS to happen. The theatrical ending shows the start of an escape room game, and Henry’s identity is never revealed. 

 I know it’ll probably never happen, but personally, I was holding out hope for an Escape Room 3. There’s untapped potential with mainstream game horror movies. Escape Room could’ve been a nice alternative to Saw, if you’re not into the more extreme gory stuff. Zoey and Ben worked as a duo, and it’s easy to fit them into future films, as two players who managed to survive Minos.

Rating- 7/10

Escape Room (2019)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- The Minos Corporation chooses Zoey (Taylor Russell), Ben (Logan Miller), Amanda (Deborah Ann Woll), Danny (Nik Dodani), Mike (Tyler Labine), and Jason (Jay Ellis) to participate in an escape room game. Playing the game seems like a fun challenge at first, but as the rooms become more dangerous, it’s clear Minos has sinister motivations.

My Thoughts- Escape Room features the usual cast of characters you’ll see in a survival game horror movie. Zoey is the wholesome protagonist, who wants to help and hopefully save everyone from certain death. Jason? Well, he’s a jerk. Jason represents the kind of relentless participant, who will do anything to win the game and stay alive. He’s selfish and heartless, and Jason only wants to be a team player, if it’ll help his chances of survival. But his mindset is also understandable, because if we’re being honest, not too many people are going to risk their lives to save and protect complete strangers.

Personal tragedies play a big part in the games for Escape Room. Amanda is a combat veteran with PTSD, so you can easily see why she’s the first member of the group to panic. There’s also the red jacket from Jason’s story in the outdoor winter room. Jason used that jacket to keep himself from freezing to death after he murdered his friend. In the winter room, the red jacket is shared amongst the group to fight off hypothermia, something Jason selfishly refused to do with his friend.

The clever interweaving for using personal hardships as tie-ins for the games adds an emotional layer to Escape Room. The main cast of characters are forced to face their demons. The majority of the escape rooms have their own brands of uniqueness and deadly creativity. Starting things off with the oven room was a good choice to set the tone for the rest of the movie. The upside down room with the bar and the pool table was truly unreal. It’s easily the only room, where I could buy into the possibility of anyone dying, because of how extremely dangerous everything was, a true nail biter.

Something to pay close attention to is how the mood changes, as the game progresses. At first, the banter and jokes throughout the group are playful, but that changes as things get more serious. The insults are more personal and nasty, because the group realizes death is a realistic possibility. Jason gets more belligerent with his finger wagging, while constantly trying to expose the weak links, and everyone’s moral compass is put to the test.

The second to last escape room was a big letdown for me. It’s down to Jason and Ben for the final two survivors, and Zoey is presumably dead. The whole sequence inside this boring and plain room didn’t do anything for me. I get the whole idea behind the distorted POV, because Jason and Ben were heavily drugged, but it’s just too whacky overall. And to make matters worse, the placement they chose for this room didn’t fit. It’s toward the end of the movie, so I was expecting something more complex to reflect the high stakes to make it to the finish line.

The Gamemaster’s (Yorick van Wageningen) explanation to Ben for Minos’ motivations might be a tad bit cliched, but it still works. Minos’ clients are rich and powerful, and they’re willing to pay top dollar for more extreme content. The Gamemaster believes most of the world has gone soft, and that’s where Minos steps in. You can believe the rich and powerful see ordinary people as disposable toys for their amusement, and The Gamemaster also uses gladiator games and public executions for examples. That specific group of spectators never vanished, they were just pushed further into the shadows as the world changed.

Ben making it to the end as the “dark horse” survivor was a decent enough surprise, because you knew Jason’s selfishness and his arrogance would come back to bite him sooner or later. I didn’t buy Zoey’s death in the carbon monoxide poisoning room for one second. They tried a swerve, but they invested too much in Zoey, as the shy and scrappy protagonist with a fighting spirit. She’s too smart, and Zoey was going to find a way to make it. 

Escape Room has an alternate ending, where Zoey is lured back into one of her college classrooms. She gets the $10k grand prize check (she defiantly tears it up) and her mother’s compass, and the Puzzle Maker traps her inside for another game. This ending just feels flat, when you compare it to the theatrical ending. Zoe and Ben continuing their pursuit to expose Minos, while the Puzzle Maker prepares another game for both of them with the crashing flight simulator is a far more intriguing cliffhanger and ending.

Escape Room is a fun and entertaining game horror movie, with a lot of energy and brisk pacing. The thrills are consistent, and the entire cast delivers solid performances. I almost wish Yorick van Wageningen had more screen time. I understand the idea behind saving his only appearance until the end for the big reveal, but Wageningen is genuinely evil, cold, and cruel as The Gamemaster, truly a perfect fit to represent Minos. He does a lot with a little amount of time, and Wageningen would’ve made a great villain to showcase throughout the movie.

Rating- 7/10

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no character deaths, plot twists, or major reveals**

Washington Post Columnist John Klein (Richard Gere) prepares to buy a new home with his wife, Mary (Debra Messing). John is basking in the glory of his happy and magical marriage with Mary, but a bizarre car accident changes everything.

After the accident, Mary is diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, but John is more worried about the circumstances surrounding the accident. A moth like creature startled Mary seconds before the crash, and Mary continues to feed her obsessions by drawing numerous pictures of the same creature.

Two years later, John takes a trip to Richmond, Virginia. Along the way, John’s car shuts off in the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia at 2:30 am. Looking for help, John knocks on Gordon Smallwood’s (Will Patton) door for the chance of a phone call, but Gordon and his wife, Denise (Lucinda Jenney)  aren’t happy to see John. Gordon recognizes John from previous visits at 2:30 am, so Gordon persecutes John as a stalker. Forcing John into his bathtub with some persuasion from a shotgun, Gordon lowers his guard, when Sergeant Connie Mills (Laura Linney) arrives to settle the dispute.

John’s unexpected pit stop in Point Pleasant turns into an investigation to discover the origins of the Mothman entity. Apparently, various citizens (including Gordon) in Point Pleasant  reported sightings of the Mothman creature, and John notices the similarities between submitted Mothman drawings to Connie and Mary’s drawings of the Mothman creature. Desperate for more information, John travels to Chicago to speak with an expert named Alexander Leek (Alan Bates). John is forced to deal with the invealtiable dilemma of stopping a tragedy, and John’s mission leads him to one unsettling question: Is the Mothman real?

Do you believe? It’s a reoccurring theme throughout The Mothman Prophecies. John wants to believe in the Mothman and the prophecies, because he’s looking for answers and closure. As the viewer, you can choose to stand on the side of logic, or you can stand on the side with the people, who believe in the Mothman and his prophecies, but one thing’s for  sure, you’ll be rooting for John to find some peace. He’s a broken man, that’s looking for the essential answers to end his sleepless nights, so he can finally move on with his life.


Although, I have to admit, The Mothman Prophecies constant attempts at cleverness feel tedious at times. During John’s research, numbers from dreams are used to determine the real life tragedies connected to the Mothman’s prophecies. Yeah, at certain points I got the feeling I was watching The Number 23, and that’s not a compliment.

Still, The Mothman Prophecies is an intriguing psychological thriller with a unique premise and some genuinely chilling and creepy moments. A few examples are the scene, where John is stranded on a seemingly deserted road in Point Pleasant at night, and the other is John’s first verbal interaction with the Mothman over the phone at the local motel. The Mothman Prophecies isn’t perfect, but I was hooked into John’s never ending mission to discover  the truth in a battle of  heartache VS beliefs of the unknown and supernatural from start to finish. It could’ve been better, but The Mothman Prophecies has enough redeemable qualities to justify a viewing, especially if you’re looking for something scary late at night.

Rating: 6/10

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The Mothman Prophecies (2002)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Washington Post Columnist John Klein (Richard Gere) prepares to buy a new home with his wife, Mary (Debra Messing). John is basking in the glory of his happy and magical marriage with Mary, but a bizarre car accident changes everything.

After the accident, Mary is diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, but John is more worried about the circumstances surrounding the accident. A moth like creature startled Mary seconds before the crash, and Mary continues to feed her obsessions by drawing numerous pictures of the same creature. Eventually, Mary loses her fight with tumor after numerous chemotherapy sessions. One night, John receives a call about Mary’s floundering progress. John rushes to the hospital for one last good-bye, but the doctor breaks the news of Mary’s death upon John’s arrival.

Two years after Mary’s death, John takes a trip to Richmond, Virgina. Along the way, John’s car shuts off in the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia at 2:30 am. Looking for help, John knocks on Gordon Smallwood’s (Will Patton) door for the chance of a phone call, but Gordon and his wife, Denise (Lucinda Jenney)  aren’t happy to see John. Gordon recognizes John from previous visits at 2:30 am, so Gordon persecutes John as a stalker. Forcing John into his bathtub with some persuasion from a shotgun, Gordon lowers his guard, when Sergeant Connie Mills (Laura Linney) arrives to settle the dispute.

John’s unexpected pit stop in Point Pleasant turns into an investigation to discover the origins of the Mothman entity. Apparently, various citizens (including Gordon) in Point Pleasant  reported sightings of the Mothman creature, and John notices the similarities between submitted Mothman drawings to Connie and Mary’s drawings of the Mothman creature before she passed away. Desperate for more information, John travels to Chicago to speak with an expert named Alexander Leek (Alan Bates).

John’s obsession to unravel the mystery of the Mothman takes a dark turn, when John receives a message for a phone call from a deceased Mary. John tries to convince Connie to believe in the realistic possibility of a looming tragedy involving the citizens of Point Pleasant after a serious of ominous warnings connected to the Mothman’s prophecies, but John is forced into a tough decision. The first choice? John can patiently wait until noon for the otherworldly phone call from Mary, or John can take a shot at spending a happy Christmas with Connie in Point Pleasant. But fate alters John’s plans, when the Silver Bridge suddenly collapses……….

The Mothman Prophecies features a nice set of solid performances, with Richard Gere standing out amongst the pack, as an infallible leading man. Although, I don’t think it’s fair to judge Debra Messing one way or the other, because her screen time is limited to sporadic “here and there” appearances.

Do you believe? It’s a reoccurring theme throughout The Mothman Prophecies. John wants to believe in the Mothman and the prophecies, because he’s looking for answers and closure. But there’s one scene, where Connie bursts John’s bubble to bring him back to the real world. John is waiting for a dead Mary’s phone call, but Connie urges him to return to Point Pleasant to join her for Christmas, so he won’t be alone. A frantic and broken John wants that one last chance to say good-bye to Mary he missed two years ago, but Connie tells him the cold hard truth with no sugar coating: Mary is dead, and she’s not coming back. John is just using his beliefs in the Mothman to hide his pain over Mary’s death. On top of that, Mary reminds him you can’t cheat death no matter what, and it’s as simple as that.

It’s a soul crushing scene for the John character, because here, he accepts the truth from Connie’s words. John finally makes the decision to join Connie on Christmas, but as he’s leaving, the phone rings at noon. John, fed up with his own damaging obsession for the Mothman, rips the phone cords out of the wall, and he smashes what’s left of the phone on the ground…but the phone is still ringing, as John tries to leave. John is clearly disturbed, but John is determined to move on, and refuses to break his promise to Connie, so he leaves without answering the ringing phone. It’s an eerie sequence of events to witness, and I was pondering the “What ifs?” because it’s hard to ignore the possibilities, if John answered the phone.

John, feeling a sense of peace and relief about sticking to his decision to ignore the Mothman stuff, returns to Point Pleasant for Christmas with Connie. Lines and Lines of cars are stuck on the Silver Bridge……and the devastating collapse of the bridge sinks numerous cars into the freezing waters below. John jumps into the water, and he’s able to save Connie before she drowns or freezes to death in the water. On the back of an ambulance, a fireman reveals the death toll to John and Connie: 36. Why is this number significant? Well, before the collapse, Connie had a dream about drowning in a lake. Under the water, Connie is surrounded by Christmas presents, and to end the dream, Connie hears a voice telling her to “Wake up” as number thirty-seven. Here, it’s revealed Connie was supposed to die after the bridge collapsed. The Mothman Prophecies ends with a close-call shot of Connie and John sharing a fortunate embrace on the ambulance. The subtle foreshadowing was a nice touch for this particular twist, because it’s not so easy to predict the steps leading up to the tragedy.

Although, I have to admit, The Mothman Prophecies constant attempts at cleverness feel tedious at times. During John’s research, numbers from dreams are used to determine the real life tragedies connected to the Mothman’s prophecies. Yeah, at certain points I got the feeling I was watching The Number 23, and that’s not a compliment.

Still, The Mothman Prophecies is an intriguing psychological thriller with a unique premise and some genuinely chilling and creepy moments. A few examples are the scene, where John is stranded on a seemingly deserted road in Point Pleasant at night, and the other is John’s first verbal interaction with the Mothman over the phone at the local motel. The Mothman Prophecies isn’t perfect, but I was hooked into John’s never ending mission to discover  the truth in a battle of  heartache VS beliefs of the unknown and supernatural from start to finish. It could’ve been better, but The Mothman Prophecies has enough redeemable qualities to justify a viewing, especially if you’re looking for something scary late at night.

Rating: 6/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

The Box (2009)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no plot twists, major reveals, or character deaths**

It’s 1976 in Richmond, Virginia, and one morning, a married couple receives a mysterious package on their doorstep.  Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz) takes the package inside, as the delivery man drives away. At breakfast, Norma’s husband, Arthur (James Marsden) opens the plain brown package to reveal a seemingly harmless black box with a red button, and a note for a prescheduled meeting with Mr. Steward.

After a frustrating day at work, Arlington Steward (Frank Langella), a disfigured man, pays a visit to Norma to discuss the box. If Norma or Arthur push the red button, they will receive a payment of one million dollars, tax free. The catch? After pushing the button, an unknown victim will die. Mr. Steward isn’t allowed to disclose the identity of his “employers,” Norma and Arthur can’t discuss the box with anyone else, or the deal is off, and they have twenty-four hours to make a decision.

Norma works as a school teacher for kids at a private institution, Arthur works for NASA as an engineer, but Norma is devastated by a recent financial setback at school, and Arthur’s application for an open spot as an astronaut is rejected. At work, Arthur develops a shoe mold to support Norma’s disfigured foot. Norma needs surgery to repair the damage to her foot, but the surgery is too expensive.

Tired of living paycheck to paycheck, Norma pushes the button on the box. As promised, Mr. Steward delivers a briefcase packed with one million dollars. But The Lewis Family doesn’t have a chance to enjoy their newfound wealth, because Norma, Arthur, and their young son, Walter (Sam Oz Stone) experience a series of supernatural and life-threatening disturbances linked to Mr. Steward and his secret network of employees ………

Norma and Arthur are two good-hearted, hard working people, so it’s easy to sympathize with and root for their characters. Through Norma and Arthur, The Box does a good job of tugging on your “What would you do, if you were in their shoes?” thought process. You’re a hard working family man or woman, who wants to provide a comfortable life for your loved ones, so would you accept the offer, if Mr. Steward showed up with the box and a briefcase full of one million dollars?  There’s a scene, where Norma and Arthur are lying in bed discussing the offer, and Norma urges Arthur to consider pushing the button. Norma is terrified at the possibility of living a hopeless, dead end life, and Norma knows there’s a 99.9% chance they’ll never see another golden opportunity to have one million dollars.

But on the flip side, YOU are solely responsible for killing another person, if you push that button. Sure, you don’t know them personally. Still, you’re taking a life. Before pushing the button, Norma tries to dismiss the unknown death as a forgettable blip (i.e. pushing the button could kill a murderer on death row, a serial killer, etc. You know, someone, who deserves it) on the radar, but Arthur reminds Norma of the consequences. What if Mr. Steward’s network chooses a child for the death? A neighbor down the street? Or an innocent and happy person, who enjoys life? Before the supernatural side of the story kicks in, The Box is more than capable of tantalizing and toying with your mind, as you weigh the pros and cons during Norma and Arthur’s thought-provoking moral dilemma.

The Box features a handful of preposterous moments, but I didn’t hate this one. Yes, the finale is a disappointment, but The Box is one of those psychological thrillers that’ll keep you guessing until the very end. I was on the edge of my seat, because I had to know what would happen after Norma pushed that button. And the hazy cinematography really enhances the nostalgic 1970’s setting. Plus, director/writer Richard Kelly creates the perfect spooky atmosphere for The Box, especially during a few nighttime scenes. A good example is Arthur and one of Steward’s chosen victims sitting in a car at night. A Salvation Army-esque Santa is standing in front of the car, ringing his bell with this dazed look on his face for a distraction, and out of nowhere, a truck slams into the car. Creepy, creepy stuff.

Is the Box perfect? No. But there’s enough eccentric wonder here to captivate a more patient audience, and The Box is capable of luring you into a right vs. wrong quandary, with a tempting and lucrative decision.

Rating: 7/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

And don't forget to like both of my Facebook pages, because the Mitch MacReady 2 Facebook page includes quotes from both ebooks that can't fit into Tweets- https://www.facebook.com/mitch.macready

The Box (2009)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

It’s 1976 in Richmond, Virginia, and one morning, a married couple receive a mysterious package on their doorstep. Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz) takes the package inside, as the delivery man drives away. At breakfast, Norma’s husband, Arthur (James Marsden) opens the plain brown package to reveal a seemingly harmless black box with a red button, and a note for a prescheduled meeting with Mr. Steward.

After a frustrating day at work, Arlington Steward (Frank Langella), a disfigured man, pays a visit to Norma to discuss the box. If Norma or Arthur push the red button, they will receive a payment of one million dollars, tax free. The catch? After pushing the button, an unknown victim will die. Mr. Steward isn’t allowed to disclose the identity of his “employers,” Norma and Arthur can’t discuss the box with anyone else, or the deal is off, and they have twenty-four hours to make a decision. To show appreciation for Norma’s generous hospitality, and to prove the deal isn’t a hoax, Mr. Stewart gives Norma a crisp one hundred dollar bill as a gift.

Norma works as a school teacher for kids at a private institution, Arthur works for NASA as an engineer, but Norma is devastated by a recent financial setback at school, and Arthur’s application for an open spot as an astronaut is rejected. At work, Arthur develops a shoe mold to support Norma’s disfigured foot. Norma needs surgery to repair the damage to her foot, but the surgery is too expensive.

Tired of living paycheck to paycheck, Norma and Arthur consider Mr. Steward’s offer. On one hand, Norma dreads missing the once in a lifetime opportunity of becoming a millionaire, and Norma wants the money for a more secure and stable future for herself, Arthur, and their young son, Walter (Sam Oz Stone). Arthur struggles with the thought of being responsible for the death of an innocent person, but Norma is willing to accept the risk, and with one hard slap, Norma pushes the red button.

As promised, Mr. Steward delivers a briefcase packed with one million dollars. Overwhelmed with guilt, Arthur orders Mr. Steward to keep the briefcase, but Mr. Steward refuses. With a looming sense of a third eye watching their every move hanging over them, Norma and Arthur are unable to enjoy their newfound wealth, and after a series of bizarre incidents, including reoccurring nosebleeds from other people, Norma and Arthur fear for their lives and Walter’s safety.

During the investigation to dig up more info on Mr. Steward, Norma and Arthur discover a hidden world full of supernatural obstacles and Mr. Steward’s zombified employees, who will stop at nothing to protect Mr. Steward and the secrets behind the box. And Arthur jeopardizes everything by breaking a rule: Desperate for help, Arthur exposes Steward’s identity to the police. To make matters worse, Arthur urges Norma’s father, Dick Burns (Holmes Osborne), a trusted detective in the local police department, to run the numbers on Mr. Steward‘s license plate……..

Norma and Arthur are two good-hearted, hard working people, so it’s easy to sympathize with and root for their characters. Through Norma and Arthur, The Box does a good job of tugging on your “What would you do, if you were in their shoes?” thought process. You’re a hard working family man or woman, who wants to provide a comfortable life for your loved ones, so would you accept the offer, if Mr. Steward showed up with the box and a briefcase full of one million dollars?  There’s a scene, where Norma and Arthur are lying in bed discussing the offer, and Norma urges Arthur to consider pushing the button. Norma is terrified at the possibility of living a hopeless, dead end life, and Norma knows there’s a 99.9% chance they’ll never see another golden opportunity to have one million dollars.

But on the flip side, YOU are solely responsible for killing another person, if you push that button. Sure, you don’t know them personally. Still, you’re taking a life. Before pushing the button, Norma tries to dismiss the unknown death as a forgettable blip (i.e. pushing the button could kill a murderer on death row, a serial killer, etc. You know, someone, who deserves it) on the radar, but Arthur reminds Norma of the consequences. What if Mr. Steward’s network chooses a child for the death? A neighbor down the street? Or an innocent and happy person, who enjoys life? Before the supernatural side of the story kicks in, The Box is more than capable of tantalizing and toying with your mind, as you weigh the pros and cons during Norma and Arthur’s thought-provoking moral dilemma.

So we’re in the final moments of the movie, and a deaf and blind Walter is locked inside the bathroom at the Lewis‘ home. With their backs against the wall, Mr. Steward offers Norma and Arthur a way out with two non-negotiable options. Option one, Norma and Arthur can keep the money, and live a life free of interference from Mr. Steward’s employees, but there’s one catch: If  Norma and Arthur keep the money, Walter must live the rest of his life blind and deaf. Option two? Mr. Steward gives Norma and Arthur a gun with one bullet in the chamber, and Arthur must kill Norma. If Arthur kills Norma, Walter’s blindness will disappear, Mr. Steward promises to restore his hearing, and the one million dollars will sit in a secure account, gaining interest until Walter turns eighteen. Unable to bear the thought of being responsible for condemning their own son to a life of darkness, Norma urges Arthur to pull the trigger. After a pair of tearful good-byes, Arthur kills Norma.

I have mixed feelings about this finale. Yeah, Mr. Steward and his network stripping Walter of his vision and hearing was a nice out of left field shock, but when Mr. Steward announced the options, you knew Norma and Arthur would take the unselfish path. The Box already established Norma and Arthur as two people with big hearts, so I had a hard time buying into the frantic “WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!!!” act from Diaz and Marsden. Also, when you consider all of the fantasy hoopla and diabolical foreshadowing, it’s hard to ignore underwhelming feelings for this finale. The Box leads you to believe they’re building towards some BIG shocking twist, but the surprise (using that word very loosely) of Arthur killing Norma didn’t do anything for me.

The Box features a handful of preposterous moments, but I didn’t hate this one. Yes, the finale is a disappointment, but The Box is one of those psychological thrillers that’ll keep you guessing until the very end. I was on the edge of my seat, because I had to know what would happen after Norma pushed that button. And the hazy cinematography really enhances the nostalgic 1970’s setting. Plus, director/writer Richard Kelly creates the perfect spooky atmosphere for The Box, especially during a few nighttime scenes. A good example is Arthur and one of Steward’s chosen victims sitting in a car at night. A Salvation Army-esque Santa is standing in front of the car, ringing his bell with this dazed look on his face for a distraction, and out of nowhere, a truck slams into the car. Creepy, creepy stuff.

Is the Box perfect? No. But there’s enough eccentric wonder here to captivate a more patient audience, and The Box is capable of luring you into a right vs. wrong quandary, with a tempting and lucrative decision.

Rating: 7/10


Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

And don't forget to like both of my Facebook pages, because the Mitch MacReady 2 Facebook page includes quotes from both ebooks that can't fit into Tweets- https://www.facebook.com/mitch.macready